Kenya's janeth Jepkosgei - 800m gold - Melbourne 2006 (© Getty Images)
Melbourne, AustraliaMaria Mutola lost her Commonwealth Games 800m title in the Melbourne Cricket Ground this evening on another night of record-breaking for Australian athletes.
Jepkosgei, Sinclair stun Mutola
Perhaps she was jet lagged after all. Mutola looked so comfortable in getting to tonight’s 800m final that it was difficult to imagine anyone beating her, even Jamaica’s Kenia Sinclair who ran her close in the World Indoor final a couple of weeks ago.
And it looked like that until the final 80 metres of the race when Mutola – who’d sat on Sinclair’s shoulder for the entire race – prepared to unleash her kick. It simply wasn’t there. Not only was the front-running Sinclair strong enough to hold off Mutola but Kenya’s Janeth Jepkosgei floated by the 10-times World champion and Sinclair to steal the gold in 1:57.88.
Sinclair held on for the silver in a personal best 1:58.16 and Mutola was left with bronze in 1:58.77, her quickest of the year.
“It’s great to win,” said the Kenyan. “Especially competing with people more experienced than me.”
As ever, Mutola appeared to have run the perfect race, letting Sinclair take the field through to the bell in 58.15 and shadowing her every move. Sinclair kicked with 200m to go but Mutola was still on her shoulder as they came into the straight, after-burners ready to fire.
Or back fire, as it turned out.
“I was slow today but I’ve got to accept that,” Mutola said. “The world indoors was very difficult 10 days ago but I’m a little disappointed.”
Four golds for the hosts with Games records
There was little disappointment for the Australian crowd though, as they watched their country’s athletes win four golds and set four Games records on the sixth day of athletics.
Bronwyn Thompson was most impressive of all. She stamped her authority on the women’s long jump final when she broke the Games record in the second round with 6.97. Thompson, who just missed a medal at the 2004 Olympics, had a brilliant competition as she leapt beyond the old Games record four times – her series reading x, 6.97, 6.91, x, 6.93, 6.83.
“I’m very elated,” said Thompson. “It means the world to me to win in front of a home crowd.”
Australia took silver too, through Kerrie Taurima with a best of 6.57 and second best of 6.55, while Celine Laporte of the Seychelles added 25 centimetres to her personal best to finish third, also with 6.57.
Defending champion Elva Goulbourne of Jamaica could only finish ninth due to an injury. She left the arena after three rounds with her right ankle heavily iced. The defending silver medallist, Jade Johnson of England had a bad competition and finished fifth two centimetres behind the medallists.
Stuart Rendell caught the Australian record-breaking mood when he smashed the 16-year-old Games record to win the men’s hammer final with a second round throw of 77.53, nearly two metres beyond the mark set by Australia’s Sean Carlin in Auckland in 1990.
"It’s been a long time coming,” said Rendell. “I’m stoked.”
James Steacy was second with a best of 74.75 and South Africa’s Chris Harmse was third with a throw of 73.81.
Another Games record tumbled in the men’s pole vault. Steve Hooker of (yes) Australia cleared 5.80 to claim the gold, beating the record set by South Africa’s Okkert Brits in Manchester. Hooker then had an audacious crack at 6.01.
“It was like an out of body experience,” said the elated Hooker afterwards. “I felt like a spectator.
"I’ve been a Melbourne boy for 23 years so it’s fantastic.”
Another Australian, Dimitriy Markov, was second with 5.60 and England’s Steven Lewis was a surprise bronze medallist with 5.50.
Deakes completes double-double
They were at it in the morning too when Nathan Deakes achieved a remarkable double-double by adding the men’s 50km walk to his 20km title. The Australian also won both walks in Manchester four years ago.
Deakes led from start to finish to win in 3:42:53, smashing his own Games record from 2002 by nearly 10 minutes. He also broke the 20km record four days ago, making this a near-perfect Games for the 28-year-old.
“Two gold medals and two Games records – I couldn’t ask for any more,” said Deakes. “It’s more of a relief than anything.”
Tony Sargisson of New Zealand prevented the hosts sweeping the medals for a third time by taking silver in a pb 3:58:05, holding off Australia’s Christopher Erickson, who also set a pb to win the bronze in 3:58:22.
Kemboi leads another Kenyan podium sweep in steeplechase
As expected, Kenya dominated the men’s steeplechase final with Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi winning the private battle between him and two team-mates in 8:18.17. Wesley Kiprotich was second in 8:19.38 beating Sydney Olympic champion Reuben Kosgei by less than half a second.
Kemboi made the decisive move with four laps to go and the three Kenyans broke clear of the field and ran comfortably through the second half of the race with a 15-20 metres lead.
Martin Dent of Australia made a brave effort to chase them down over the last two laps but the Kenyans had plenty in reserve. Dent was rewarded with a big personal best of 8:28.98 in fourth place.
A Kenyan one, two, three – no surprises there then.
A Jamaican 1-3 in the 100m Hurdles...
The one surprise of the women’s 100m hurdles final was that Jamaica didn’t take all three medals. Brigitte Foster-Hylton lived up to her billing as the favourite by taking the gold in 12.76. But Canada’s Angela Whyte was a delighted silver medallist. She came past the fast starting Lacena Golding-Clarke over the last two hurdles to finish second in 12.94.
Golding-Clarke’s form faulted in the run-in and Delloreen Ellis-London came through for the bronze in 13.00, dipping in front of her team-mate by one hundredth.
...and a Kenyan 1-3 led by Ochichi in the 5000m
Kenya’s Isabella Ochichi won the women’s 5000m final in 14:57.84 after a close tussle with England’s Jo Pavey who was rewarded for her sensible front running with a silver in 14:59.08.
Pavey sat just off the pace for the first half of the race before gradually moving up through a leading group of six, containing three Kenyans and two Australians. With four to go she was in fourth, a lap later she was second, and she took up the running with two to go.
The group was down to five at the bell and Pavey fought with Ochichi all the way into the home straight. Ochichi was stronger, finishing in 14: 57.84 with the 10,000m champion Lucy Wangui third in 15:00.20.
Relay disasters - England, Nigeria, Trinidad eliminated in men’s 4x100
The usual fun and games were much in evidence in the men’s 4x100m relay heats. In the first race Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago both saw their hopes dashed when they messed up at the third change.
The Nigerians literally hit the track as Peer Emelieze ran into his team-mate Aliu Deji, while Trinidad simply failed to pass the baton from Jacey Harper to Aaron Armstrong.
England – with three of Britain’s Athens gold medallists in their line-up – continued the shenanigans in the second race. They were leading by a country mile approaching the last change when Mark Lewis-Francis took off too early and Marlon Devonish could not pass him the baton before the end of the change area.
With those three out, Jamaica are even bigger favourites for gold than they were already. They clocked the fastest time, 38.52, with Asafa Powell in awesome form on anchor. The 100m champion made up some five metres to overtake Australia.
Even in the heats Australians were flying. They were the fastest qualifiers from the men’s 4x400 heats in 3:03.04. And Craig Mottram was fastest in the men’s 1500m final in 3:38.02.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
