Scotland’s Eilidh Child stormed into her first-ever world final after a gutsy, gun-to-tape run just a tenth of a second off the Scottish record.
Almost a year to the day after a sub-par showing in the Olympic semi-final, the 26-year-old Kinross-shire athlete ran a brilliant lap to win automatic qualification for Thursday’s 400m hurdles showdown. Child set her heart on making this final.
It has been her goal ever since she swapped indoor for outdoor spikes and started banging out repetition 200s under Matthew Arnold in Bath.
As the weeks unfolded her flat speed improved, her technique was tweaked and her reputation on the world stage grew.
Drawn in lane six, she had two world-leading athletes in close company including Zuzana Hejnova, the unbeaten Czech title favourite.
Normally a conservative starter and strong finisher, Child threw caution to the wind, flew out of the blocks and led from the gun.
Oozing confidence and fluency, her lead and trail legs snapped across the barriers losing none of the speed her old technique once did.
She increased her lead on the back straight and would have won a 300m hurdles, with world-leading hurdlers in her wake.
Child couldn’t keep it going, but her early effort established her position and she dug deep to hold on for third in 54.32, behind Hejnova (53.53) and Dalilah Muhammad of the USA (54.08).
“I’m delighted,” she said.
“I’m just so happy about making the final. I was nervous again tonight but I knew I could do it. But, now, just coming away knowing I’ve made that final, I can sleep well tonight!”
Her early pace owed itself to the occasion, she said.
“I didn’t really intend to go so fast. I think the adrenalin got the better of me. But I wanted to go out and attack it from the start.
“I knew I had two girls better than me on my inside who would be chasing me down, so I thought I’d better go for it!”
The Pitreavie AC world finalist said family and friends from Courier Country have been contacting her all week.
“Just give them all my thanks,” she said.
“They’ve been sending me messages on Facebook and Twitter from home, and I think they’ve also been skiving off work to watch my races! So thanks very much to everybody!
And in a great night for women’s hurdling, Perri Shakes-Drayton won her semi in a quick 53.92 to join Child in tomorrow’s final.
GB & NI’s Meghan Beesley could not progress from the semi, but exited with the consolation of ducking under 55 seconds for the first time.”
It was a grim night, however, for the three Britons in the men’s event, including defending world 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene.
Sebastian Rodger clocked 49.32 in the first semi, Rhy Williams 49.29 in the second and Dai Greene 49.25 in fifth place in the third none of the times good enough to advance to the final.