Mark Lewis Francis defeats Maurice Greene in Glasgow match (© Getty Images)
Three stadium records and a rash of World top ten performances were set at the annual triangular match between Great Britain, Russia and the United States on Sunday. Yet the highlight of the meeting was none of those but a much-anticipated sprint “rematch” between Mark Lewis-Francis and Maurice Greene that fully lived up to its billing.
Lewis-Francis put a “difficult” couple of weeks behind him to beat his American rival at Glasgow’s Scotstoun stadium in a 100m duel every bit as close as the finale to that dramatic Olympic 4x100m relay between the same two athletes nine months ago. As then, Lewis-Francis held off the former World record holder’s challenge with a dip on the line to win by just one hundredth of a second.
The time may have been slow (10.43), but the headwind was strong (-1.6), and, anyway, Lewis-Francis only cared about the victory.
“I knew Maurice was probably gunning for me after the Olympics but this is the 100 metres, and this is where I want to shine,” said the delighted Briton afterwards. “The weather was not great but I put that behind me. Winning here has given me a great buzz for the season.”
The 22 year-old’s joy was tinged with relief after his recent positive drug test for cannabis and the subsequent loss of the European indoor silver medal he won earlier this year. “It’s been a difficult couple of weeks but I’m a positive person and I stayed focussed,” he said. “I’m on the right track now and I feel positive about the season. I missed the Olympic final last year and I want to make up for that.”
"I want to see the photo!" says Greene
Unlike in Athens, this time it was Greene who actually looked like he was edging ahead in the closing stages. But Lewis-Francis got the verdict on the line ¬not that Greene was happy with that decision.
“I want to see the photo,” said the triple World champion. “In these conditions I have to be happy with that sort of time (10.44). I am healthy and that is the main thing, but I still want to see the photo.”
Britain’s Jason Gardener was less happy. The world and European indoor champion finished third in 10.50.
Having done it once, Lewis-Francis returned to Scotstoun’s distinctive blue track two hours later to do it again¬ in the men’s 4x100m relay. Fielding three of their four Olympic gold medallists, Britain’s quartet of Gardener, Chris Lambert, Marlon Devonish and Lewis-Francis held off a Greene-less USA team, this time by just two-hundredths, 38.93 to 38.95. As in Athens, Lewis-Francis looked across the line at USA’s anchor ¬ not Greene but Mark Jelks and let out a roar of triumph as he dipped.
“We needed to show them,” he said afterwards, explaining his exuberant victory cry. “There was a lot of banter in the call room. The Americans were saying they were going to show us today ¬ that’s why I shouted. We’re Olympic champions, you know, you’ve got to give better than that.”
Holmes pleases crowd with 1500m win
Britain’s other Olympic champion, Kelly Holmes, provided the capacity 3000 crowd with its other big moment. The double Athens gold medallist brought the meeting to a rousing climax in her last ever appearance on a Scottish track as she scored another consummate victory, winning the women’s 1500m ahead of Russia’s Olympic 5000m medallist Yelena Zadorozhnaya and the in-form Yelena Sobolyeva.
Holmes made her familiar move 300m out, pulled ahead of the Russians round the bend and powered away in the straight to win in 4:06.52. It was the eighth best time in the world this year and a morale boosting victory at the start of her final season.
“I knew the Russians would be very good,” she said. “I think their plan was to try and take the kick out of me but I kept my head.”
Holmes’ busy celebrity life continues next week with the launch of her autobiography but she insists her athletics goals this season, including the IAAF World Championships and the European Cup in two weeks time, are still on course. “I’m on the way. There’s still a long way to go but it’s going in the right direction,” she said.
Stadium records for Pavey, Phillips and Rybakov
Holmes’ team-mate Jo Pavey notched up one of the three stadium records with a highly impressive win in the women’s 3000m. The Olympic finalist clocked 8:45.79, the sixth fastest time in the world this year, to win by more than 15 seconds from Russia’s Yelena Sidorchenkova.
The other stadium records went to Olympic champion Dwight Phillips in the men’s Long Jump and European champion Yaroslav Rybakov in the men’s High Jump.
Rybakov won with 2.30m ahead of USA’s Jamie Nieto (2.27), but the Russian was disappointed not to have jumped higher.
“In training 2.30 is no problem but here I struggle,” he said. “I felt very good but I think there is a dip in the take-off area which affected my jumping. I will have to jump higher this year if I am to beat the best in the world.”
Phillips’ 8.26m is the fourth best in the world this year but it was the American’s only legal effort ¬as he fouled his first two and opted out of the final three rounds. Miguel Pate was second with 8.02m as no one else went beyond eight metres.
Phillips left the arena predicting far greater things in the near future. Asked what distance he is aiming for this year the never-shy 27 year-old said: “In my mind I want to say nine metres. I want to take it to where no one has ever been before.”
Olympic silver medallist Irina Simagina won the women’s Long Jump in imperious fashion. The world’s best jumper so far in 2005, the Russian won with a windy 6.88m (+2.2), a distance only she has beaten this year. She also produced a “legal” 6.86m, had four jumps in total beyond 6.80m, and in all six rounds leapt 6.75m or better. It was quite a series, every attempt being further than any of her rivals, including second-placed Oksana Udmurtova (6.66m) and third-placed Kelly Sotherton, the Olympic bronze medal-winning heptathlete (6.64w).
USA’s Erin Gilreath inflicted something of an upset by beating Olympic hammer champion Olga Kuzenkova with a season’s best 71.49m, the fifth best in the world this year. The Russian is yet to find her best form in 2005 and had to settle for second with a fifth round effort of 69.64m.
Allyson Felix wins 400m
Elsewhere on the track there were impressive wins for American sprinters. Olympic 200m silver medallist Allyson Felix won the women’s 400m in a personal best 51.12, the ninth best in the world this year; World champion John Capel won the men’s 200m in 21.04 into a 1.8 headwind; and heptathlete Michelle Perry won the women’s 100m Hurdles in 12.85, again battling into a stiff breeze (-0.9).
Winds in Glasgow are hardly a surprise, as the sprint-times showed. But in this meeting it wasn’t times that counted, just victory. Ask Mark Lewis-Francis.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
