Pistorius must run the first leg in relay, IAAF decides

Double amputee Oscar Pistorius must run the first leg for South Africa if he is to take part in the 4x400m relay, athletics governing body said on Friday.

"This person is a particular case," IAAF head Lamine Diack said of the athlete who runs with carbon fibre prosthetic blades in place of his lower legs, which were amputated before he was a year old due to a congenital condition.

"The only thing we said to the South African federation is that if he wants to run in the relay, he must run the first leg to avoid danger to other athletes."

The 24-year-old will make history in Daegu when he becomes the first amputee athlete to compete at the World Championships.

Pistorius first competed against able-bodied athletes in 2007 but the IAAF then amended its rules to ban the use of "any technical device that incorporates springs, wheels or any other element that provides a user with an advantage over another athlete not using such a device".

Even at age of 36, Lagat ready to take run at 5,000

Bernard Lagat has grown into the job of role model for the next generation of American distance runners. He has also grown a beard to remind them how old he is.

At 36, Kenyan-born Lagat has been a force in distance running for a decade, winning gold in the 1,500 and 5,000m at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka as well as Olympic 1,500 silver and bronze in Athens and Sydney.

While he goes into the 5,000 in Daegu knowing Britain's Mo Farah is the heavy favorite, Lagat said there was plenty of life left in his legs.

"I'm tired of people asking me which high school I go to," joked Lagat on Friday when asked about his new whiskered look.

"This proves that Bernard Lagat has been there a long time. I'm an old man but I'm still running fast."

Start concerns Robles ahead of showdown

World record holder Dayron Robles's start has him concerned as he prepares for a clash with the second and third fastest 110m hurdlers of all-time.

"One mistake and you are dead," the Cuban Olympic champion said when asked about the highly anticipated showdown with Chinese former world record holder Liu Xiang and American David Oliver on Monday.

"Everybody is coming to win and to run fast."

The three have never met in a global outdoor final, which makes the Daegu meeting more mouth-watering and, with only two-hundredths of a second separating the three on the all-time list, there is no room for error, said the Cuban. That's why his start concerns him.

"I have something wrong with my start," Robles said. "David is coming very fast in the start. Liu Xiang is coming faster too.

"I need to come faster because right now it is very important the start, maybe in winning.".

Olympic champ Ohuruogu disqualified from 400m

Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain has been disqualified from the women's 400m after a false start.

Ohuruogu, the 400 winner in the 2007 worlds and 2008 Beijing Olympics, jumped the gun in Heat 3 and was led off the track on Saturday at Daegu Stadium.

Ohuruogu has been struggling this season, and even said she thought about skipping the meet in order to concentrate on defending her Olympic title next year in London.

Three weeks ago at Crystal Palace, Ohuruogu finished last.

American teammates Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross qualified for the semifinals on Sunday.

Felix, a three-time world champion in the 200, is looking to double in Daegu.

AP-Reuters

(China Daily 08/28/2011 page8)