It's an unpredictable event - you know, you can trip and stuff - but Demus is looking like a solid favorite to give the Americans gold in the women's 400-meter hurdles after taking her semi-final heat in

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53.82. "I feel ready and I’ve trained so hard so it should come out some time and it seems like it’s happening now," observes Demus. "If you're not ready now, you shouldn't be here." In the "top three from each heat plus the next two best times" format for picking eight finalists, Jamaica's Kaliese Spencer, who'd once loomed as Demus' greatest challenger, was just one of those "next two" with a 55.02 as she struggles with a groin injury. Melaine Walker of Jamaica, a 2008 Olympic and 2009 World Championships gold medalist, was second in her heat with a 54.97. Demus will be the lone American in the final; neither Queen Harrison nor Jasmine Chaney will advance. (photo of LaShinda Demus by Victah Sailer)
The three semis of the men's 400-meter hurdles were won by Javier Culson of Puerto Rico (48.52), David Greene of Great Britain (48.62), and Bershawn Jackson of the United States (48.80). Angelo Taylor of the U.S. also snuck into the final as one of the "next two," but NCAA and USATF titleholder Jeshua Anderson and defending World Champion Kerron Clement did not make the final.