Elton Tucker, Assistant Sports Editor

Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Vionnette Dixon look on after the 100m hurdles semifinals in Beijing yesterday. - charles pitt photos

Finishing out of medal contention has proven to be a bitter pill to swallow for women's 100m sprint hurdlers Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Deloreen Ennis-London.

The race which ended in a stunning upset win for little-known Dawn Harper saw her fellow American, and race favourite Lolo Jones, make a terrible mistake over the ninth hurdle when she was ahead of the field and looked all set for gold. Harper won in a personal best 12.54, Australia's Sally McLellan just got second in 12.64 and Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was third in the same time as four athletes, including Ennis-London, hit the line together behind Harper. Foster-Hylton was sixth in a time of 12.66.l.

In tears

Both women had set their minds on getting their first Olympic medals. Ennis-London, a two-time Olympic finalist, was in tears shortly after leaving the track.

"It's is very hard for us because we tried," she said with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I am going to give it another year and see what happens. I am not going to let this hold me down but I was really looking to getting a medal as this is my last Olympics," the 33 year old veteran of three Games said.

Foster-Hylton had, according to reports, picked up a knee injury during training but she gave no excuses after the final.

Ran my heart out

"I think the fact that I was not in the mix (in one of the middle lanes) to hang on to the crowd and I was racing all by myself in lane nine, threw me off a bit. However, I ran my heart out and I tried my utmost best and I guess it was not good enough,"

"So be it, I do not think it made me any less of an athlete. This is my last Olympics and I am very proud of myself," she said.

Foster-Hylton, who will be 34 in November, went to her first Games in 2000. When asked about next year's World Championships, Foster-Hylton replied: "I do not know if I will be on the track next year, to be honest."

The former St Elizabeth Technical athlete has performed well at world level for many years and won two medals, silver in 2003 and bronze in 2005, at the World Championships. She is also the 2003 Pan American Games champion and the 2006 Commonwealth Games champion.

Ennis-London, a past student of St. Jago High, won a silver medal at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki and was third, behind Foster-Hylton, at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne Australia.