IAAF – 2013 end-of-year reviews – hurdles

Statisticians A Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava look back on the best hurdles performances of the year with Julin covering the men’s events and Jalava the women’s.

Men’s 110m hurdles

One of the strongest memories of 2012 was Aries Merritt’s outstanding season, culminating in the fabulous world record of 12.80 in Brussels. But nothing is forever in sports and nagging injury problems relegated Merritt to a more discreet role as illustrated by his sixth-place finish at the IAAF World Championships.

But Merritt also learned that it is possible to reclaim the top position after injury hampered years. The superman of 2010, David Oliver now returned to the top at age 31 to get his much deserved first global title.

Oliver’s win was emphatic, finishing 0.13 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Ryan Wilson, who also told the story of perseverance. At age 32, it wasn’t just Wilson’s first global medal, it was also his first ever global championship appearance.

So unlucky athletes born in the 1990s like Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment (No.2 on the world list with 13.05 before getting injured in June), France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (beat Oliver at the Diamond League meeting Paris but went out in the heats in Moscow) and Cuba’s Orlando Ortega (No.3 on the world list with 13.08 but also missed out in the Moscow heats) should not panic.

Their best years are most likely still to come.