Natalia Rodríguez after her 3000m victory in Huelva (© Javier Aznar)
Huelva, SpainSpain’s European Indoor 1500m silver medallist Natalia Rodríguez produced the standout performance at the ‘Gran Premio Iberoamericano’ held on Wednesday night (10) in the southwest city of Huelva.
The Spaniard, who had celebrated her 30th birthday the previous week, set the current world season lead for the 3000m with a stunning 8:35.86 clocking.
A creditable sixth at last year’s Beijing Olympics in her specialist 1500 event, Rodríguez’s victory was all but easy as she faced the fierce opposition provided by her compatriot Marta Domínguez, the current European 5000m champion, who had to settle for second on this occasion thanks a fine time of 8:36.53 which suggests the 33-year-old Spaniard will undoubtedly be in the Berlin medal picture in the 3000m steeplechase, an event she first competed at last season.
The race opened very cautiously (2:58 for the first kilometre) but then Domínguez and Rodríguez stepped up the rhythm by taking turns each lap. A late burst of Rodríguez with 250m left became decisive although Domínguez only surrendered over the closing 100m.
Rodríguez became a mother in November 2007 but bounced back successfully last March to take her first medal at a major championships, the Europeans Indoors in Turin where she gabbed the silver behind Russia’s Anna Alminova in the 1500m.
The ecstatic winner declared: “My coach Miguel Escalona had commented that I was in a 8:30 form but I wasn’t sure of it. I talked to Marta in the calling room about taking turns once the pacemaker had dropped out and so we did. I’ll next race at the European Team Championships (20/21 June) in Leiria where I’ll be contesting the 3000m again.”
Berlin highest ambitions
Rodríguez, who holds the 1500m National record at 3:59.51, has all her sights set on this August’s World Championships in Berlin. She declared adamantly “after being 6th in Beijing last year overcoming lots of setbacks, I feel capable of anything at the Worlds as I’m in the form of my life”. Would you be happy with a bronze medal? “No, I think I can finish even higher” confirmed an optimistic Rodríguez to add: “I’m not in a hurry to break my Spanish record; I prefer to be focus in Berlin and try it after the Worlds.”
Silva betters a trio of fast Spaniards
Portugal’s Rui Silva came an overwhelming victor in the men’s 1500m as the reigning European Indoor champion managed to keep the top Spanish athletes at bay to romp home in a remarkable 3:34.18, his quickest time for three years. After a couple of season sidelined by injuries the Portuguese ace, who will turn 32 years of age next August, seems in the right path to match his golden years when he snatched the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2005 Helsinki Worlds.
Silva was chased in the distance by Ethiopia’s Mekonnen Gebremedhin (3:35.17) and a triumvirate of Spaniards in the guise of Diego Ruiz, Arturo Casado and Álvaro Rodríguez.
European indoor silver medallist Ruiz sliced some hundredths from his PB by clocking 3:35.25 while Casado finished barely 0.09 seconds in arrears and reigning European Under-23 champion Rodríguez set a massive PB of 3:35.76 in fifth.
Three Spaniards run inside 13:12 in the 5000m!
The men’s 5000m witnessed a quality times galore led by Spain’s Alemayehu Bezabeh’s PB of 13:10.10; the 23-year-old Ethiopian-born athlete covered a frantic last kilometre in 2:30 – after a relatively comfortable 7:57 3000m split – to break away from the reigning European 5000m champion Jesús España, runner-up in a PB of 13:10.73 while Eritrea’s Teklemariam Medhin took third in 13:11.01 ahead of Carlos Castillejo – a 27:39.79 10,000m specialist and top European at last March’s World Cross Country champiosnships in Amman – timed at 13:11.50, also a career best.
Benhassi OK, Lopez KO
Both 800m events had been billed as the marquee disciplines of the night but Cuba’s Yeiman Lopez, a sixth placed last summer in Beijing, could not even complete the distance as he dropped out after the opening lap. Reportedly, the 26-year-old Cuban had arrived from Cuba the day before and the jet-lag hampered his effort. In his absence Miguel Quesada beat his fellow Spaniard Luis Alberto Marco, 1:46.17 and 1:46.47 their respective times.
As for the women’s race Morocco’s current Olympic bronze medallist Hasna Benhassi dipped under the 2:00 barrier for the first time this season (1:59.55) to build a sizeable margin on 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud of Cuba, second in 2:00.20, still a SB, while Spain’s reigning World bronze medallist Mayte Martínez took third (2:01.11) in her comeback to the competition after 15-months lay-out due to an injury.
Keskisalo back to top shape
Finland’s reigning European 3000m Steeplechase champion Jukka Keskisalo, who changed his coach this winter and is now guided by 1991 World Champs 5000m finalist and sub-28mins 10,000m man Risto Ulmala, took a fine victory over Kenya’s Caleb Ngetich to run his fastest time for the last three years, 8:21.28 to Ngetich’s 8:22.50.
The women’s event saw the success of Ethiopia’s Korahubish Bedada Itaa in 9:29.52 well ahead of Portugal’s Sara Moreira, timed at 9:34.57.
In the infield, Spain’s Mario Pestano snatched a narrow win in the men’s Discus Throw thanks to a 64.88m third-round release for Frank Casañas’s fifth attempt of 64.45. The Cuban-born Casañas came fifth at the Beijing Olympics already wearing the Spanish vest.
Marco Fortes of Portugal took the Shot Put contest ahead of local hero Manuel Martínez, 20.52m and 20.03 their respective heaves while Spain’s reigning European Javelin bronze medallist Mercedes Chilla was unchallenged thanks to a 61.76 throw.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
