News05 Mar 2004


A good morning for the snow and the favourites in Budapest – Day ONE, morning session

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Natalya Nazarova (RUS) impressive in the 400m heats (© Getty Images)

There may have been few surprises this morning in the Sportarena but the action was no less entertaining for that factor.

Throughout the three days of the 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics (5 – 7 March) “LIVE” event by event reports are as usual available - click here - as the action happens in the Hungarian capital but here we also give a snap-shot of what’s been happening ‘Around the Arena’.

The Hungarian capital awoke to a covering of snow this morning providing appropriate practical justification for a World Indoor championships even before competition had got underway! The first morning’s qualification rounds which over the nine previous editions of these championships have often been the grave yard for so many favourites didn’t throw up any significant victims this time.

No upsets in dash openers

The platinum painted nails of 37 year-old Gail Devers seem to be due for a golden re-spray as the American champion cut effortlessly through the first round of the women’s 60m. Christine Arron (FRA) was equally silk-like, clocking an identical 7.15 to the American. Only slightly back after the conclusion of the five first round heats was Marion Jones’ Birmingham nemesis Kim Gevaert (BEL) who dashed to 7.16. Muriel Hurtis who like Arron will carry the Stade de France “Golden Girls” tag for the rest of her career was next fastest (7.18).

Yet with respect to all this morning qualifiers, the women’s dash seems to be a two-way done deal, a ‘Devers versus Arron’ duel. This is no criticism of the event, and the prospect of this afternoon’s semi and tonight’s final should be no less exciting because of this two way battle.

In the men’s sprint, replace ‘Devers versus Arron’ for ‘Crawford versus Gardener’. It’s the same head to head scenario, another intriguing America – Europe head to head. At the conclusion of the eight heats of the first round, Shawn Crawford was slightly the faster of the two, speeding to 6.52 as opposed to Britain’s Jason Gardener’s 6.56. Splitting these two protagonists and trying to upset this writer’s tightly scripted scenario, was Trinidad’s Alexander Niconnor (6.55).

All-set for a Russian sub-50 party

Well you can’t expect to run 49.68 (18 Feb) and come to these championships as defending champion and not get noticed! Russia’s Natalya Nazarova whose 400m clocking at the Russian championships was the first time the 50 second barrier had been beaten indoors since 1984, looked fluent and easy and left nothing to chance in the fourth and final heat of the women’s 400m qualification (51.71). She was joined in tomorrow’s semi-final stage of the competition by compatriot Olesya Krasnomovets (52.17 – heat 3).

Perhaps Bahamas’ Tonique Williams, the fastest of the round (51.76) will upset this prediction. However, whatever the eventual podium positions in tomorrow night’s final, from the style of the Russian pair today it seems likely that we could witness another sub-50 second result as the pressure hots-up for gold.

Stringfellow – 8.31

Ivan Pedroso’s historic campaign for a sixth Long Jump World Indoor Championships gold lives on after the men’s qualification round with Cuba’s Olympic champion setting a season’s best of 8.02. Spain’s Yago Lamela silver medallist in 1999 and last year’s championships was not so lucky failing to proceed with 7.95m.

However, far ahead of all was the seemingly irrepressible 8.31m form of World Cup winner Savante Stringfellow (USA), with last summer’s World Championships silver medallist James Beckford the next best of the final qualifiers (8.22).

15 metres in the women’s Triple?

Of this morning’s many field event qualifications it was the Women’s Triple Jump which most whetted the appetite for what might be to come later this weekend. The instant qualification (from Pool A) for Italy’s outdoor World Championships bronze medallist Magdelin Martinez (14.81 national record) and double outdoor World champion Tatyana Lebedeva (14.71) indicate that a 15 metres will be required for gold in tomorrow’s final.

An national record by Jamaica’s Trecia Smith (14.57) in Pool B reinforced a very strong final line-up. Also over 14.40 were Yamile Aldama of Sudan (14.49), Greece’s Hrysopiyi Devetzi (14.48) and Italy’s Simona la Mantia (14.45 PB) in Pool B, while Cuba's Mabel Gay (14.57) and Romanian Adelina Gavrila (14.48) were the significant others in the earlier qualification group.

All-in-all with Algeria’s Baya Rahouli also qualifying with a national record of 14.31, and last year’s silver medallist Francoise Mbango bringing up the tail of the twelve qualifiers with 14.30m, Saturday’s final is set to be spectacular.

World outdoor champion Svetlana Krivelyova (RUS) was the best of the qualifiers for tonight’s women’s Shot Final with 19.46, while with two events of the women’s Pentathlon completed Belgium’s Tia Hellebaut (2112pts) leads Portugal’s Naide Gomes (2101pts).

148 nations competing in Budapest

Finally, in a footnote which emphasises the universality of our sport there was a first ever appearance in the history of the World Indoors for a Bahrani woman, Rakia Al-Gassra, who ran confidently to set a national record of 54.24 in heat three of the  women's 400m qualifications. In total a record number of 148 countries are represented in Budapest.

For FULL event by event reports from all this morning’s action, click here

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