Boulami storms Zurich with World Steeplechase Record

Boulami storms Zurich with World Steeplechase Record
IAAF
16 August 2002 - Zurich, Switzerland - Morocco's Brahim Boulami produced a defiant front running victory in the face of the best Kenyan steeplechasers to lower his own World 3000m steeplechase record to 7:53.17, to produce the highlight of a great night at Zurich's Weltklasse IAAF Golden League meeting.

At yesterday's press conference Boulami, who has owned the world steeplechase record since last summer's Brussels meeting, said that breaking the world record in Zurich would have an extra special feeling.

Running solo for most of the final three circuits of the race, Boulami powered his way to a new world mark of 7:53.17, obliterating his old record of 7:55.28. Although Stephen Cherono, the Commonwealth champion finished second in 8:05.14 and  Paul Koech third in a 8:05.44 personal best, the Kenyan charge never materialised. In fact, the World and Olympic champion Reuben Kosgei didn't even finish the race.

"After a very good training period, I knew that it was possible for me to run the world record race", commented Boulami. "The first kilometre was not very quick. So I pushed the pace in the second. When I saw the split of 5:17, I started to think that I can really break the record. For the moment, it's the end of Kenyan dominance but I'm sure they will try to come back and win the record again."

A world record looked on the cards too in the men's 1500m, and again it was a North African who came close: Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj, who like Boulami is the current world record holder. Steaming down the home straight after a near solo 1500m effort, El Guerrouj came agonisingly close - running just 0.89 of a second slower than he did to set the world record in Rome in 1998. Once again, the Kenyan challenge failed to materialise with World silver medallist Bernard Lagat back in 4th (3:31.52), behind Portugal's World Indoor champion Rui Silva (3rd 3:31.22) and Kenya's Cornelius Chirchir (2nd 3:30.68).

Outside these two middle distance record bids, the most dominant track performance of the night came from Mexico's Ana Guevara in the women's 400m. Guevara's win, which kept her on the trail of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot, can only be described as crushing. The rest of the field, including the entire European championship medal podium - Zykina, Breuer and McConnell - was left for dead in a race which took the Mexican to a new Area record and world season's lead of 49.16.

The women's 800m provided a classic duel between the newly crowned European champion Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia and World and Olympic champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The Slovenian, who has run a 1:55.19 national record this season, likes to front run but on this occasion when the race entered the second lap she was fourth behind the pace makers with Mutola on her shoulder.

Entering the final straight in second and third respectively, the pair were quickly in the lead and running side by side. But it was Mutola who first got the edge, and then went well clear of her opponent to win in 1:57.24, to Ceplak's 1:57.78.

Mutola has sharpened up her racing act in the last week. The African champion had first run to a 400m win in Helsinki on Tuesday and had also studied Ceplak's European Championship races on video. Mutola got an "A" grade for her studies in tonight's examination.

The women's 100m was fast, as expected, with Marion Jones winning in 10.88 but the closeness of the result was a surprise. The USA's Chryste Gaines ran a 10.95 season's best in second. The earlier "B" women's 100m was taken by Jamaica's world indoor 200m champion Juliet Campbell in 11.15.

Jones was the first of the five IAAF Golden League Jackpot contenders to perform on tonight's programme. The second to enter the ring was Felix Sanchez in the men's 400m hurdles and he was in his usual dominant form coming off the final barrier strongly to win from America's James Carter (47.57 PB).

It is was not just the confident manner of Sanchez's performance which impressed, since his time of 47.35 was both an Area record for the Dominican Republic athlete and a world season's best performance.

"The most important thing was to win," said Sanchez. "I got a special motivation when Boulami broke the world record."

The "B" 400m hurdles was won by Poland's 1998 European champion Pawel Januszewski in 48.65, which would have placed him 6th in tonight's main race.

Gail Devers was the only one of the "famous five" chasing the Jackpot to fail in the task, finishing third (12.73) in the women's sprint hurdles behind Spain's Glory Alozie who notched up a fine 12.63 win. Jamaica's Brigitte Foster was second in 12.71.

Devers will be disappointed by the manner of her loss, since the winning time was poor when compared to all her four Golden League wins this season, the best of which was a 12.42 in Monaco.

The men's jumps provided some excellent competition. Jonathan Edwards bounced back from defeat in Munich with a 17.63 triple jump, to gain some revenge over the new European champion Christian Olsson of Sweden who was a lacklustre third with 17.18.

However, Sweden's Stefan Holm, the European silver medallist in the men's high jump was very motivated and cleared an impressive 2.35 personal best for victory over Canada's Mark Boswell on 2.33, and Russia's new European champion Yaroslav Rybakov, third with a season's best of 2.31.

In the women's 1500m, Gabriela Szabo made up for her disappointing Munich performance (silver) with a late sprint finish which guzzled up the distance separating her from Suzy Favor Hamilton (USA), who had stolen a surprise 10 metres lead coming into the final 100m. Szabo timed her finish to perfection cruising past the American no more than five metres from the tape for the victory. Her winning time of 3:58.78 was a world season's best.

Behind Szabo, Favor-Hamilton ran a season's best (3:59.10), Alesia Turova of Belarus was third also under 4 minutes (3:59.89 PB) and there were also personal bests for the next three runners. These included a Hungarian national record (6th 4:01.26) for Judit Varga, who had taken fourth place in Munich at the weekend.

A late switch from the 3000m did no favours for Russia's world 5000m champion Olga Yegorova, as she finished way off the pace in 10th with 4:07.46.

However, it didn't look like the Russian would have faired much better at the longer distance either, as the 3000m was won by Ethiopia's world indoor record holder Berhane Adere with a sustained finish over the last lap which left the rest of the field gasping. Adere's winning time was 8:32.76 and there were season's bests for Russia's Tatyana Tomashova in second and for Ireland's late finishing Sonia O'Sullivan, who nipped Kenya's Edith Masai for third on the line in 8:33.62, with the Kenyan clocking 8:33.83 in 4th.

The heats of the men's 100m brought wins for Frank Fredericks (10.06) over Coby Miller (10.07) and Maurice Greene (10.08) in the first preliminary (+0.3 m/s). But in the second the sparks really flew as Tim Montgomery grabbed the win in 9.93 from European champion Dwain Chambers' 9.94 (PB), and a national record of 9.98 for St. Kitts and Nevis' Kim Collins, the Commonwealth champion.

In comparison, the times of the 100m final may have been an anti-climax but the result was certainly not. Montgomery finally got his season's win over world record holder Greene in 9.98 but so did a lot of other people!

Miller was second (10.00), with Chambers third (10.05) and Collins also dipping ahead of Greene in fourth with 10.06. Greene, after a terrible start, finished 5th in 10.10.

The "B" 800m was taken in a terrific fight to the line by Kenya's Wilfred Bungei in 1:43.64, a new world season's lead, from compatriot William Yiampoy (1:43.69) who also dipped under the 1:43.76 previous season's best of Denmark's European champion Wilson Kipketer.

However, Bungei's honour as world season's leader lasted only a couple of hours as in the "A" race Joseph Mutua battled his way to a 1:43.33 win ahead of Kipketer's 1:43.59. South Africa's Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the winner in Helsinki on Tuesday was third in a personal best of 1:43.81.

The men's discus was taken by Hungary's European champion Robert Fazekas with 66.81m. But he was not satisfied with his performance, blaming his excessive celebrations after Munich.

Germany's Tim Lobinger, who had kept the German crowds up-beat in Munich with a bronze medal in the men's pole vault, pleased the Swiss too tonight with a second time clearance at 5.80, to wild applause from the spectators in Letzigund's famous South Stand. His German team mate Lars Borgeling also got the same reception and the Munich silver medallist cleared the same height to share first place. Lobinger failed his three attempts at 5.91, while Borgeling - for a yet unknown reason - retired from the competition.

The men's 5000m was won by Kenya's 20 year Commonwealth champion Sammy Kipketer in a season's best of 12:56.99, in a race which saw three men duck under 13 minutes. There was a personal best for Kenya's Abraham Chebii (12:58.98) while the first European home, France's Smail Sghir, was 7th in 13:05.80.

The women's long jump was won by Brazil's Maureen Maggi with 6.84m, Hungary's Tunde Vaszi was second (6.69) and Olga Rublyova of Russia, third with 6.51m. Olympic champion Heike Drechsler of Germany was 5th with 6.48m.

Russia's Tatyana Shikolenk made some amends for her fourth place in Munich with her third Golden League win of the summer in the women's javelin, throwing 64.72m.