News18 Nov 2008


Win Streaks - a year of drama in 2008

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Melaine Walker produces the fourth-fastest clocking of all time to win the Olympic 400m hurdles title (© Getty Images)

In terms of unbeaten streaks in the sport, 2008 will perhaps be most remembered not for the winning streaks that emerged over the course of the year, but for those that came to their dramatic conclusions.

How the great win streaks fell

Since her 2008 debut in late January, the world watched Croatia’s World High Jump champion Blanka Vlasic build a sensational run in her event, taking on all comers and beating them all. Beginning the year with a 15-meet win streak, the 25-year-old extended it to 34 through the winter, spring and summer, by far the longest the sport has witnessed in recent years. But it came to a crashing halt at the most inopportune time, when Vlasic, heavily favoured for Olympic gold, finished second to Belgium’s European champion Tia Hellebaut in Beijing.

The longest streak on the men’s side also came to an abrupt end when 3000m Steeplechase World record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen returned to the track for the first time since winning the 2006 IAAF World Cup. Sidelined by injury in 2007, Shaheen made his return on that same Athens track but still ailing, dropped out of the race with three laps to go to put an to his 24 race victory streak in the event.

Pole Vault World record holder Yelena Isinbayeva began her 2008 season after a perfect 18 for 18 campaign in 2007. She added another notch to that tally after her traditional season’s debut in Donetsk in February where she once again raised her own World indoor record, this time to 4.95m. But she couldn’t manage a 20th straight triumph after finishing in a tie for second at the Pedro’s Cup meet in Bydgoszcz four days later. The Russian quickly regrouped however, and won the rest of the 11 meets she contested this year, collecting another Olympic title, another World indoor gold, and a trio of World records in the process.

Irving Saladino did manage to break through the increasingly difficult 20 straight win barrier. Since emerging as the world’s finest long jumper in 2006, the Panamanian pieced together an impressive run. He began 2008 with four victories to extend his unbeaten streak to 21 before it came to an end at the Golden League opener in Berlin in June.

Klüft, sits pretty on 19

One streak that hasn’t changed is the phenomenal record in Heptathlon competition produced by Carolina Klüft, currently the longest in the sport. The Swede, who shifted her focus to the Long Jump this year, is sitting on a phenomenal 19 competition unbeaten streak in the Heptathlon, one which began on 22 July 2001 when she captured the European Junior title, and ended --for now-- with her 7032 point European record tally at the World Championships in Osaka last year. Even if she decides to never return to the multi-events, she can rest assured that her six-year run at the top of the Heptathlon charts will not find itself under the remotest of threats for a very long time.

Walker, 13 and counting

At the moment, the closest to Klüft’s accomplishment is Melaine Walker who romped to Olympic 400m Hurdles gold in Beijing. The 25-year-old Jamaican’s rise in the event in 2008 was nothing short of phenomenal; in the Chinese capital she became the fourth fastest ever in her event clocking 52.64. Walker will begin her follow-up campaign riding a 13 race streak. She lost only once in 2008, her opening competition in Sydney on 16 Feb.

More remarkable was the nearly unprecedented rise from obscurity illustrated by Pamela Jelimo. The Kenyan teenager contested her first 800m race in April, and remained unbeaten in each of her 12 outings. All of her victories, including her Olympic triumph and those that brought her the $1 million ÅF Golden League Jackpot, came in dominating fashion.

Also ending her 2008 campaign with a dozen straight wins was World Shot Put champion Valerie Vili. Among her 11 victories this year were Olympic and World indoor gold.

While his numbers aren’t as high, few would argue that Kenenisa Bekele is not the finest all-around distance runner in the world today. The 26-year-old Ethiopian extended his streaks at both the 5000m and 10,000m to 11 straight in each, among those his historic Olympic double victory. Since his international debut over the distance in Hengelo in May 2003, Bekele hasn't lost a 10,000m race, while his last loss in the 5000 came on 28 July 2006 in London. Bekele was without equal in 2008, winning each of his 10 races, from 3000m to the 10,000m.

On the way to emulating Bekele’s achievement is his compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba. Also the double Olympic champion, the 23-year-old will begin 2009 with a nine race streak in the 5000m, and six over 10,000m.

Approaching double figures in 2009

Another seven athletes, all Olympic champions, are on the verge of extending their unbeaten streaks to double figures.

Estonia's Olympic Discus Throw champion Gert Kanter ended the season with seven consecutive victories, while four others – high jumper Andrey Silnov, javelin thrower Aksana Miankova, Usain Bolt (200m) and steeplechase World record holder Gulnara Galkina-Samitova—will begin 2009 with six.

Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, who defended her Olympic 200m title in Beijing, will begin 2009 with five race win streaks at both the 100m and 200m.

Also notable is Olympic 20Km Race Walk champion Olga Kaniskina's streak in that event, which she extended to five with here three-for-three 2008 season.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

NOTE: The win streak calculations are based on ‘finals’ only.

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