VICTOR Hogan was so nervous before his discus qualifying round at the world championships in Moscow yesterday morning that he nearly burst into tears.
And when he finally did get onto the battlefield, he botched his first attempt without unleashing the disc, getting booted out the cage for taking too long.
This was a nightmare introduction to big-time athletics, yet the young "Hulk" Hogan still squeaked into tonight's medal shootout by the smallest of margins.
That makes him SA's first discus thrower to reach a world championship final since Frantz Kruger in 2001, as well as the country's first male - across all throws - to make a final in six years, since Robert Oosthuizen in the javelin in 2007.
Cornel Fredericks was the only other South African to advance yesterday morning, progressing to the semifinals of the 400m hurdles.
LJ van Zyl, the bronze medallist in 2011, missed out by three hundredths of a second, while newcomers PC Beneke and Anneri Ebersohn also failed to get through.
There were no South Africans in action last night.
Hogan might have started the day as a bundle of nerves, but he ended the morning on a glorious high. "I was so stressed I think I slept like two hours last night. I almost cried it was so bad. This was a big deal for me," admitted the 24-year-old, who boasts a 65.33m personal best from June. Tonight's discus final starts at 5pm [SA time].
Meanwhile, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce blew away a field featuring four Americans to reclaim her women's 100m world championship title last night.
She clocked 10.71sec - the fastest time in the world this year - to give Jamaica another men-and-women's 100m double, after Usain Bolt's victory the previous night.
Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast was second in 10.93 and Carmelita Jeter, America's defending world champion, third in 10.94.
The US did claim one sprint title last night when veteran David Oliver took the men's 110m hurdles.
Amantle Montsho, fourth at the London Games last year, missed out on the women's 400m gold medal when she was pipped on the line by Britain's Christine Ohuruogu.
Her silver did secure Botswana's first medal at this 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships.
SA's hogan in discus final
VICTOR Hogan was so nervous before his discus qualifying round at the world championships in Moscow yesterday morning that he nearly burst into tears.
And when he finally did get onto the battlefield, he botched his first attempt without unleashing the disc, getting booted out the cage for taking too long.
This was a nightmare introduction to big-time athletics, yet the young "Hulk" Hogan still squeaked into tonight's medal shootout by the smallest of margins.
That makes him SA's first discus thrower to reach a world championship final since Frantz Kruger in 2001, as well as the country's first male - across all throws - to make a final in six years, since Robert Oosthuizen in the javelin in 2007.
Cornel Fredericks was the only other South African to advance yesterday morning, progressing to the semifinals of the 400m hurdles.
LJ van Zyl, the bronze medallist in 2011, missed out by three hundredths of a second, while newcomers PC Beneke and Anneri Ebersohn also failed to get through.
There were no South Africans in action last night.
Hogan might have started the day as a bundle of nerves, but he ended the morning on a glorious high. "I was so stressed I think I slept like two hours last night. I almost cried it was so bad. This was a big deal for me," admitted the 24-year-old, who boasts a 65.33m personal best from June. Tonight's discus final starts at 5pm [SA time].
Meanwhile, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce blew away a field featuring four Americans to reclaim her women's 100m world championship title last night.
She clocked 10.71sec - the fastest time in the world this year - to give Jamaica another men-and-women's 100m double, after Usain Bolt's victory the previous night.
Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast was second in 10.93 and Carmelita Jeter, America's defending world champion, third in 10.94.
The US did claim one sprint title last night when veteran David Oliver took the men's 110m hurdles.
Amantle Montsho, fourth at the London Games last year, missed out on the women's 400m gold medal when she was pipped on the line by Britain's Christine Ohuruogu.
Her silver did secure Botswana's first medal at this 14th IAAF World Athletics Championships.
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