Iakovakis left behind in Osaka Worlds final
Greece’s Periklis Iakovakis, the European champion in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, ended sixth in the final of the event at the Osaka Worlds yesterday. He ran a time of 49.25 seconds after clocking 48.44 seconds in the semifinal. Olympic champion Kerron Clement of the USA won the gold medal in 47.61 seconds, this year’s fastest time in the world. In the equivalent women’s event, Olympic gold medalist Fani Halkia failed to reach the final. She ended seventh in her semifinal heat in 56.58 seconds, well below her best. Tassos Gousis made the men’s 200-meter semifinals, ending second in his heat with a time of 20.51 seconds.
