News02 Feb 2003


Adere near-World record, Kipketer upset, Gebrselassie injured

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Berhane Adere (© Getty Images)

Stuttgart, GermanyFive worldleading times punctuated the programme today at the Sparkassen-Cup Meeting in Stuttgart, as upsets and near-World records kept 7000 people entertained on a snow-laced afternoon. 

Returning to the site of her first-ever indoor race, Ethiopian Berhane Adere was hoping she could also repeat the World-record run in the 3000m which electrified the crowd in 2002. 

The pace in the early stages was just marginally too slow to dip under the 8:29.15 standard Adere already held, and in the end, the African 5K champion coasted to an easy 8:31.73 clocking, still the second-fastest performance ever.

One could see that Adere was trying to push the pace near the end of the second kilometre, as she navigated three consecutive laps in 33.6. But there was too much damage to repair off of the 5:38.55 2K time, and Adere was left to salvage the race in as good a time as possible.

Clearly, at this point she must have had mixed feelings on how hard to finish the race, since her next scheduled competition in three day's time in Dortmund is an announced attempt on Gabriela Szabo's World record in the 5000 metres.

Zhor El Kamch of Morocco was a distant second behind Adere in 8:39.27. 

Bad news hit like a bomb shortly before the start of the meeting:  Haile Gebrselassie is injured.  A strained left hamstring in his final training forced the four-time World champion to delay his greatly awaited return to the track after an absence of one season. 

The Ethiopian himself took the trackside microphone to explain the situation to the sell-out crowd, which then cheered him as he made a jog around the track. 

Gebrselassie doesn't consider this to be a season-curtailing injury, calling it "precautionary", and hopes to get back into action by the time of the Birmingham meeting on February 21, if not earlier. 

In the Haile-less race, Luke Kipkosgei held the front spot after the pacemaker departed at 2K. The Kenyan veteran looked as though he would race home unchallenged, until Abderrahim Goumri suddenly shot into the lead at the bell.

The Moroccan ran hard down the back stretch, but that was simply a signal for Kipkosgei to accelerate even more, as the Kenyan posted a world-leading 7:40.10 for the win. Goumri's runner-up time was 7:40.85. 

Wilson Kipketer was the third of the three headliners today, but things didn't go as planned for the Dane in the 1000 Metres.  Kipketer was leading the group as the bell sounded, when Glody Dube made a quick move just behind the World record holder. 

Holland's Bram Som also moved in tighly behind the leading duo with 100 metres remaining.

Coming off the final turn, Som moved to the outside and scampered home with an upset win in 2:17.81, a personal best and the season's fastest.

Dube was close behind in second (2:18.02), while William Yiampoy of Kenya (2:18.15) was also able to overhaul the fading Kipketer, who finished fourth at 2:18.36. 

"I came here without any injury problem," said Kipketer.  "I was hoping to get a fast time in the 1000, and then shift down to 800-metre races in preparation for the World Championships.  Now, I'll have to look again at my racing programme."

A very enthusiastic Som said simply, "I ran my own race."  After a five-week winter stay in Kenya, he had undertaken only a single speed training in preparation for today.

"I really felt fresh those two last laps," continued the 22-year-old Arnhem resident. "But the key today in my tactics came from what I learned last year when I was knocked out of the European Indoor in the heats.  In that instance, I waited too long to accelerate. Today, I started with 500 metres left, and things worked right." 

The presence of both Kipketer and Sydney Olympic 800-metres champion Nils Schumann forced a division in the 800/1000 talent.

In a strangely-paced race employing two tempo-setters, the field of serious runners camped out behind the torrid pace set by Marcus Schlecht, which second pacemaker Davian Clarke was never really able to solve.  When the track was finally clear of extraneous runners, Wilfried Bungei hit the halfway mark in a speedy 51.12. 

Fellow Kenyan Joseph Mutua and Schumann gave chase, but Bungei prevailed throughout the rest of the race, winning in 1:44.97. Mutua (1:45.47) and Schumann (1:45.57) took the next places, with another Kenyan, Nicholas Wachira, leading the second pack with 1:47.37.

When asked about the effectiveness of the pacers, Schumann answered dryly, "When you have three Kenyans in the race, you don't need a pacemaker." That said, it should be noted that, among Kenyan performances in the indoor 800, only Paul Ereng's World record of 1:44.84 in 1989 has been faster. 

Although Haile Gebrselassie's long absence from the track did not end today, Stefanie Graf's eleven-month break from competition did come to a close. The European indoor silver medallist had been inactive during the last outdoor season after a leg operation, and today she was testing her condition after a training camp in the Canary Islands.

She looked somewhat tentative, letting the rest of the field dictate the race instead of powering to the front, right behind the pacemaker. With 250 metres remaining, she began to accelerate, and crept to within a step of leader Agnes Samaria of Namibia at the bell. 

But the silver medallist in the African championships had more than the Austrian on this day. Samaria's 2:01.61 was just ahead of Graf's finishing 2:01.77, to which the latter reacted with a good-natured sarcastic remark: "I made 'a hundred' technical mistakes, but I'm happy to finish second. It's my usual place." 

The women's High Jump turned into a Russian duel, between a known jumper and a newcomer. 

After Anna Chicherova's surprising 2.04 one month ago, she was challenged to prove herself for the first time against a strong field. The 21-year-old perhaps showed some playful arrogance in passing the opening height which countrywoman Marina Kuptsova elected to jump.  After that, the two matched each other, jump for jump, up to 2.00. 

There, the European Indoor champion broke the stalemate with a first-attempt success for the win, while Chicherova needed two jumps. 

European Champion Kajsa Bergqvist finished third at 1.98. 

With Svetlana Feofanova competing in Glasgow today [World record at 4.76], the remaining top European vaulters were assembled here. Monika Pyrek proved to be the "best of the rest" with a 4.50 winning jump, as Tatyana Polnova of Russia took second at the same height. 

Germany's leading vaulter of the indoor season, Annika Becker, placed third at 4.30, tied with another Polish vaulter, Anna Rogowska. 

James Beckford won his second Long Jump competition in three days with a narrow 8.15 victory over American Dwight Phillips (8.13). Last season's top outdoor jumper, Savante Stringfellow of the US, was still suffering the effects of a transatlantic flight, as his best was only 8.04, placing third. 

Grit Breuer added her second significant win over this weekend, overtaking Natalya Antyukh just before the finish to win in 51.76.  The Russian, who is the reigning European indoor champion, finished with 51.84. 

Sprint wins were recorded by Lacena Golding-Clarke in the women's 60 Hurdles (7.94 World leader), by Deij Aliu in the men's 60 metres (6.54), by European indoor 200 champion Muriel Hurtis in the women's 60 metres (7.18), and by Jamaican Maurice Wignall in the men's 60 Hurdles (7.53, NR). 

Ed Gordon for the IAAF

RESULTS(all GER unless noted)

MEN:

60 METRES:  1. Aliu (NGR) 6.54;  2. Miller (USA) 6.55;  3. Saddler (USA) 6.60;  4. Lewis (USA) 6.60;  5. Powell (JAM) 6.61;  6. Poyhonen (FIN) 6.62. 

Heat 1:  1. Powell 6.65;  2. Saddler 6.69;  3. Unger 6.78;  4. Spier (NED) 6.79;  5.
Dubois (SUI) 6.80.  Heat 2:  1. Aliu  6.60;  2. Lewis 6.65;  3. Poyhonen (FIN) 6.68;  4. Chernovol (KAZ) 6.69;  5. Broening 6.83;  6. Barath 6.84.  Heat 3:  1. Miller 6.64;  2. Nagel 6.71;  3. Verdecchia (ITA) 6.75;  4. C Williams (JAM) 6.82;  5. O Koenig 6.91; 6. Kochan 6.98. 

200 METRES:  1. Unger 21.00;  2. Ernst 21.31;  3. Kochan 21.91;  4. Lohrer 22.50. 

400 METRES: 1. Holz 47.78;  2. Kinzy 47.90;  3. Sattelmaier 48.02;  4. Graf 49.58. 

800 METRES:  Race 2 (called "A"):  1. Bungei (KEN) 1:44.97 (world leader);  2. Mutua (KEN) 1:45.47;  3. Schumann 1:45.57;  4. Wachira (KEN) 1:47.37;  5. Okken (NED) 1:47.55;  6. Neunhaeuserer (ITA) 1:47.72;  7. Motchebon 1:49.71.  Pace:  Schlecht 24.18, Bungei 51.12, 1:17.95.  Also pacing:  Clarke (JAM).

Race 1 (called "B"):  1. Faller 1:51.52;  2. Hoesch 1:51.59;  3. Reinhold 1:54.37. 

1000 METRES:  1. Som (NED) 2:17.81 (world leader);  2. Dube (BOT) 2:18.02;  3. Yiampoy (KEN) 2:18.15;  4. Kipketer (DEN) 2:18.36;  5. Aissat (FRA) 2:19.72;  6. Bauschinger 2:21.84;  7. Mohr 2:23.45.  Did not finish:  Kupfer.  Pace:  R Chirchir (KEN) 54.08; Kipketer 1:49.97. 

1500 METRES:  1. Heshko (UKR) 3:40.25;  2. Liefers (NED) 3:41.08;  3. Too (KEN) 3:41.89;  4. Sneberger (CZE) 3:42.16;  5. Mucheru (KEN) 3:42.28;  6. S Kiplangat (KEN) 3:42.91;  7. R Rono (KEN) 3:43.55;  8. Karakatsanis (GRE) 3:44.25;  9. S Rutich (KEN) 3:53.07.  Did not finish:  Maataoui (MAR).  Pace:  Lakhal 57.44, 1:55.88; Liefers 2:58.63. 

Race 1 (called "B"):  1. Ghirmai 3:44.63;  2. Bandi (SUI) 3:44.26;  3. Voegeli (SUI) 3:48.35;  4. Hanzel (SVK) 3:49.29;  5. Bergmann 3:55.90;  6. Kustermann 3:59.46.  Did not finish:  Wullings.  Pace:  Schmid 57.50, 1:58.71; Bandi 3:00.31. 

3000 METRES:  1. L Kipkosgei (KEN) 7:40.10 (world leader);  2. Goumri (MAR)
7:40.85;  3. Abate (ETH) 7:42.54;  4. Mekonnen (ETH) 7:44.27;  5. Baumann 7:52.22;  6. Fitschen 7:56.84;  7. Wolde (ETH) 8:06.99;  8. Hallmann 8:11.55;  9. Skoog (SWE)8:23.49.  Pace:  Embaye 2:33.00, Sha Langat (KEN) 5:06.09. 

60 HURDLES:  1. Wignall (JAM) 7.53 NR;  2. Richardson (USA) 7.68;  3. Doucoure (FRA) 7.68;  4. Fenner 7.71;  5. Ross (USA) 7.72;  6. Edorh 7.83. 

Heat 1:  1. Richardson 7.72;  2. Fenner 7.76;  3. Edorh 7.77;  4. Blaschek 7.79;  5. van de Westen (NED) 7.80;  6. Favaro (ITA) 8.00.   Heat 2:  1. Wignall 7.59;  2. Doucoure 7.69;  3. Ross 7.76;  4. Bitzi (SUI) 7.78;  5. Schindzielorz 7.92;  6. Crews 7.94. 

LONG JUMP:  1. Beckford (JAM) 8.15 [7.93 - 8.01 - p - 7.99 - 8.15 - x];  2. Phillips (USA) 8.13 [8.05 - 8.08 - x - p - 7.92 - 8.13];  3. Stringfellow (USA) 8.04;  4. Moudrik (MAR) 7.92;  5. Gaisah (SLE) 7.89;  6. Dachev (BUL) 7.72;  7. Bigdeli 7.71;  8. Rapp 7.25;  9. Eichert 7.09;  10. Eifert 7.04;  11. Mueller 5.30. 

WOMEN: 

60 METRES:  1. Hurtis (FRA) 7.18;  2. Manninen (FIN) 7.22;  3. Pastushenko (UKR) 7.23;  4. E Moeller 7.24;  5. Schielke 7.30;  6. Paschke 7.34. 

Heat 1: 1. Pastushenko 7.26;  2. E Moeller 7.31;  3. Ojokolo (NGR) 7.32;  4. Campbell (JAM) 7.32;  5. M Mueller 7.84.  Heat 2:  1. Manninen 7.25;  2. Paschke 7.31;  3. Wagner 7.37;  4. Nku (NGR) 7.50;  5. Anim (GHA) 7.63.  Heat 3:  1. Schielke 7.26;  2. Hurtis 7.31;  3. Feusi (SUI) 7.36;  4. G Rockmeier 7.38;  5. Dowdie (JAM) 7.48.
 
400 METRES:  Race 1:  1. Breuer 51.76;  2. Antyukh (RUS) 51.84;  3. B Rockmeier 54.21.  Race 2:  1. Amertil (BAH) 52.34;  2. Prokopek (POL) 52.93;  3. Gosh 53.53;  4. Marahrens 53.56. 

800 METRES:  1. Samaria (NAM) 2:01.61;  2. Graf (AUT) 2:01.77;  3. Meissner
2:02.31;  4. Knippel 2:03.76;  5. Gurtovenko (UKR) 2:04.37;  6. John (TAN) 2:06.02. Pace:  Levina (RUS) 25.95, 56.83;  Samaria 1:30.53. 

3000 METRES:  1. Adere (ETH) 8:31.73 (world leader);  2. El Kamch (MAR) 8:39.27; 3. Ouaziz (MAR) 8:42.25;  4. Zadorozhnaya (RUS) 8:50.35;  5. Schwald (USA) 8:51.07;  6. Joseph (TAN) 8:51.23;  7. Mockenhaupt 8:52.43;  8. Belyakova (RUS) 8:58.30;  9. Schulz 9:00.77;  10. Lishchynska (UKR) 9:04.24.  Pace:  Komyagina (RUS) 2:50.58; Adere 5:38.55. 

60 HURDLES:  1. Golding-Clarke (JAM) 7.94 (world leader);  2. Ferga (FRA) 8.04;  3. Sprenger 8.10;  4. Walker (JAM) 8.13;  5. Hentschke 8.16;  6. Koroteyeva (RUS) 8.18.

Heat 1:  1. Sprenger 8.13;  2. Hentschke 8.13;  3. Walker 8.14;  4. Kasova (BUL) 8.36.  Heat 2:  1. Golding-Clarke 8.01;  2. Ferga 8.10;  3. Koroteyeva 8.22;  4. Meyer 8.26;  5. Davis (USA) 8.26;  6. Klein 8.36. 

HIGH JUMP:  1. Kuptsova (RUS) 2.00 [1.80 - 1.84 - 1.91 - 1.94 - 1.96 - 1.98 - 2.00 - 2.02/xxx];  2. Chicherova (RUS) 2.00 [1.84 - 1.88 - 1.91 - 1.94 - 1.96 - 1.98 - 2.00/2 - 2.02/xxx];  3. Bergqvist (SWE) 1.98;  4. Sivushenko (RUS) 1.94;  5. Seryogina (RUS)
and Vlasik (CRO) 1.94;  7. Gyorffy (HUN) 1.91;  8. Arrendel (DOM) and Herzenberg 1.88;  10. Kalturina (RUS) 1.88;  11. Imai (JPN) 1.88;  12. Schoetz 1.80. 

POLE VAULT:  1. Pyrek (POL) 4.50 (4.57/xxx);  2. Polnova (RUS) 4.50 (4.57/xxx);  3. Becker and Rogowska (POL) 4.30;  5. Adams 4.30;  6. de Wilt (NED) and F Kuehnert 4.30;  8. Hingst 4.20.  No height:  Buschbaum (at 4.20). 

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