TOKYO (AP) — When the pan of scalding oil tipped and splattered across 10-month-old Alison dos Santos, his grandfather scooped him up, barged through the front door and sprinted to the hospital – a burst of speed and quick thinking that played a key role in saving the baby’s life.

The scars on his face, forehead, chest and arms from those third-degree burns are the permanent memories of a day 24 years ago that the Brazilian hurdles champion doesn’t remember, but one he can never forget.

When dos Santos lines up this week at world championships in the 400-meter hurdles -- maybe the single most stacked event over the nine days of racing in Tokyo -- he’ll be going against Olympic champions, world-record holders and world champions such as himself.

These are the sort of challenges he embrac

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