Haitian 110m hurdler Jeffrey Julmis didn't anticipate a frightful fall on the first hurdle of his semifinal on Tuesday night. What he did plan on was finishing his race -- and that's exactly what he did.
Julmis mistimed the first obstacle on the course, crashing hips first into the hurdle and tumbling head over feet into the second one. His race was over, but he didn't let that stop him. Instead, he took a deep breath, composed himself and cleared the final eight hurdles to join the rest of his heat at the finish. Spain's Orlando Ortega and U.S. runner Ronnie Ash would go on to qualify for the final, but no one's run was more memorable than the one in Lane 9.
Officially, the result was a disqualification for the Haitian sprinter. He ducked his head under the second hurdle, keeping him from officially crossing the line in the race's penultimate round. But Julmis knows he finished his race, and while that may be cold consolation compared to a trip to the final, it's something the 29-year-old can take with him on his quest for the 2020 Olympic Games.