Air Saladino! 8.73m leap in Hengelo (© Jiro Mochizuki (Agence shot))
Hengelo, The NetherlandsA phenomenal 8.73m leap by Irving Saladino, Haile Gebrselassie’s impressive return to the track, and a break-out performance by Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo were the key highlights of the 26th Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in Hengelo.
Indeed, on an ideal evening for athletics at FBK Stadium, the European kick-off of the World Athletics Tour witnessed a majestic melding of the best of the sport’s recent past with a sensational glimpse into its immediate future.
Saladino’s leap into the all-time top-10
The 25-year-old Panamanian, already the finest current long jumper in the world, made his entrance into the all-time top-10 in impressive style with an 8.73m leap in the competition’s first round. It was the farthest leap in the world in 14 years, and an Area record. Only six men have ever jumped farther, and only three of those without the benefit of high altitude. It was also the reigning World champion’s 21st consecutive victory.
“I was quite surprised,” said Saladino, whose previous career best was 8.57m. “After I jumped 8.50 it was like a dream, now it is even more amazing.”
After bounding dangerously close to the end of the pit last year, organisers moved the take-off board two metres back this year. Sporting a wide smile, Saladino said, “I was very happy that the organizers changed the position of the board this year.” Saladino took only three jumps, saving his energy, he said, for the Olympic Games.
Saladino will compete at next weekend’s DKB-ISTAF meet in Berlin, where he’ll begin his chase for a share of the US $1 million ÅF Golden League Jackpot.
Godfrey Mokoena of South Africa, the world indoor champion, was a distant second with an 8.35m leap, albeit with an assisting +2.3 m/s wind.
Haile one step closer to fourth Olympic appearance
14 years after setting his first World record on the Hengelo track, Gebrselassie returned to the venue in the role of sentimental favourite in the 10,000m, but in reality as an underdog in his quest to achieve a qualifying performance in the event for Beijing.
Under the assumption that reigning Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele has already secured on team berth, “Mr. Hengelo” needed to finish at least second among the formidable group of Ethiopians in the field in order to be considered for the Beijing squad, and he fulfilled his goal in quite impressive fashion, giving selectors plenty to think about.
Running near the front throughout, Gebrselassie followed Olympic silver medallist and compatriot Sileshi Sihine for much of the proceedings, and in the latter stages, when only the pair, along with Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge and Leonard Patrick Komon remained in contention, he even took his turn with the lead.
The younger Sileshi’s kick didn’t disappoint as he cruised to a 26:50.53 victory, but Gebrselassie wasn’t far behind, gliding to a runner-up finish in 26:51.20. They were the two quickest performances of the year and for Gebrselassie, a major step towards Beijing.
“Running under 27 minutes was my goal,” said Gebrselassie, now 35, who won back-to-back Olympic titles in the event in 1996 and 2000 before finishing fifth in 2004. “Now we have to wait and see the results from a few other 10,000m races over the next few weeks. And then the federation will decide.”
Kipchoge (26:54.32) and Komon (26:57.08) both also dipped under 27 minutes while Gebre Gebremariam, the recently-minted African champion, struggled in the waning stages and finished a distant seventh in 27:20.65.
Jelimo – A star is born
While Gebreselassie received much of the ovations, the vociferous capacity crowd at Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadium witnessed the birth of a new star in the frame of Kenyan Pamela Jelimo.
After making waves with her 1:58.70 victory at the African Championships in the high altitude of Addis Ababa last month, the 19-year-old burst onto the international scene here with a jaw-dropping 1:55.76 victory, by far the evening’s most impressive display of running. Powering to the front down the back stretch, Jelimo stretched her lead through the bend and extended it down the homestretch, slowing little through the finish.
Her reward was a World junior record *, smashing the 1:57.18 set by China’s Yuan Wang in Beijing in 1993. And Jelimo’s initial reaction?
“I’m very happy,” said Jelimo, who won by nearly three seconds over Maryam Jamal (1:58.66), the reigning world 1500 metre champion. “Next time I think I can go much faster.” A former sprinter, Jelimo only took up the event three months ago. After crossing the line, she said, she had plenty in reserve.
The waning stages of her run were reminiscent to Janeth Jepkosgei’s gun-to-tape Kenyan record of 1:56.04 at last summer’s World championships. Except Jelimo was considerably faster. Both are expected to race at the ÅF Golden League opener in Berlin on 1 June.
Lucia Klocova of Slovakia was third (1:59.76) with Dutchwoman Yvonne Hak fourth with a personal best 2:00.10.
World 5000m leads for Bekele, Burka
Kenenisa Bekele won the 5000m handily, but fell well short of his World record of 12:37.35 set on this track four years ago. The Ethiopian was already alone seven minutes into the race, reaching the 3000m split in 7:44.17, seven seconds behind his intended target. With no opposition, he went on to cruise towards the finish, crossing the line in 12:58.94, another world leader on the afternoon. Kenyan Edwin Soi was a distant second in 13:13.88.
Recently-minted African 1500m champion Gelete Burka made her first 5000m appearance of the season a notable success. Taking the lead at the bell, the 22-year-old Ethiopian broke from a strung out pack of ten to cruise to a solid 14:45.84 victory.
“The race was very good,” she said, adding that a win over compatriot Meselech Melkamu was an added bonus. “Yes, I’m very happy with that.”
Meselech Melkamu was second (14:46.25), with Belaynesh Fikadu (14:46.84) completing an Ethiopian top-3 sweep. Linet Masai was rewarded with her mid-race front-running with a 14:47.14 PB, finishing fourth ahead of Priscah Jepleting (14:50.98). Despite the afternoon’s strong winds, eight of the first 11 ran to career bests.
Asian Discus Throw record for Hadadi
23-year-old Ehsan Hadadi of Iran, the 2006 World Cup silver medallist, broke his own Area record in the Discus Throw with a 68.52m effort in the second round, taking a small slew of major scalps: Gerd Kanter (68.28), Virgilijus Alekna (66.82) and Dutchman Rutger Smith (64.90).
In other throws action, twice World indoor Shot Put champion Christian Cantwell won his fourth outdoor meeting in as many outings with a 20.88m best ahead of German Peter Sack (20.60). In the women’s event, German Nadine Kleinert bested compatriot Petra Lammert 19.64m to 19.00m.
The meeting kicked off in the afternoon with the men’s Hammer Throw, won by world leader Krisztian Pars. The 26-year-old Hungarian opened with a 79.45m effort, which would have been enough to secure his third victory of the season, but he improved further to 79.93 in the fourth round. Vadim Devyatovskiy of Belarus was a distant second, with a 77.85m best, edging Italy’s Marco Lingua (77.72).
Elsewhere...
Unheralded Dutchman Robert Lathouwers pulled of an impressive upset with his 1:45.80 victory, taking down some major players including reigning World champion Afred Kirwa Yego (third in 1:46.06) and Moroccan Amine Laalou (1:46.02). It was a personal best for the 24-year-old from Rotterdam, and his first dip into sub 1:46 territory.
Kenyan Richard Mateelong turned in an impressive win in the 3000m Steeplechase, a solid performance not necessarily indicative by his 8:13.00 clocking. Benjamin Kiplagat of Uganda was second (8:14.29), a personal best.
The winds played a significant role throughout the early afternoon, beginning with the hurdles contests.
Pulling away from Jamaican Vonette Dixon by hurdle six, Lolo Jones forged to a comfortably 12.87 victory in the 100m Hurdles, a solid performance considering the strong headwind.
“I had a strong headwind which didn’t help after just stepping off the plane from America,” said Jones, who captured the World indoor 60m hurdles title in Valencia in March.” Although the wind reading was officially listed as 0.00, Jones didn’t agree. Jones is planning a full slate of races prior to the U.S. Olympic trials late next month. Stops in Belgrade, the Berlin and Oslo ÅF Golden League stops, and the Golden Spike in Ostrava are all on her busy schedule. “It’s good that I can come to Europe to run a bunch of races back-to-back to get my rhythm.”
The men too ran against a hefty 1.7 m/s wind, with Marcel Van de Westen coping best. The 31-year-old Dutchman pulled off a minor upset with his 13.46 victory, well ahead of American Ryan Wilson (13.62).
In the sprints, Kim Geveart edged Chandra Sturrup in the 100m 11.25 to 11.27. Briton Lee McConnell took the 400m in 51.66, a meeting record. Churandy Martina from the Dutch Antilles took an easy victory in the men’s 200m in 20.50, running against a 2.0 m/s wind. Briton Marlon Devonish was a distant second in 20.89; no other runners managed to dip under 21 seconds.
Germany’s Fabian Schulze won the Pole Vault on the countback with a first round clearance at 5.60m, and Canadian Nicole Forrester won the High Jump on the countback as well, clearing 1.93m.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
* pending the usual ratification procedures
