News08 Feb 2004


Martínez springs surprise on Ceplak

FacebookTwitterEmail

Maite Martinez of Spain celebrates winning bronze in the women's 800m (© Getty Images)

Mayte Martínez charged off the final curve in the women’s 800 metres today at the 15th Flanders Meeting, and scored what most would regard as an upset over World record holder Jolanda Ceplak. Martínez recorded 1:59.52 - lowering her indoor personal best and Spanish record by 0.01 - while Ceplak’s second-place time was 1:59.86.

The Spanish runner seems to have a small hex on Jolanda Ceplak in recent hookups.  After nipping the Slovenian last year for the bronze medal in Birmingham, and also having slipped past her in the 2002 World Cup, Martínez today looked fresh and  determined while inflicting a third defeat on Ceplak in their eleven career meetings.

After her unsatisfactory time in Dortmund last Wednesday, Ceplak was looking to return to the sub-2:00 level. She latched firmly onto the pacemakers who led her to lap times of 27.9 and 58.1.  The European indoor and outdoor champion continued to hold a three-metre advantage with one circuit left. 

All the while, Martínez was playing spectator from her vantage point in the trailing pack. Even at the bell, she had not shown her cards. But midway through the final back straight, she started to chew up Ceplak’s lead, and she then outkicked the Slovenian in the final metres. 

It clearly was a two-woman race, with Svetlana Cherkasova of Russia almost 2½ seconds back in 2:02.30.

Mutua gives best to Mulaudzi  

The men’s 800 metres turned into a four-man battle over the final 100 metres of the contest.  With season leader Joseph Mutua of Kenya holding a thin lead going into the final curve, Paris bronze medallist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa tried to move in front, as Belgium’s Joeri Jansen, running right behind, gave a quick pat to Mulaudzi to signal a close encounter. 

Mutua fended off the effort the first time, but on the final straight, Mulaudzi was able to clip the Kenyan for a win in 1:46.24. 

Holland’s Bram Som had a fast finish of his own, coming down the outside and taking second with 1:46.36, as the fading Mutua (1:46.41) barely avoided being pipped by Jansen (PB 1:46.46). 

The other section of the men’s 800 Metres was won by Amine Laalou of Morocco in 1:47.34, with Michael Rotich of Kenya right behind in 1:47.57.

Gevaert sidelined by car accident 

Today’s meeting lost a significant competitor on Saturday, when Kim Gevaert, Belgium’s double sprint silver medallist at the last European Championships, was involved in a one-vehicle accident on the ring highway around Brussels. Gevaert’s auto rolled several times, but she was able to exit the car uninjured afterwards. She hopes to return to the track next Sunday in Karlsruhe.

Although not perhaps quite the audience favourite that Gevaert would have been today, Italy’s Manuela Levorato still drew considerable noise from the spectators in the Women’s 60 Metres with her wire-to-wire win in 7.21.  The Munich bronze medallist held off late pressure from Natalya Safronnikova of Belarus (7.24) and Slovenia’s Merlene Ottey (7.26) and added a second major victory this season after last weekend’s Stuttgart success.

Tight women's Triple Jump

The women’s Triple Jump was to have featured Yamilé Aldama in her first start as a Sudanese athlete.  But the Cuban-born athlete was forced to withdraw several days ago because the Belgian Embassy in London declined her visa request. 

Aldama’s absence did serve to tighten up the competition among the remaining jumpers, as Yelena Govorova of Ukraine eked out a narrow win over Natalya Safronova of Belarus on her final jump, 14.15 to 14.13. 

The men’s Pole Vault was a rather tepid affair, easily won by Russia’s Igor Pavlov at 5.65.  Belgium’s combination sprinter-vaulter, Kevin Rans, was not beset by the dark cloud which seemed to hover over much of the field, and the 21-year-old responded with a personal-best 5.55 for second place, with countryman Thibaut Duval defeating Germany’s Danny Ecker for third on misses at 5.45. 

False starts claimed almost half the field in the men’s 60 metres final, as Francis Obikwelu of Portugal, Cayman Island’s Kareem-Streete Thompson, and Simone Collio of Italy were one-by-one shown the door.  Of the five sprinters remaining, Marcus Brunson of the US was the easy winner in 6.59, far ahead of Eric Nkansah of Ghana (6.67) and a second American, Kevin Braunskill (6.68).

From his advantageous position in lane six, Sweden’s Johan Wissman won the Men’s 200 metres in 20.76, dropping his national record from last weekend by an additional 0.02.

Solid 3000m wins for Silva and Chojecka-Okninska

The Men’s 3000 metres went to Rui Silva of Portugal in 7:47.80, as he successfully held off Laban Rotich of Kenya (7:47.97) and Holland’s Gert-Jan Liefers (7:47.98) at the wire. 

The women’s race over the same distance saw Lidia Chojecka-Okninska carve out a large advantage during the last kilometre enroute to her 8:51.81 victory over Mestawet Tadesse of Ethiopia (8:56.62) and Maria Martins of France (8:56.82). 

Yet another runner holding on to a late lead was Juan-Carlos Higuero in the men’s 1500 metres. The Spaniard had been in the front position for virtually all the race, and his 3:38.71 final time was enough to survive against the final kicks of countryman Sergio Gallardo (3:39.21) and France’s Bob Tahri (3:39.32). 

On the final straight of the men’s 400, California Molefe of Botswana blew past a pair of Munich finalists--silver medallist David Canal of Spain and Belgium’s Cédric van Branteghem—to take the race in 47.19.  

Molefe had lagged far behind during the first 250 metres, but then started to make his move coming into the final curve.  Into the final straight, Germany’s Bastian Swillims also ran past Canal and Van Branteghem but he lost out to Molefe at the wire with a 47.24. 

Ed Gordon for the IAAF

RESULTS:

GHENT, February 8 (International Indoor Vlaanderen-Gent)
Credit – PA International

Men:

60m: 1 M Brunson (USA) 6.59, 2 E Nkansah (Gha) 6.67, 3 K Braunskill (USA) 6.68, 4 G Dobos (Hun) 6.70, 5 R Pognon (Fra) 6.76. K Streete-Thompson (Cay)/F Obikwelu (Por)/S Collio (Ita) disq.

200m A: 1 J Wissman (Swe) 20.76, 2 M Urbas (Pol) 21.02, 3 C Williams (Jam) 21.19, 4 J Batangdon (Cmr) 21.77

200m B: 1 D Demeritte (Bah) 20.99, 2 M Jedrusinski (Pol) 21.12, 3 P van Balkom (Ned) 21.48, 4 X Debaerdemaker (Bel) 21.77

400m: 1 C Molefe (Bot) 47.21, 2 B Swillims (Ger) 47.24, 3 D Canal (Spa) 47.61, 4 C Van Branteghem (Bel) 47.86, 5 N Duerinck (Bel) 48.86, 6 G Hoogmoed (Ned) 49.18

800m A: 1 M Mulaudzi (Rsa) 1:46.24, 2 B Som (Ned) 1:46.36, 3 J Mutua (Ken) 1:46.61, 4 J Jansen (Bel) 1:46.46, 5 S Kimutai (Ken) 1:47.75, 6 D Fiegen (Lux) 1:47.87

800m B: 1 A Laalou (Mor) 1:47.34, 2 M Rotich (Ken) 1:47.57, 3 T Omey (Bel) 1:48.05, 4 J Lomba (Fra) 1:48.38, 5 N Kahan (Bel) 1:48.82, 6 G Dube (Bot) 1:48.87.

1500m A: 1 J-C Higuero (Spa) 3:38.71, 2 S Gallardo (Spa) 3:39.21, 3 B Tahri (Fra) 3:39.32, 4 M Too (Ken) 3:39.59, 5 M Yemmuni (Fra) 3:39.63, 6 J Redolat (Spa) 3:39.83, 7 M Koers (Ned) 3:40.67

1500m B: 1 J Tanui (Ken) 3:43.20, 2 W Yiampoy (Ken) 3:43.62, 3 D Leleil (Ken) 3:43.93, 4 Z Graczyk (Pol) 3:43.98, 5 J Moro (Spa) 3:46.72, 6 T Clerbout (Bel) 3:47.71

3000m: 1 R Silva (Por) 7:47.80, 2 L Rotich (Ken) 7:47.97, 3 G-J Liefers (Ned) 7:47.98, 4 M Bett (Ken) 7:48.63, 5 A Abate (Eth) 7:49.72, 6 M Keino (Ken) 7:51.32, 7 E Chirchir (Ken) 7:52.20, 8 A Zahraoui (Mor) 7:52.49, 9 I Viciosa (Spa) 7:53.26, 10 H Mourhit (Bel) 7:56.31, 11 G Pencreach (Fra) 7:57.69, 12 H Skoog (Swe) 8:00.68, 13 M Rizki (Bel) 8:01.69

Pole Vault: 1 I Pavlov (Rus) 5.65, 2 K Rans (Bel) 5.55, 3 T Duval (Bel) 5.45, 4 D Ecker (Ger) 5.45, 5 P Guerassimov (Rus) 5.30, 6 J Galfione (Fra) 5.30, 7 A Barbaud (Fra) 5.30. L Borgeling (Ger)/R Mesnil (Fra)/A Andji (Fra)/P Peuf (Fra) no height

Women:

60m: 1 M Levorato (Ita) 7.21, 2 N Safronikova (Rus) 7.24, 3 M Ottey (Slo) 7.26, 4 J Manninen (Fin) 7.28, 5 E Ojokolo (Ngr) 7.32, 6 K De Caluwe (Bel) 7.39

200m: 1 M Maidenova (Ukr) 23.29, 2 O Borlee (Bel) 24.05, 3 K De Caluwee (Bel) 24.35

800m: 1 M Martinez (Spain) 1:59.52, 2 J Ceplak (Slo) 1:59.86, 3 S Cherkasova (Rus) 2:02.30, 4 V Fouquet (Fra) 2:02.62, 5 A Samaria (Nam) 2:03.06, 6 S Ait-Hammou (Mor) 2:03.09, 7 L Tchjao (Rus) 2:03.44, 8 F Macharia (Ken) 2:04.52, 9 S Stals (Bel) 2:08.31

3000m: 1 L Chojecka (Pol) 8:51.81, 2 M Tadesse (Eth) 8:56.62, 3 M Martins (Fra) 8:56.82, 4 V De Jaeghere (Bel) 8:58.18, 5 L Duquenoy (Fra) 8:58.62, 6 B Benthami (Mor) 9:00.71

Triple Jump: 1 Y Govorova (Ukr) 14.15, 2 N Safranova (Blr) 14.13, 3 C Castrejana (Spa) 14.02, 4 E Oleynikova (Rus) 13.93, 5 C Johansson (Swe) 13.80, 6 B Lah (Ita) 13.76, 7 S Swennen (Bel) 13.39, 8 L Zagacka (Pol) 12.98.

Complete Results here:

http://www.sport.be/flandersindoor/2004/eng/results/

Loading...