Cindy Roleder and Sharika Nelvis in the 100m hurdles heats at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (© Getty Images)
With a fairly easy qualification formula of the four fastest athletes in each of the five heats, plus the next four fastest athletes, progressing to the semi-finals on Friday, the first round of competition in the 100m hurdles didn’t bring any major surprises on a sunny and hot Thursday morning.
The US defending champion Brianna Rollins ran the fastest time of the day in the heat four. She clocked 12.67 (-0.4 mps) for the confident win.
Behind her was the Jamaican Shermaine Williams, setting a personal best of 12.78.
Rollins compatriot Dawn Harper Nelson had a successful return to her lucky stadium.
Seven years ago, she won her Olympic title here, at the Bird’s Nest. This morning, Harper Nelson made a confident first step towards the world championships success, winning her heat in 12.79, with a broad smile across her face during the final few metres.
In the same heat, Kierre Beckles from Barbados improved her personal best by 0.1 and clocked a national record of 12.88 for second place.
The 2015 world leader Sharika Nelvis was quick out of the blocks and had a controlled race, making sure to stay just ahead of the rivals.
After the last hurdle, the American seemed to ease off and Germany’s Cindy Roleder edged her and ran a season’s best of 12.86 (-1.2 mps) while Nelvis ran 12.93 for second.
The Jamaican champion Danielle Williams, the younger of the two Williams sisters, demonstrated her good shape, winning her heat in 12.77 into a slightly stronger headwind of -1.8 mps.
The USA collegiate champion Kendra Harrison had a conservative race and finished just behind Williams in 12.90.
The 2013 world championships finalist and 2014 European silver medallist, France’s Cindy Billaud, finished a disappointing sixth in this heat in 13.23, missing out on a place in the semi-final and perhaps providing the biggest shock of what was otherwise an event-free round.
In the last heat of the morning session, it was a European affair with the reigning European champion Tiffany Porter, from Great Britain and Belarus’ 2015 European indoor 60m hurdles champion Alina Talay taking first and third in 12.73 and 12.87 (-1.1 mps), respectively. Between them, just ahead of Talay on the line was Canada’s Nikkita Holder with a time of 12.86.
Female hurdlers will have a busy day on Friday.
Unlike in the men’s 110m hurdles, they won’t have a day of rest between two following rounds, having to race in the semi-finals and in the final on the same night.
Elena Dyachkova for the IAAF