Marion Jones reigns as Falilat Ogunkoya repeats African Champs success
Sean Wallace-Jones for IAAF in Lausanne
Lausanne - 25 August 1998 - With the HSI road show back in town after their withdrawal from Zurich, Maurice Greene took the men’s 100m ahead of training partner and sometime gospel singer Jon Drummond in 9.92, after two false starts and into a light headwind (-0.3m/s). In their last race in Europe, coach John Smith’s trio of Ato Boldon, Drummond and Greene had celebrated his 48th birthday with a clean sweep in the 100m in the historic Stockholm Olympic Stadium, this time Obadele Thompson (BAR) broke up the party, taking third place ahead of Boldon.
No surprises in the women’s 100m, with Marion Jones appearing as invincible as she has throughout the season (this was her 34th competition appearance - including heats - spread between 100, 200 and long jump). With a characteristically slow start off the blocks, Jones ploughed forward with her head down, getting up to speed at the halfway mark like a water-skier going on the plane and leaving the rest of the field like a wake behind her. An unfortunate absentee from this evening’s meet was the newly crowned European champion, France’s Christine Arron, who is now set to meet Jones in Brussels and in Berlin, the final stages of the Golden League, prior to the IAAF Golden League/Grand Prix Final in Moscow on 5 September. Arron could well be the nemesis to threaten Jones’ seemingly unstoppable race towards the $1 million IAAF Ericsson Golden League Jackpot.
Fortified by her double golds in the 200m and 400m in the African championships in Dakar, Nigeria’s Falilat Ogunkoya prevailed in the women’s 400m here too, ahead of compatriot Charity Opara, who once again had to settle for a close second place behind the powerful Ogunkoya. Czech Republic’s Helena Fuchsova took third place close behind Opara.
Jamaica’s Deon Hemmings was a happy lady this evening as set a new stadium record of 53.27 to win ahead of Kim Batten, who faded in the closing stages, far from the form she has shown in the earlier stages of the season.
The man they call the Waco Express showed that he is once more firmly back on the rails as he carried away the men’s 400m in a convincing 44.29. Michael Johnson got off to an easy start and kicked into top gear at the 200m mark to take the lead. Though apparently pressed by fellow American Jerome Young as they came into the backstraight, Johnson turned on the steam and pulled ahead in the final thirty metres to finish comfortably ahead of Young and Danny McCray (USA).
Nigeria’s Glory Alozie won the photofinish in the women’s 100m hurdles as she dipped ahead of Michelle Freeman, with both athletes clocking 12.56. Early season favourite Melissa Morrison was third in 12.74.
Applause from the 14,000 spectators in the Olympic Syadium in Lausanne as local girl Anita Weyermann ran a spirited race in the women’s mile. Staying behind the pacemakers in the early stages, Weyermann was unable to withstand the kick of Carla Sacramento in the final 200m. as the Portuguese athlete pulled into the lead, with Kenya’s Jackline Maranga hot on her heels; but Weyermann was having none of it, spurred on by the crowd she sprinted shoulder to shoulder for the line with Maranga, both on the heels of Sacramento who took the tape in 4:23.41 with Weyermann given third in a photo finish 4:24.00 with Maranga.
