Edwards
17.67, as
Bak improves
World
steeple mark
in Milan
Diego
Sampaolo for the IAAF
5 June 2002 -
The
fifth edition of the
Notturna Di Milano
(IAAF
Permit Meeting)
in Milan's napoleonic
era
Arena Stadium this
evening witnessed
a
superb men's Triple Jump and
a World
record in the women’s 3000 steeplechase.
In the women's Steeplechase, Justine Bak of Poland smashed her old record (9:25.31) set in Nice last season by about three seconds improving it to 9.22.29. Bak, who was born in Lublin in 1974 and is coached by her husband, is the undisputed favourite in this new discipline, which will be included for the first time at the European Cup in Annecy later this month, where Poland is one of the competing teams.
The men’s 5000 metres race produced a World year best thanks to Benjamin Mayo of Kenya who lowered Stephen Cherono's previous mark by four seconds down to 13:07.12. Mayo's victory was some what surprisingly as he beat the outstanding favourites Salah Hissou of Morocco, second in 13:17.7, and Ethiopia's rising star Kenenisa Bekele, third in 13:26.68. Mayo, who ran 28:06 over 10,000 metres at altitude in Nairobi earlier this season, went to the lead with one kilometre to go after the pacemaker Joseph Kosgei dropped out after leading at 3000 metres in 7:52.40.
"The result gives me confidence for the rest of the season. This year my goal is to run under 13:00 in the 5000 metres and under 27:00 in the next 10000 metres at the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels," said Mayo.
Bekele probably suffered from the consequence of his long flight from Addis Ababa where he competed at the Ethiopian Champs last weekend (second in 14:02 over 5000 metres).
"It was a tactical and very slow race run at 2000 metres of altitude, I was beaten in the sprint by my compatriot Degene Beranu.” said Bekele in Milan, commenting about his run in Ethiopia. “Now I am planning to return to my country to prepare for my next competitions at the Golden League meetings in Oslo, Paris, Monaco and Zurich and the African Championships."
The Milan organisers assembled a fabulous triple jump competition by inviting the World record holder Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain, the 1999 World Champion Charles Friedek of Germany, Italy’s 2001 World Indoor champion Paolo Camossi and Romania’s rising star Marian Oprea who is the European Junior champion.
Edwards was competing for the first time this season after a period of training in Florida. He managed to beat Oprea, who was leading the competition with a windy third round effort of 17.39, with a 17.67 wind assisted leap of his own in the next round. Charles Friedek finished third with 17.30.
"The result is a bit surprising for me. I did not really expect to jump so far at the beginning of the season in this cool and windy day, “ said Edwards. “My runway was perfect. Now I hope to remain injury free for the rest of the season. My plan on the road to the Commonwealth Games and the Europeans is to compete in Turin and take part in the next Golden League season starting from the Oslo meeting on 28th June.”
Unfortunately many performances at this meeting, especially in the sprint, were disturbed by cool and windy weather. A particularly strong headwind prevented sprinters from doing their best.
Ukraine’s World 100m champion Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, started her European campaign by winning the dash in 11.19 with a strong headwind (- 1.9 m/s), beating Nigeria’s Mercy Nku (11.27) and Juliet Campbell (Jam) who finished third in 11.43.
"The time is a bit disappointing for me but a very strong head wind blew in the opposite direction to the finish line,” confirmed the World Champion. “Now I will compete in Athens and after two weeks of rest at home in the USA I will return to Europe to take part at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne. This season, after ten years of big championships, I have decided to take a year off from big events and I will not compete at the next European championships in Munich.”
Francis Obikwelu, who has recently become a Portuguese citizen, won the men 100 metres in 10.28 into a headwind (-1.0 m/s) ahead of his former Nigerian compatriot Deji Aliu (10.29), the US sprinter Bernard Williams (10.31) and European champion Darren Campbell from Great Britain (10.32).
The headwind (-3.4 m/s) blew even stronger during the 200 metres, which was won by USA’s Coby Miller in 20.99.
The men’s 800 metres race turned into a slow and tactical competition with one lap to go. Algeria’s Said Guerni fought for victory against Czapiewski of Poland, the European Indoor champion. Guerni took the lead with 250 metres to go and managed to resist Czapiewski’s impressive sprint, and won in 1:47.50.
Italy’s 1991 World champion Fabrizio Mori received strong local support during the 400 hurdles but his usual sprint in the home stretch was not enough to beat US hurdler James Carter who came in first in 49.03, ahead of Mori in 49.23.
"I missed some days of training due to a slight tendon injury. After Milan I am planning to compete at the European Cup in Annecy and then at the Golden League meetings in Paris and Rome", said Mori.
The meeting produced an exciting men’s 3000 metres steeplechase, which was the evening’s finale. Kenya’s Stephen Cherono the World junior record holder, managed just to save his victory at the finish line against a strong attack from Saudi Arabia’s Shaddad Al-Asmari, 8:11.31 to 8:11.51.
Selected results:
Men:
100 metres (-1.0 m/s): 1 Obikwelu (Portugal) 10.28; 2 Aliu (Nigeria) 10.29; 3 Williams (USA) 10.31; 4 Campbell (GBR) 10.32
200 metres (-3.4 m/s): 1 Miller (USA) 20.99; 2 Buckland (Mauritius) 21.02; 3 Marco Torrieri (Italy) 21.08; 4 Shawn Crawford (USA) 21.09
800 metres: 1 Said Guerni (Algeria) 1:47.50; 2 Czapiewski (Poland) 1:47:54; 3 Bungei (Kenya) 1.48:43; 4 Yampoi (Kenia) 1:48.43; intermediate with one lap to go: 53.00
5000 metres: 1 Maiyo (Kenya) 13:07.13; 2 Hissou (Morocco) 13:17.77; 3 Bekele (Eth) 13:26.58; intermediate at 2 Kilometres: 5'15"73; 3 kilometres: 7:52.40; 4000 metres: 10:26.67
3000 steeplechase: 1 Cherono (Kenya) 8:11.31; 2 Al- Asmari (KSA) 8:11.51; 3 Nyamu (Kenya) 8:13.30; 4 Paul Koech (Kenya) 8:16.01; at 1000 metres: 2:45.43; at 2 Kilometres: 5:27.80
400 hurdles: 1 Carter (USA) 49.03; 2 Mori (Italy) 49.23; 3 Gorban (Russia) 49.30; 4 Maschenko (Russia) 49.33
Triple jump: 1 Edwards (Great Britain) 17.67 (wind + 3.1); 2 Oprea (Rom) 17.39 (wind +3.1); 3 Friedek (Ger) 17.30 (wind +2.7); 4 Gregorio (Brazil) 17.01 (wind +1.4); 5 Martinez (Cuba) 16.98 (wind + 2.5); 6 Glavatski (Belarus) 16.97; 7 Camossi (Italy) 16.63
Shot Put: 1 Belonog (UKR) 20.37; Karlsson (FIN) 20.09; 3 Dal Soglio (Ita) 20.06; 4 Bloom (USA) 20.05
High Jump: 1 Ciotti (Italy) 2.26; 2 Hammad (Algeria) 2.26; 3 Bettinelli (Italy) 2.21
Women:
100 metres (wind - 1.9 m/s): 1 Pintusevich (Ukraine) 11.19; 2 Nku (Nigeria) 11.27; 3 Campbell (Jamaica) 11.43; 4 Ojokolo (Nigeria) 11.48; 5 Fynes (Bahamas) 11.51
400 metres: 1 Yefremova (Ukraine) 51.78; 2 Levorato (Italy) 52.16; 3 Nguimgo (CAM) 52.54
800 metres: 1 Varga (Hungary) 2:01.91; 2 Lewis (Australia) 2:02.93; 3 Macharia (Kenya) 2:03.07
3000 steeplechase: 1 Bak 9:22.29 POL (new world record); 2 Iloc (Rom) 9:43.93; 3 Jackson (USA) 9:50.87; at 1000 metres: 3:07.86; at 2000 metres: 6:13.86
400 hurdles: 1 Hemmings (Jamaica) 55.18; 2 Glover (USA) 55.57; 3 Parris (Jamaica) 56.15
Shot put: 1 Pavlish (Ukraine) 20.02; 2 Ostapchuk (Belarus) 19.40; 3 Kleinert (Germany) 18.75; 4 Legnante (Italy) 18.18
Pole vault: 1 Grigorieva (Australia) 4.40; 2 Adams (Germany) 4.25; 3 Becker (Germany) 4.25.
