Golden debut for Jones as Boldon
stumbles
Nick Davies in Oslo
30 June 1999 - The 1999 edition of the IAAF Golden League got underway tonight in Oslo under the first sunny sky seen in the city for a few days and ended with 12 top athletes still in contention for a share of the 1 million dollar IAAF Golden League Jackpot.
With the exception of Sergey Bubka – who is training quietly in his native Ukraine – the men’s pole vault had all the world’s best on display and they did not disappoint the 15,000 spectators and the millions of TV viewers around the globe. Three men in the field have bettered 6.00 metres this year – Jean Galfione, Jeff Hartwig and Maxim Tarasov – but it was the German athlete Tim Lobinger who coped better with the swirling wind in the Bislett Stadium and soared over 6.00 to equal his personal best. In a high class competition, Tarasov and another German Danny Ecker cleared 5.90. Hartwig, perhaps affected after travelling from the west coast of America where the US Champs took place a few days ago, only managed 5.60.
She may have been beaten in the long jump at the US Championships, but over 200m Marion Jones is a different proposition and she proved it by powering to victory tonight in Oslo. Jones struggled a little on the tight bend but once into the straight she was able to open up her stride and ease clear of world champion Zhanna Pintusevich and Jamaica’s Beverly McDonald before crossing the line in 22.22. Speaking after the race Jones said: "It was rather chilly. But this was my first 200m on this track and it is not easy with the stadium’s layout."
There was an upset in the men’s 200m where world champion Ato Boldon crossed the line first in the 200m only to be disqualified for stepping outside his lane. Victory went to Obadele Thompson in 20.38 but the Barbadian was not gloating about keeping his hands on the key to the safe: "I feel very sorry for Ato. I do not know what happened. But I am not in great shape, I have an infection and felt very heavy after the start."
Track legend Wilson Kipketer proved he has put his darkest days behind him as he won the 800m, beating a formidable field including the Olympic champion Vebjorn Rodal and the world indoor champion Johan Botha. The early pace was suicidally fast, with David Kiptoo going through the bell in 49.66, but Kipketer stayed well back – only accelerating past Kenneth Kimwetich in the last 50 metres, to stop the clock at 1:43.11 his fastest since 1997 when he broke the world record. "I agree that the king is back. But he is still not perfect. After malaria I still cannot train at 100 per cent. My coach and I are trying to find the right balance of competition and training."
The women’s 800m was the closest race of the night. Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova seemed to have victory in the bag as she led coming into the final straight, but Mozambique’s Maria Mutola refused to give up, gradually closed the gap until the pair were dipping across the line together. But with just 1 100th of a second between them – it was the Russian who took the victory in 1:58.16, and ended Mutola’s IAAF Golden League Jackpot dream.
Olympic champion Allen Johnson turned the tables on Mark Crear, the man who beat him in the US trials, to get his IAAF Golden League campaign off to a perfect start. Although Crear had the best start, Johnson bustled past after halfway, brushing aside the hurdles before stopping the clock at 13.14 – his fastest this season. "This win shows those people who wrote me off that I am back after my injury problems. I am not dead. I am happy to have equalled my own stadium record and will be ready by Seville to win gold."
The women’s 3000m matched up the world’s best with double indoor world champion Gabriela Szabo, Ethiopia’s long course World Cross Country champion Geta Wami and Morocco’s Zahra Ouaziz battling it out for victory. Wami led through 2000m in 5:43.12 but Ouaziz took the lead with two laps to go. With the bell reached in 7:24 – Ouaziz was still leading from Szabo but the Romanian kicked into the lead with 150 metres to go and eased away to win in 8:27.22, almost 10 metres clear of Ouaziz. "It was good," said Szabo, "but I am only at the beginning of the year. I hope to run 8:20, maybe in Zurich. It will be hard to win all seven meetings – especially psychologically when you are against runners like Ouaziz and Wami. For Seville I will probably run 5000m"
As expected, Kenyan athletes dominated the steeplechase with world record holder Bernard Barmasai displaying splendid front running form. Going through 1000 metres in 5:22 at 1000m he increased his lead effortlessly to hit the last lap in 7:02 – 25 metres ahead of his countryman Wilson Boit Kipketer. The world record holder crossed the line in 8:06.15 – the fastest in the world this year. But it was not good enough for Barmasai, who said "Not bad, but I have more in me. I wanted to run closer to 8 minutes and maybe I will next week."
Romanian superwoman Ionela Tirlea – who recently contested 4 events in a weekend at the European Cup – made a bold bid to win the 400m hurdles, but she was overtaken with 100 metres to go by Deon Hemmings who went on to win in 53.48, the fastest time in the world this year. America’s Erick Walder took advantage of a 2.5 mps tailwind to long jump 8.50 and upset the favourite James Beckford, who finished second with 8.33. Egypt’s Hatem Mensal improved his national record twice to finish third with 8.31. Germany’s Raymond Hecht beat the likes of European champion Steve Backley, Sergey Makarov and world champion Marius Corbett to win the javelin. His best of 88.27 was over a metre better than second placed Kostas Gatsioudis, the Greek athlete who won world championship bronze in Athens two years ago.
Although not a Golden League event, the men’s 5000m allowed the Oslo crowd to appreciate the talents of the peerless Haile Gebrselassie who, giving up on a world record attempt after the pace slowed, contended himself with seeing off the challenge of Kenya’s Sammy Kipketer. Although Gebrselassie clocked 12:53.93 after a typical last lap burn-up, Kipketer still achieved 12:58 – and at only 17 years of age! Yet another Kipketer to make a name for himself.
IAAF Golden League Jackpot Contenders after first Meeting
Men
200m Obadele Thompson
800m Wilson Kipketer
3000 steeplechase Bernard Barmasai
110m hurdles Allen Johnson
Long Jump Erick Walder
Javelin Raymond Hecht
Pole Vault Tim Lobinger
Women
200m Marion Jones
800m Svetlana Masterkova
3000m (or 5000m/10,000m) Gabriela Szabo
400m hurdles Deon Hemmings
High Jump Monica Dinescu
