Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metres hurdles explained

Event:	Women's 100 metres hurdles
Games:	2008 Summer
Venue:	Beijing National Stadium
Dates:	17 August 2008 (heats) 18 August 2008 (semi-finals) 19 August 2008 (final)
Competitors:	40
Nations:	31
Gold:	Dawn Harper
Goldnoc:	USA
Silver:	Sally McLellan
Silvernoc:	AUS
Bronze:	Priscilla Lopes-Schliep
Bronzenoc:	CAN
Win Value:	12.54 s
Prev:	2004
Next:	2012

The women's 100 metres hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics took place on 17 - 19 August at the Beijing National Stadium.^[1] ^[2]

The qualifying standards were 12.96 s (A standard) and 13.11 s (B standard).^[3]

Coming into the Olympics, Lolo Jones had the fastest time of the year, 12.45 in the semi-finals of the U.S. Olympic Trials. Jones had also won those trials convincingly in a wind aided 12.29 (coming within .08 of the 20-year-old world record).

The first round was distinguished by five runners finishing within .03 of each other. In the semi-final, Jones separated from the field by .19, setting a wind legal personal best 12.43 and a new fastest time of the year.

In the final, Sally McLellan was out fast, clearly the first over the first hurdle. By the fourth hurdle she had almost a full stride lead over the wall of competitors across the track behind her, with Jones starting to gain a slight advantage. But McLellan couldn't hold the lead. Over the next two hurdles, Jones stormed by, with the rest of the field gaining on McLellan. Dawn Harper was starting to separate ahead of the wall. Jones continued to pull away to a full stride on Harper as McLellan fell back to run even with the wall. At the ninth hurdle, Jones didn't get her lead leg high enough to clear the barrier. Her foot hit the slat square on. She rode the hurdle to the ground, landing awkwardly and losing her forward momentum. She had to jump long strides just to clear the final hurdle but was losing ground on every step. Harper took the hurdles cleanly and held her edge to cross the line for gold. Behind her, McLellan, Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Damu Cherry, Delloreen Ennis-London and Brigitte Foster-Hylton (the wall) hit the line together. .02 separated second through sixth with McLellan getting the photo finish nod over Lopes-Schliep for the medals. Four years later Harper and McLellan (under her married name of Pearson) would also get gold and silver, but in the opposite order.

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows:

No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.

Results

Round 1

Qualifying rule: first two of each heat (Q) plus the six fastest times (q) qualified.

Rank	Heat	Time	Notes
1	1	~~12.68~~	DSQ^[4]
2	1	12.68	Q
3	2	12.69	Q, SB
3	5	12.69	Q
5	4	12.71	Q
6	5	12.73	Q
7	2	12.75	Q
8	3	12.82	Q
9	3	12.83	Q
10	4	12.84	Q
11	2	12.91	q
12	1	12.94	q
13	2	12.95	q
14	3	12.97	q
15	4	12.98	q
15	1	12.98	q
17	5	12.99
18	5	13.01	NR
19	4	13.05	PB
20	4	13.05
21	5	13.06
22	3	13.07
23	3	13.11
24	1	13.13
25	2	13.18
25	1	13.18
27	4	13.20
28	2	13.22
29	5	13.25
30	4	13.34
31	1	13.39
32	3	13.43
33	2	13.45
34	5	13.49	NR
35	3	13.56
36	3	13.59
37	1	13.65
38	2	14.24	SB
39	4	14.29
	5

Semifinals

Qualification: First 4 in each heat and the next fastest advance to the Final.

Rank	Heat	Reaction	Time	Notes
1	1	0.172	12.43	Q, PB
2	2	0.189	12.62	Q
3	2	0.191	12.66	Q
4	1	0.145	12.67	Q
5	1	0.159	12.68	Q
6	1	0.140	12.70	Q
7	2	0.162	12.76	Q
8	2	0.145	12.84	Q
9	2	0.237	12.86
9	1	0.203	~~12.86~~	DSQ
11	1	0.118	12.96
12	1	0.144	12.99
13	2	0.153	13.05
14	1	0.201	13.28
	2	0.198	DNF
	2	0.156	DNF

Final

Position	Lane	Reaction	Time	Notes^[5]
	6	0.193	12.54	PB
	3	0.138	12.64
	8	0.174	12.64
4	7	0.239	12.65
5	5	0.151	12.65
6	9	0.167	12.66
7	4	0.185	12.72
8	2	0.163	12.94

Notes and References

Web site: Olympic Athletics Competition Schedule . 2008-08-04 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080913131714/http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/results/eventCode%3D3659/bydiscipline/index.html . 13 September 2008 . dead .
Web site: Athletics at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games: Women's 100 metres Hurdles . https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173103/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2008/ATH/womens-100-metres-hurdles.html . dead . 17 April 2020 . 1 October 2017 . sports-reference.com.
Web site: Entry Standards - The XXIX Olympic Games - Beijing, China - 8/24 August 2008 . 2008-08-04. IAAF. https://web.archive.org/web/20080913131730/http://www.iaaf.org/OLY08/standards/index.html. 13 September 2008 . live.
Web site: 9 athletes, including 6 medalists, caught for Beijing doping. 27 October 2016.
Web site: Iaaf.org - Olympic Games 2008 - Results 08-19-2008 - 100 Metres Hurdles W Final . 2008-08-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080820153959/http://www.iaaf.org/oly08/results/eventCode%3D3659/racedate%3D08-19-2008/sex%3DW/discCode%3D100H/combCode%3Dhash/roundCode%3Df/results.html . 2008-08-20 . Retrieved 2008-08-19.