Highlights of Day Two - IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Stuttgart

Stuttgart, GermanySanya Richards and Meseret Defar claimed victories to complete notable doubles to highlight the final day of the IAAF /VTB Bank World Athletics Final.

In Stuttgart they not only had to cope with strong competition but also with very cool weather conditions. At 11° Celsius compared to Beijing’s Bird Nest the Stuttgart venue felt like a big freezer. In contrast to Saturday, at least there was no rain on day two. 21,500 spectators came to the Mercedes-Benz Arena to witness the final athletics event at this stadium.

WOMEN’s Events

The much anticipated duel between the Olympic and World Champion Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain and Richards this time ended in favour of the American. Richards burst away fast and took the lead as expected. On the homestraight Ohuruogu began to close the gap, but her final 100 metres in the cold conditions were understandably not as impressive as in Beijing. She was closing in at the end but Richards never looked in trouble, winning in 50.41. Ohuruogu crossed the line in 50.83.

Richards ended her season with two victories on the weekend after winning the 200m in 22.50 on Saturday.

“Winning the 400 metres here was more important than taking the 200. Ending my season like this is a good indicator for 2009. I will work hard for next year’s World Championships,” said Richards, who had missed qualifying for Osaka in 2007.

“It is the end of my season and I am exhausted. But nontheless I am glad that I came here,” said Ohuruogu. “Finishing second does not mean anything in my overall scheme of things, because I have won the highest accolade in Beijing.”

Defar was the other double winner in Stuttgart. On Saturday she had defeated Vivian Cheruiyot in the 5000m, and today the Ethiopian bronze medallist from Beijing also took the 3000m, again beating the Kenyan. Defar looked in full control when she decisively increased the pace in the battle against Cheruiyot and ran away in the final 250 metres. Defar clocked 8:43.60 and was almost a full second ahead of Cheruiyot (8:44.64).

It is the second time after 2005 that Defar has won the 3000/5000m double at the IAAF /VTB Bank World Athletics Final. And maybe more amazing is that this was the fifth consecutive time that Defar won the 3000m at this competition.

Pamela Jelimo also continued her great series in Stuttgart. The 18 year-old Kenyan shooting star of global athletics won the 800ms yet again in convincing style. The Olympic Champion this time did not run hard right from the start. So the 400m split time of 59.08 by Briton Marilyn Okoro must have felt easy for Jelimo. The Kenyan then burst away with 300 metres to go, still finishing in a WAF record time of 1:56.23. World Champion Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya once again took second (1:58.41) while Okoro was third with 1:58.64. Remaining unbeaten, this was Pamela Jelimo’s 14th win in a row.

“Today I did not have any tactics,” Jelimo said. “I am a sprinter. So I can always rely on my final speed.” Regarding next year the African Record holder and World Junior record holder (1:54.01) said: “I guess that I have even more talent than I showed in 2008. Next year I want to run even faster.”

In the cool conditions it was amazing that Shelly-Ann Fraser was able to clock a sub-11 performance 100m with 10.94.

“I really wanted to win this one and I had even hoped for a sub 10.90 time,” Fraser saide. The Jamaican Olympic Champion said that she would not compete indoors next year. Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) and Marshevet Hooker (USA), both with 11.06, took the next places.

Blanka Vlasic ended her season on a high, winning the High Jump with a 2.01m leap to equal the WAF record. Most importantly for Croatia's World champion was that she defeated the women who inflicted the the only two wounds she suffered this season: Olympic champion Tia Hellebaut of Belgium and Germany's Ariane Freidrich, who victory in Brussels robbed Vlasic of a $500,000 slice of the Golden League Jackpot pie.

There were more notable winning results by Olympic Champions in Stuttgart: Melaine Walker (Jamaica) took the 400m Hurdles in a fine display. As in Beijing the gold medal winner had a big winning margin in Stuttgart as well, clocking 54.06 in the cold. Anastasiya Rabchenyuk (Ukraine) took second with 54.92. In the Shot Put there was another Beijing winner taking the event: Valerie Vili (New Zealand) produced a throw of 19.69m in the first round. Her second and third best of 19.54 and 19.53 would also have been enough to win. Nadine Kleinert (Germany) took second with 19.42 m.

MEN’s Events

The best results in the men’s events on day two came in the 3000m Steeplechase and the Javelin.

It was Kenya’s Paul Kipsiele Koech who dominated the Steeplechase throughout the race. The world leader, who had run 8:00.57 minutes in Heusden in July, tried again to break the eight minute barrier. But conditions were not suitable with the cold weather and no pacemakers available. After a fast opening kilometre of 2:37.73 minutes Koech slowed slightly, passing 2000m in 5:22.91. He finished in 8:05.35 minutes, still around ten seconds ahead of Ezekiel Kemboi (8:15.32). Kenya took the top three spots with Richard Mateelong third in 8:16.05.

“I was well prepared for today, but it was hard, because I am not used to running in the wind and the coolness,” Kipsiele Koech said. “I took the lead from the beginning, because I did not want to get a slow race.”

There was a surprise in the Javelin Throw: Vadims Vasilevskis of Latvia took the event with a season’s best of 86.65m. The 26-year-old had a great series with throws of 85.62m, 83.59m, 85.47m and 86.65m. Olympic Champion Andreas Thorkildsen (Norway) was second with 83.77m while Tero Pitkämäki (Finland) took third with 81.64m. So the usual battle between Thorkildsen and Pitkämäki this time was about second place.

“Winning today was very important to me. And doing this with a season’s best is great. I was only ninth at the Olympics so I was looking for some revenge,” Vasilevskis said. “I was very disappointed in Beijing. The problem was a psychological one – I have to get stronger in this aspect in 2009.”

While Derek Miles (USA) continued his fine late season form with a 5.80m win in the Pole Vault from Brad Walker (USA/5.70), the final athletics event Stuttgart’s stadium would witness was the 110m hurdles. David Oliver (USA) took this one in 13.22 seconds.

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF