Me'Lisa Barber and Lauryn Williams of USA win gold and silver in the women's 60m final (© Getty Images)
Moscow, RussiaIt was close, as we expected it would be as the eight men flew towards the finish of the 60 metres on the opening day of the 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships. But the script went to plan - the gold medal belonged to the American Leonard Scott, who established his credentials for gold just two weeks ago.
Sidelined footballer returns to track to take gold
Scott, 26, began the competition with the distinction of having the quickest reaction time in last summer’s 100m final at the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki.
He was sixth then, but this time he has a gold medal to go with any accolades about being fast out of the blocks, which he did again with 0.124.
But what followed was the coronation of a champion because Scott looked supreme. As Russia’s Andrey Yepishin closed in, so the American found an extra ounce of power. The workrate of his legs was immense, the strength taking him to the line and to glory.
His time of 6.50 equalled the world leading mark he had run in the semi-finals, having entered the Championships with the fastest time this year of 6.52.
Yepishin broke the Russian national record by finishing second in 6.52 with Terrence Trammell third in 6.54. That time will set him up brilliantly for his title at the 60m Hurdles crown tomorrow.
But today was all about Scott. He said: “It is a phenomenal feeling.”
His career has blossomed after he put American Football first when he was on the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was never selected to play, so returned to track and field. “I thank my dad and all the people who helped me,” said Scott. “I am still a fan of football.”
Yepishin was equally delighted. “I did not dream I could win a silver medal,” he said. “I was thinking that maybe bronze was possible.”
Barber’s world leading destiny fulfilled
Like the men, the women’s 60m was a tremendous aggressively race too. And for her, it was an individual triumph that her career had always seemed to be destined to achieve.
Barber, 25, has gold medals from the 4 x 400m Relay at the 2003 World Championships of Athletics in Paris and the 4 x 100m at the 2005 World Championships of Athletics in 2005. But this time, the individual success was hers. She says one of her ambitions is to open up a hair salon, but yesterday she made the hairs stand up on the back on your neck as she battled to win a brilliant dash.
It was so close that Barber and her American teammate, Lauryn Williams, the outdoor World sprint champion, could not be separated on times, both closing with world leading marks this year of 7.01. As it should be, the World Indoors Championship bringing the best marks and the first of what became a double sprint celebration for America prior to Scott’s triumph.
Such was the speed that Kim Geveart, of Belgium, a double European champion at the distance, was third in a national record of 7.11 and Christine Arron, of France, the 1998 European 100m champion, was fourth in 7.13.
It was a great spectacle because of the way Barber took the race on. “I had a good start,” she said. “I lifted my knees in the latter and that was the key to my success. I expected something, 6.9 or 7.0, would be needed to win and it shows that I have enough improvement for then outdoor events. I had a difficult time before Trevor Graham became my coach and my results started to get better. I am glad we ended the race 1-2.”
Hoffa – eighth best all-time
Almost a week ago, an Oscar for American actress Reese Witherspoon and today, the first gold medal of these World Indoor Championships to American Reese Hoffa, in the men’s Shot Put.
And what a performance too! Hoffa produced an effort 22.11m, the best in the world this year and the eighth best of all time.
“It is the day of my career,” said Hoffa. “I feel awesome. My gosh, 22 metres, that is something special. I could not expect that.”
Silver went to Andrey Mikhnevich, of Belarus, who landed a personal best of 21.37, with Joachim Olsen, of Denmark, third with 21.16.
Ukraine’s day
What a day - and day being the operative word - for Ukraine’s Lyudmila Blonska in the Pentathlon. She established her marker by winning the opening event, the 60m Hurdles, in 8.29 seconds, and she never lost the top spot.
That was her first PB, as she then set a season’s best in the High Jump by finishing second with 1.84m behind Olga Rypakova, who won in 1.87m. But the key was to stay ahead of her closest challenger Karin Ruckstuhl, of the Netherlands.
Ruckstuhl edged towards her by finishing fourth in the Shot Put with 13.64m as Blonska was fifth with 13.43, both with personal bests, before the Ukrainian landed another lifetime mark by winning the Long Jump with 6.50m.
She was ahead of Ruckstuhl by more than 100 points and though the last event, the 800m, was a real test for Blonska, she passed it. Germany’s Sonja Kesselschlager won in 2:14.45, and Ruckstuhl was third in 2:16.72, with Blonska just behind in 2:19.62 taking the gold. She ended with 4685 points, a PB, from Ruckstuhl with 4607, followed by Olga Levenkova, of Russia, who was third with 4579.
“I am very satisfied with my result,” said Blonska. “I have had better results in summer competitions and I did not think that I could have success in the winter, but I have.”
Richard Lewis for the IAAF
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