Clay crashes out of 100m hurdles at worlds

John Salvado | July 24, 2022

Australian No.1 Liz Clay and defending US gold medallist Nia Ali have both suffered heavy falls in the opening round of the women’s 100m hurdles at the world championships in Eugene.

Clay was taken straight to the medical room after clattering into the seventh barrier in her heat and crashing to the track on Saturday.

She was set to have an X-ray on her foot.

The 27-year-old Queenslander only just missed out on a berth in last year’s Tokyo Olympics final and had high hopes for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Ali also failed to finish her heat after smashing into the last two hurdles.

In much better news, Australian Michelle Jenneke and Celeste Mucci both advanced to the semis on Sunday.

Jenneke was particularly impressive, clocking 12.84 seconds in a heat also involving world record holder Kendra Harrison from the US.

“I am ecstatic with that,” Jenneke told AAP.

“I’ve come into these championships with one real goal and that’s to run a PB.

“I didn’t quite get that today but to be that close, just 0.02 off my best and I think my PB was with a 1.2m tailwind and today was into a small headwind.

“I don’t think I executed the end of my race that well so there’s still some time there.”

Mucci clocked 13.01 while Nigerian Tobi Amusan topped the timesheets with an African record time of 12.40.

Australian record holder Brooke Buschkuehl needed only one qualifying jump to advance straight through to the women’s long jump final.

Buschkuehl – who broke her own Australian mark last week with a huge jump of 7.13m in California – managed 6.76m in Eugene, just over the automatic qualifying mark.

Fellow Australian Samantha Dale (6.04m) was eliminated.

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Ash Moloney was in eighth spot after the opening three events of the decathlon.

Moloney had 2647 points, with Canada’s reigning Olympic champ Damian Warner leading the way with 2846.

Australians Cedric Dubler (2485) and Daniel Golubovic (2457) were 15th and 18th respectively.

Later on Saturday (1110 AEST Sunday), Peter Bol will be chasing a medal in what shapes as a wide-open men’s 800m final.

The 28-year-old was fourth in last year’s Olympic final in Tokyo.

Bol only just snuck into the final in Eugene after finishing third in his semi but is determined to make the best of that slice of luck.

Kenya’s reigning Olympic gold medallist Emmanuel Korir aside, none of the other runners in the final have previously been on the podium at a major championships.