# Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 110 metres hurdles

The men's 110 metre hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium from August 24 to 27. Forty-seven athletes from 34 nations competed. The event was won by Liu Xiang of China, the nation's first medal in the event. Terrence Trammell and Anier García became the 11th and 12th men to win multiple medals in the 110 metres hurdles.

## Summary

Ladji Doucouré was the leader in all of the preliminary rounds, but in the final, Liu Xiang led from the gun, running a flawless race to take the Olympic record and match Colin Jackson's world record with an identical 12.91. Behind him, returning silver medalist Terrence Trammell had a slight lead despite touching nearly every hurdle. As a result of these errors, Staņislavs Olijars appeared to edge ahead, but Olijars hit the sixth hurdle and slowed out of contention. Coming back from an abysmal start, Doucouré became the next to edge ahead, looking like a lock for silver until he struck the final hurdle, leaving Doucouré to stumble across the finish in dead last. Trammell edged García to win his second successive silver.

## Background

This was the 25th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. Five finalists from 2000 returned: gold medalist Anier García of Cuba, silver medalist Terrence Trammell and fourth-place finisher (and 1996 gold medalist) Allen Johnson of the United States, seventh-place finisher Dudley Dorival of Haiti, and eighth-place finisher Robert Kronberg of Sweden. Johnson had won the last two World Championships in 2001 and 2003 (along with the 1995 and 1997 worlds). But Liu Xiang of China, who had finished third at the 2003 worlds, had a strong first half of 2004 and was favored in Athens. World runner-up Terrence Trammell of the United States was also a challenger.
Croatia, Ecuador, Estonia, Georgia, Indonesia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, and Ukraine each made their first appearance in the event. The United States made its 24th appearance, most of any nation (having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games).

## Qualification

The qualification period for Athletics was 1 January 2003 to 9 August 2004. For the men's 110 metres hurdles, each National Olympic Committee was permitted to enter up to three athletes that had run the race in 13.55 seconds or faster during the qualification period. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. If an NOC had no athletes that qualified under that standard, one athlete that had run the race in 13.72 seconds or faster could be entered.

## Competition format

The competition used the four-round format previously used in 1960 and since 1988, still using the eight-man semifinals and finals used since 1964. The "fastest loser" system, also introduced in 1964, was used in the first round.
The top four runners in each of the initial six heats automatically qualified for the second round. The next eight fastest runners from across the heats also qualified. Those 32 runners competed in 4 heats in the second round, with the top three runners from each heat and the four next fastest runners qualifying for the semifinals. There were two semifinal heats, and only the top four from each heat advanced to the final.

## Records

Prior to the competition, the existing World record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows.
| World record | Colin Jackson (GBR) | 12.91 s | Stuttgart, Germany | 20 August 1993 |
| Olympic record | Allen Johnson (USA) | 12.95 s | Atlanta, United States | 29 July 1996 |
| World Leading | Allen Johnson (USA) | 13.05 s | Lausanne, Switzerland | 6 July 2004 |
Liu Xiang equalled the world record in the final, setting a new Olympic and Asian record.
| Date | Round | Athlete | Time | Notes |
| 14 August | Final | Liu Xiang (CHN) | 12.91 | =WR, OR, AR |
The following national records were established during the competition:
| Nation | Athlete | Round | Time | Notes |
| France | Ladji Doucouré | Heat 1 | 13.18 | |
| Japan | Satoru Tanigawa | Heat 1 | 13.39 | |
| Madagascar | Joseph-Berlioz Randriamihaja | Heat 1 | 13.46 | |
| Sudan | Todd Matthews-Jouda | Heat 2 | 13.47 | |
| Colombia | Paulo Villar | Heat 4 | 13.44 | |
| Barbados | Stephen Jones | Heat 5 | 13.56 | |
| Ecuador | Jackson Quiñónez | Heat 6 | 13.44 | |
| Jamaica | Maurice Wignall | Semifinal 1 | 13.17 | |
| France | Ladji Doucouré | Semifinal 2 | 13.06 | |
| China | Liu Xiang | Final | 12.91 | =WR, OR, AR |

## Schedule

All rounds were held on separate days for the first time since 1972.
All times are Greece Standard Time (UTC+2)
| Date | Time | Round |
| Tuesday, 24 August 2004 | 09:35 | Round 1 |
| Wednesday, 25 August 2004 | 22:15 | Quarterfinals |
| Thursday, 26 August 2004 | 21:00 | Semifinals |
| Friday, 27 August 2004 | 21:30 | Final |

## Results
### Round 1

Qualification rule: The first four finishers in each heat (Q) plus the next eight fastest overall runners (q) qualified.

#### Heat 1

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 8 | Ladji Doucouré | France | 0.205 | 13.18 | Q, NR |
| 2 | 4 | Staņislavs Olijars | Latvia | 0.154 | 13.27 | Q |
| 3 | 5 | Satoru Tanigawa | Japan | 0.128 | 13.39 | Q, NR |
| 4 | 3 | Márcio de Souza | Brazil | 0.162 | 13.43 | Q, SB |
| 5 | 7 | Joseph-Berlioz Randriamihaja | Madagascar | 0.168 | 13.46 | q, NR |
| 6 | 1 | Felipe Vivancos | Spain | 0.113 | 13.47 | q, PB |
| 7 | 2 | Jerome Crews | Germany | 0.178 | 13.83 | |
| 8 | 6 | Nenad Lončar | Serbia and Montenegro | 0.157 | 14.02 | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s |

#### Heat 2

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Dudley Dorival | Haiti | 0.169 | 13.39 | Q, SB |
| 2 | 4 | Yoel Hernández | Cuba | 0.176 | 13.41 | Q |
| 3 | 8 | Chris Pinnock | Jamaica | 0.192 | 13.42 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 2 | Todd Matthews-Jouda | Sudan | 0.170 | 13.47 | Q, NR |
| 5 | 3 | Terrence Trammell | United States | 0.185 | 13.51 | q |
| 6 | 5 | Shaun Bownes | South Africa | 0.164 | 13.52 | q |
| 7 | 6 | Damjan Zlatnar | Slovenia | 0.132 | 13.66 | q, =NR |
| 8 | 7 | Jurica Grabušić | Croatia | 0.166 | 13.87 | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.8 m/s | Wind: +1.8 m/s | Wind: +1.8 m/s |

#### Heat 3

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Liu Xiang | China | 0.128 | 13.27 | Q |
| 2 | 6 | Charles Allen | Canada | 0.149 | 13.35 | Q, PB |
| 3 | 7 | Robert Kronberg | Sweden | 0.179 | 13.47 | Q |
| 4 | 5 | Igor Peremota | Russia | 0.142 | 13.54 | Q |
| 5 | 2 | Masato Naito | Japan | 0.162 | 13.56 | q, SB |
| 6 | 1 | Serhiy Demydyuk | Ukraine | 0.163 | 13.80 | |
| 7 | 3 | Park Tae-kyong | South Korea | 0.179 | 13.96 | |
| 8 | 8 | Luís Sá | Portugal | 0.177 | 14.01 | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.3 m/s | Wind: +1.3 m/s | Wind: +1.3 m/s |

#### Heat 4

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Paulo Villar | Colombia | 0.193 | 13.44 | Q, NR |
| 2 | 5 | Matheus Inocêncio | Brazil | 0.157 | 13.45 | Q, =SB |
| 3 | 2 | Allen Johnson | United States | 0.176 | 13.45 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Evgeny Pechonkin | Russia | 0.150 | 13.64 | Q |
| 5 | 7 | Gregory Sedoc | Netherlands | 0.186 | 13.65 | q |
| 6 | 8 | Shi Dongpeng | China | 0.156 | 13.68 | |
| 7 | 6 | Robert Newton | Great Britain | 0.176 | 13.85 | |
| 8 | 3 | Edy Jakariya | Indonesia | 0.188 | 14.11 | NR |
| | | | | Wind: -1.3 m/s | Wind: -1.3 m/s | Wind: -1.3 m/s |

#### Heat 5

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 2 | Anier García | Cuba | 0.158 | 13.24 | Q, SB |
| 2 | 4 | Duane Ross | United States | 0.162 | 13.39 | Q |
| 3 | 7 | Mike Fenner | Germany | 0.160 | 13.53 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 6 | Stephen Jones | Barbados | 0.184 | 13.56 | Q, NR |
| 5 | 1 | Sergey Chepiga | Russia | 0.160 | 13.59 | q |
| 6 | 8 | David Ilariani | Georgia | 0.168 | 13.72 | |
| 7 | 3 | Levente Csillag | Hungary | 0.148 | 13.74 | |
| 8 | 5 | Andy Turner | Great Britain | 0.155 | 13.75 | |
| | | | | Wind: +0.8 m/s | Wind: +0.8 m/s | Wind: +0.8 m/s |

#### Heat 6

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Maurice Wignall | Jamaica | 0.160 | 13.30 | Q, =SB |
| 2 | 6 | Richard Phillips | Jamaica | 0.138 | 13.39 | Q, PB |
| 3 | 6 | Jackson Quiñónez | Ecuador | 0.167 | 13.44 | Q, NR |
| 4 | 6 | Yuniel Hernández | Cuba | 0.151 | 13.48 | Q, =SB |
| 5 | 6 | Sultan Tucker | Liberia | 0.181 | 13.76 | |
| 6 | 6 | Tarmo Jallai | Estonia | 0.150 | 13.77 | |
| 7 | 6 | Mubarak Ata Mubarak | Saudi Arabia | 0.134 | 13.81 | |
| — | 6 | Redelén Melo dos Santos | Brazil | DNS | DNS | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.2 m/s | Wind: +1.2 m/s | Wind: +1.2 m/s |

### Quarterfinals

Qualification rule: The first three finishers in each heat (Q) plus the next four fastest overall runners (q) qualified.

#### Quarterfinal 1

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 3 | Ladji Doucouré | France | 0.198 | 13.23 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Charles Allen | Canada | 0.149 | 13.30 | Q, PB |
| 3 | 8 | Robert Kronberg | Sweden | 0.154 | 13.39 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 5 | Duane Ross | United States | 0.155 | 13.50 | q |
| 5 | 1 | Evgeny Pechonkin | Russia | 0.151 | 13.53 | |
| 6 | 7 | Joseph-Berlioz Randriamihaja | Madagascar | 0.210 | 13.64 | |
| 7 | 6 | Jackson Quiñónez | Ecuador | 0.163 | 13.67 | |
| — | 2 | Damjan Zlatnar | Slovenia | DNS | DNS | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s |

#### Quarterfinal 2

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Staņislavs Olijars | Latvia | 0.169 | 13.26 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Anier García | Cuba | 0.159 | 13.28 | Q |
| 3 | 3 | Richard Phillips | Jamaica | 0.161 | 13.44 | Q |
| 4 | 2 | Felipe Vivancos | Spain | 0.154 | 13.48 | q |
| 5 | 8 | Mike Fenner | Germany | 0.128 | 13.53 | =SB |
| 6 | 7 | Stephen Jones | Barbados | 0.227 | 13.85 | |
| — | 6 | Allen Johnson | United States | 0.190 | DNF | |
| — | 1 | Gregory Sedoc | Netherlands | 0.238 | DNF | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s |

#### Quarterfinal 3

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 6 | Liu Xiang | China | 0.202 | 13.27 | Q |
| 2 | 4 | Yoel Hernández | Cuba | 0.200 | 13.29 | Q, SB |
| 3 | 7 | Terrence Trammell | United States | 0.220 | 13.34 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Chris Pinnock | Jamaica | 0.195 | 13.47 | q |
| 5 | 2 | Márcio de Souza | Brazil | 0.165 | 13.54 | |
| 6 | 1 | Masato Naito | Japan | 0.157 | 13.54 | SB |
| 7 | 8 | Igor Peremota | Russia | 0.130 | 13.64 | |
| 8 | 5 | Paulo Villar | Colombia | 0.176 | 14.03 | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s |

#### Quarterfinal 4

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 4 | Matheus Inocêncio | Brazil | 0.140 | 13.33 | Q, PB |
| 2 | 3 | Dudley Dorival | Haiti | 0.157 | 13.39 | Q, =SB |
| 3 | 6 | Maurice Wignall | Jamaica | 0.157 | 13.39 | Q |
| 4 | 1 | Yuniel Hernández | Cuba | 0.137 | 13.46 | q, SB |
| 5 | 7 | Sergey Chepiga | Russia | 0.190 | 13.55 | |
| 6 | 2 | Shaun Bownes | South Africa | 0.156 | 13.62 | |
| 7 | 5 | Satoru Tanigawa | Japan | 0.147 | 13.70 | |
| 8 | 8 | Todd Matthews-Jouda | Sudan | 0.203 | 13.77 | |
| | | | | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s | Wind: +1.5 m/s |

### Semifinals

Qualification rule: The first four finishers in each heat (Q) moved on to the final.

#### Semifinal 1

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 7 | Maurice Wignall | Jamaica | 0.162 | 13.17 | Q, NR |
| 2 | 4 | Liu Xiang | China | 0.151 | 13.18 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Staņislavs Olijars | Latvia | 0.151 | 13.20 | Q, SB |
| 4 | 3 | Charles Allen | Canada | 0.150 | 13.23 | Q, PB |
| 5 | 8 | Duane Ross | United States | 0.157 | 13.30 | |
| 6 | 5 | Yoel Hernández | Cuba | 0.174 | 13.37 | |
| 7 | 1 | Robert Kronberg | Sweden | 0.124 | 13.42 | |
| 8 | 2 | Chris Pinnock | Jamaica | 0.196 | 13.57 | |
| | | | | Wind: -0.1 m/s | Wind: -0.1 m/s | Wind: -0.1 m/s |

#### Semifinal 2

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| 1 | 5 | Ladji Doucouré | France | 0.200 | 13.06 | Q, NR |
| 2 | 2 | Terrence Trammell | United States | 0.165 | 13.17 | Q |
| 3 | 6 | Anier García | Cuba | 0.172 | 13.30 | Q |
| 4 | 3 | Matheus Inocêncio | Brazil | 0.154 | 13.34 | Q |
| 5 | 4 | Dudley Dorival | Haiti | 0.162 | 13.39 | =SB |
| 6 | 7 | Richard Phillips | Jamaica | 0.143 | 13.47 | |
| 7 | 8 | Felipe Vivancos | Spain | 0.144 | 13.52 | |
| — | 1 | Yuniel Hernández | Cuba | DNS | DNS | |
| | | | | Wind: +0.0 m/s | Wind: +0.0 m/s | Wind: +0.0 m/s |

### Final

| Rank | Lane | Athlete | Nation | Reaction | Time | Notes |
| | 4 | Liu Xiang | China | 0.139 | 12.91 | =WR, OR, NR |
| | 6 | Terrence Trammell | United States | 0.154 | 13.18 | |
| | 7 | Anier García | Cuba | 0.169 | 13.20 | SB |
| 4 | 5 | Maurice Wignall | Jamaica | 0.164 | 13.21 | |
| 5 | 2 | Staņislavs Olijars | Latvia | 0.174 | 13.21 | |
| 6 | 1 | Charles Allen | Canada | 0.139 | 13.48 | |
| 7 | 8 | Matheus Inocêncio | Brazil | 0.169 | 13.49 | |
| 8 | 3 | Ladji Doucouré | France | 0.204 | 13.76 | |
| | | | | Wind: +0.3 m/s | Wind: +0.3 m/s | Wind: +0.3 m/s |