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BEIJING: World season leader Lolo Jones stumbled over the penultimate hurdle while leading the Olympic women's 100m hurdles final on Tuesday, allowing fellow American Dawn Harper to claim a surprise gold.
World indoor 60m hurdles champion Jones planted her right foot into the hurdle, but kept on her feet and cleared the last obstacle, but with her momentum shattered, so were her chances for victory as rivals surged past her.
"At the middle part of the race the hurdles came up very fast," Jones said. "I wanted to keep things tight. It was like racing a car at high velocity. When you hit a curve, you either maintain control of it or you crash and burn.
"Today I crashed and burned."
Australia's Sally McLellan was second in 12.64 with Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep third in the same time and American Damu Cherry fourth in 12.65.
"I'm shocked and sad but I am happy for the (other) girls," Jones said. "It's hurdles. You have to clear all 10 or you are not a worthy champion.
"Today is hard. Tomorrow will be harder. I just have to get myself back up."
Jamaicans Delloreen Ennis-London and Bridgitte Foster-Hylton were fifth and sixth respectively with Jones staggering across the finish line seventh in 12.72, pumping her fists in frustration and then dropping to her knees.
"These are definitely tears of sadness, not of joy," Jones said. "I'm really sad. I tried my best. I kept telling myself to concentrate but I can't control what happens. Sometimes you just lose your mind."
Jones ran the fastest 100 hurdles in the world this year on Monday by winning her semi-final in a personal best 12.43 seconds.
Last month, she had won the US Olympic trials 100 hurdles final in a wind-aided 12.29 seconds, matching the second-fastest time ever clocked in the event under any conditions.
"The last time I hit a hurdle was the day before the Olympic trials," Jones said.
Cherry, fighting the flu at her first Olympics, was second only to Jones this year with a season best of 12.47. She missed the 2004 Olympics while serving a two-year doping ban.
"It's hard," Cherry said. "Congratulations to them. But it's hard. I thought I had it. I really did."
Instead, McLellan, who finished 10th in the event at last year's worlds, had herself a silver medal and Lopes-Schliep, who turns 26 in a week, received an early birthday gift.
"I didn't know what happened," Lopes-Schliep said. "When I saw the photo finish I was all tingling."
McLellan had doubted she could pull off a podium finish despite entering the race with the fourth-best 2008 effort among the finalists, a 12.53 showing from last month at Monaco.
"In my heart I didn't think I would medal. But then I did," McLellan said. "This is amazing. I can't believe this is even happening." - AFP/de
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