Jamaican wins 100 hurdles

BERLIN (AP) — First the sprints, now the hurdles.

The Jamaicans are taking over that, too, from the Americans.

Brigitte Foster-Hylton captured the 100-meter hurdles title Wednesday, giving the island nation its first gold in the event at the world championships. Delloreen Ennis-London also won the bronze for Jamaica.

“We’re doing very good and we’re happy,” Ennis-London said.

The Americans, who’ve already lost two sprint races to Jamaica, were counting on gold. Instead, they ran into obstacles.

Ginnie Powell smashed a middle hurdle and finished sixth, and Olympic champion Dawn Harper clipped the second hurdle and took seventh.

Not exactly how they envisioned this playing out.

“I’m kind of ready to jump out of my skin,” Harper said. “I’m trying to remain calm.”

Powell knows the feeling.

“It’s kind of sad, a letdown day,” she said. “Two of America’s best hurdlers couldn’t medal.”

That seems to be the case these days when the Jamaicans are involved. Then again, the country with a population of 2.8 million does boast the best runner on the planet.

Usain Bolt will try for his second world record today in the final of the 200.

He obliterated his world-record mark in the 100 on Sunday, blazing through the line in 9.58 seconds.

Shawn Crawford thinks he might have a way to neutralize Bolt’s burst — trip him.

Of course the American was only kidding, right?

“The cameras make it hard to do that,” Crawford said.

Bolt looked invulnerable in his semifinal heat of the 200, ambling down the track in 20.08 seconds.

And that was in easy mode.

In the final, he’ll crank it up to serious mode.

Bolt’s world record in the 200 stands at 19.30, a barrier that Crawford fully expects him to break in the finals.

“I really think 19.28, that’s what I think,” Crawford said. “My goal is to run 19.51, I’ll be happy with that.”

That almost sounds like an admission of defeat.