Merritt into 110m hurdle final to keep dream alive

US athlete Aries Merritt competes in the semi-finals of the men's 110m hurdles at the 2017 IAAF World Championships at the London Stadium in London on August 6, 2017. PHOTO | JEWEL SAMAD |

What you need to know:

  • The 31-year-old American, who received a kidney from his sister LaToya days after taking bronze in the 2015 world final, finished second in his semi-final behind Hungary's 2016 European silver medallist Balazs Baji.

LONDON

Aries Merritt's remarkable comeback from a kidney transplant two years ago continued on Sunday as the world record holder reached the 110 metres hurdles final at the world championships.

The 31-year-old American, who received a kidney from his sister LaToya days after taking bronze in the 2015 world final, finished second in his semi-final behind Hungary's 2016 European silver medallist Balazs Baji.

However, Merritt seemed little concerned by not winning, giving a broad grin, ahead of focusing on adding the world crown to the Olympic gold he won on the same London track in 2012.

Merritt will have to get past Jamaica's Omar McLeod, the man who succeeded him as Olympic champion and who has stated he wants to break his rival's world record at the championships.

McLeod timed 13.10sec in winning his semi-final, getting the better of Frenchman Garfield Darien.

Both reigning champion Sergey Shubenkov and Spain's Cuban-born Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega went through from that semi-final as the two fastest losers.

Barbados's Shane Brathwaite won a thrilling second semi-final — which saw the first four separated by just two hundredths of a second — recording a season's best of 13.26sec ahead of Jamaica's Hansle Parchment.

The two unlucky to miss out on the final were American Devon Allen, primarily an American football wide receiver for his university, and Britain's Andrew Pozzi who had looked good for a spot in the final when he led with two hurdles remaining but the 25-year-old European indoor champion was overtaken by the other three.