Reebok Invitational 2007
by Steve McGill
For this month’s great race, we’re taking a look back to 2007, during one of the golden ages of the men’s 110 meter high hurdles, when greats like Liu Xiang, Ladji Doucoure, Dominique Arnold, Dayron Robles, and Terrence Trammell were all in their prime. Sometimes, great races happen in meets that don’t stand out in the traditional sense of being a national championship, a world championship, or an Olympic championship meet. Such was the case with the Reebok Grand Prix in 2007. This meet took place in early June, which is very early for most professional athletes, so it was the first “big” meet in a World Championship year.
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Featured in the men’s 11o meter hurdles were Arnold in lane 3, Trammell in lane 4, and Liu in lane 5. In 2006, the year prior, Liu had set a new world record of 12.88 while Arnold had finished second in a new American record of 12.90, also breaking the old world record. Meanwhile, Trammell was a two-time Olympic silver medalist who many considered to be the most talented hurdler in the world, although he hadn’t won any gold medals at major international competitions. Also in the race were such future notables as David Oliver, Aries Merritt, and Ryan Wilson, all of whom would go on to win either World or Olympic hardware later in their careers, with Merritt, of course, going on to become the world record holder in 2012. Also in the race were Anwar Moore and David Payne, so every lane was filled with an athlete who held significant credentials.
Still, all eyes were in the middle lanes, where Trammell, the fastest starter known to mankind, was lined up next to Liu, the most masterful technician in all the land. When Arnold was disqualified for an obvious false start, that meant all the focus remained on the middle two lanes. And of course, as he was known to do, Trammell took control of the race from the very first step. By the first hurdle, he had established a visible lead on the rest of the field. By hurdle three he was gone; he was in a race by himself. It was amazing to watch. The fact that he could get such a big lead on such a great field so early in the race was nothing less than astounding. By hurdle five the result was not in doubt; the only question was what kind of insane time would be lighting up the scoreboard after he crossed the finish line.
But then here came Liu. One hurdle at a time, he kept eating up ground, eating away at Trammell’s huge lead. Despite Trammell’s awe-inspiring speed and aggression, he was clipping a lot of hurdles, and Liu began taking advantage of that. By touchdown off hurdle eight, the two rivals were side by side. They stayed that way for a hurdle before Liu took a lead by the slimmest of margins heading into hurdle ten. He held that slim lead through the finish line and won in a blistering 12.92 while Trammell finished right behind in 12.95. What a thrilling race!
As much as the fan in me still gets goosebumps watching this race, the coach in me loves it even more. Liu’s performance in this race serves as one of the best examples ever of what it means to run your race in your lane. He didn’t get flustered when Trammell jumped out to that huge lead. He didn’t panic, and he didn’t try to chase Trammell. He trusted his technique and he trusted his rhythm. In addition, he proved that in the men’s 110 meter hurdles, where the hurdles are 42 inches high, technical mastery is a must for optimal performance. If you look at the video of the race below, hopefully you’ll be as amazed as I am at Liu’s technical efficiency. No wasted motions! Look at that tight lead arm! Look at that trail arm punching back up! Look at how much less work he’s doing than everyone else.
Meanwhile, Trammell dips his head down when clearing hurdles. That increases his airtime just a little bit over every hurdle, and makes him more prone to hitting hurdles. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: if Trammell didn’t duck his head down and kick out that lead leg like he did, he would’ve run in the 12.7’s, and he would’ve done so more than once. He would be known as the greatest 110 hurdler who ever lived. He’d be to the 110’s what Edwin Moses is to the 400h – a monster talent generations ahead of his time. At the very least, he would’ve done something similar to what Renaldo Nehemiah did – taking the world record down tenths from where it was when he started. Imagine a hurdler with Trammell’s start and Liu’s technique. That dude would be running 12.7 on the regular.
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