BEIJING -- Whitby's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep leaps into the air after watching the replay of the women's 100 metre hurdles final and realizing she has just won a bronze medal for Canada. August 19, 2008.
Whitby's Lopes-Schliep wins bronze
BEIJING -- Priscilla Lopes-Schliep won bronze in the women's 100 metre hurdles with a time of 12.64 seconds Tuesday.
American Dawn Harper took the gold medal in 12.54 seconds, while Australian Sally McLellan nosed out Lopes at the line.
It took some time before the final results were posted at the National Stadium. The photo finish revealed the second through sixth hurdlers were separated by 2/100ths of a second.
“I didn’t know what happened,” Lopes-Schliep told CBC right after the race. “It was just really close and when I saw a photo finish I was just on pins and needles. I didn’t know what happened because all of us just dipped for that line. So, it was an intense race, but I came through and got the third, so I’m very pleased.”
At the Lopes family home, there was a roaring cheer as the Whitby native won bronze.
"I'm very excited, I'm very happy," a jubilant John Lopes told newsdurhamregion.com.
Thirty family and friends gathered to watch the race.
Her best time in the 100M hurdles is 12.60 seconds.
It is Canada's first track and field medal since Donovan Bailey's gold medal in the 100 metres in 1996.
American Lolo Jones, who was considered the favourite for gold, stumbled late in the race to fall to seventh.