LA competition in Graz

Time difference! Result corrected in night shift

Karin Strametz (mi.)(Bild: Olaf Brockmann)

A bitter aftermath to the Horst Mandl Memorial in Graz! The result for the women's 100 m hurdles had to be corrected after a night-time check. The only good thing for Karin Strametz first: her winning time of 12.92 seconds with the regular tailwind of 1.9 m/sec remains. There is therefore no doubt about her direct qualification for the European Championships in Rome (June 7-12). However, all the times behind her have been revised downwards. The international hurdles sprinters had rejoiced in top times too soon ...

The Styrian timekeepers made a serious mistake during the evaluation of the final. It took an hour before a result could be announced late on Sunday afternoon. However, this was not correct either.

Night shift by the ÖLV technicians
During a night shift, the ÖLV technicians Thomas and Andreas Biederbeck finally managed to solve the problem. They were able to find the incorrectly saved file of the back-up timing on the computer. As a result, the ÖLV now also has the finish image and the so-called zero shot, which means that everything is completely official. Respect for the performance of the ÖLV technicians who were able to correct the major timekeeping error.

ÖLV Secretary General Helmut Baudis informed World Athletics and the national federations concerned about the corrected result. A lapse that simply must not happen at a meeting the size of Graz. Helmut Baudis therefore announced that "full professionals" would have to be used at the Horst Mandl Memorial next year, "no matter what it costs".

Cheering too soon
The main victims of this mishap were Hungary's Petra Répási, who had cheered for a supposed 12.99, as well as Joni Tomičič Preželj (Slo) and 17-year-old Mia Wild (Kro), who were both rated at 13.00. In reality, they each ran about two tenths slower. See the corrected result...

Especially Mia Wild's 13.00 was a big topic for the Croatian newspapers. The super talent was highly celebrated. But too soon. It will be interesting to see how Graz will be torn apart in the newspapers now that the final result has been corrected.

Horst Mandl Memorial (WACT Challenge):

Corrected result women: 100 m hurdles, final (+0.9):

1st Strametz (Austria) 12.92
2. Repasi (Ung) 13.18
3. Tomicic Prezelj (Slo) 13.22
4th Wild (Kro) 13.25
5. Zapalska (D) 13.27
6th Lokshin (Isr) 13.54
7th Heltbech (Denmark) 13.61
8th Scott (Irl) 14.01