Crittenden relies on repechage after injury-slowed 110m hurdles opener

PARIS : American Freddie Crittenden was relieved to have a repechage round available to him at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, as he moved gingerly through his 110 metres hurdles opener with an aggravated muscle problem.

Athletes have celebrated the addition of the repechage to the programme this year and Crittenden may be its biggest proponent after he jogged down the track and moved tentatively over the barriers before finishing in a leisurely 18.27.

Repechage - which translates from French to "fish out" or "to rescue" - allows competitors who do not clinch spots in the semi-finals to race again with a chance of moving on.

"If I had really gone for it, I could have crashed out, I could have really hurt myself even worse," he said.

"So the plan was just to maintain my health, give my best and try to make it to the next round."

Crittenden, who finished second at the U.S. trials this year in a personal best of 12.93 seconds, said it was a strategic move.

He had pain flare up around his adductor muscle on Saturday but believes he can get to the semi-finals through Tuesday's repechage after some recovery.

"The plan was just get through the round, as long as I didn't get disqualified or hit any hurdles, then I can get through and run in the repechage round in two days," he said.

Had it been any other Olympic year, Crittenden would have had no choice but to run all-out to have any hope of reaching the podium and he believed his tactic could be replicated by other athletes facing the same circumstances.

"That's what's hitting me now - it can be strategic," he said. "I don't know - I'm just trying to do my best with what I know."

The 110 hurdles repechage is set for Tuesday, with the semi-finals on Wednesday.

For Paris, repechage rounds