Ngeny
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AP
6 September 2001 - Brisbane - The track and field program at the Goodwill Games witnessed probably the slowest 5,000-meter men's race in a major championship.
The men's 5,000 field of five Kenyans, including world champion Richard Limo, and two Ethiopians, including Olympic gold medalist Million Wolde, made a farce of the race.
For the first 10 1/2 laps, they loped around the track with no intention of trying to run fast. Then, they picked up the pace a little with two laps remaining, before going to an all-out sprint over the final 400 meters, which was run in 51 seconds - extraordinarily fast for a 5,000-meter race.
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Paul Bitok of Kenya won in 15:26.10, slower than women's winner Olga Yegorova of Russia (15:12.22) Tuesday night and nearly three minutes slower than the world record. The time of 12:52.90 for 4,000 meters was slower than Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie's 5,000 world mark of 12:39.36.
The men's and women's miles also were relatively slow, as the runners were just going out to win rather than produce fast times, but they weren't nearly as absurd as the 5,000.
In the men's mile, Olympic champion Noah Ngeny of Kenya burst into the lead coming off the final turn, then held off Canada's Kevin Sullivan to win in 3:56.10, 13 seconds off the world record. Sullivan wound up second at 3:56.81, followed by three Kenyans.
“I was coming hard down the homestretch,” said Sullivan, who was bleeding after being spiked by Kenya's William Chirchir. “I almost got him (Ngeny).”
Romania's Violeta Szekely won the women's tactical mile in 4:38.03, beating Russia's Tatyana Tomashova by .10 seconds in a tense stretch duel. Szekely's time was 26 seconds slower than the world record.
American Shawn Crawford, running in lane eight, scored a surprisingly easy victory in the men's 200. Crawford, the world indoor champion and world outdoor bronze medalist, was timed in a season's best 20.17. World leader Joshua Johnson of the United States wound up third at 20.54, behind world silver medalist Christopher Williams of Jamaica (20.38).
Three-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic won the men's javelin with a Goodwill Games record of 87.52 meters, as U.S. champion Breaux Greer finished second at 85.86.
Cuba's Ivan Pedroso, the Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, won the men's long jump at 8.16 meters.
In other finals, world champion Hestrie Cloete of South Africa won the women's high jump at 2.00 meters, then missed three attempts at a Goodwill record 2.05; world champion Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia took the women's triple jump at 14.58 meters, as Olympic gold medalist Tereza Marinova of Bulgaria finished second at 14.37; and Olympic champion Ellina Zvereva of Belarus won the women's discus, throwing 66.36 meters, beating world champion Natalya Sadova of Russia, the runner-up at 64.11.
Women
Discus
1. Ellina Zvereva (BLR) 66.36
2. Natalya
Sadova (RUS) 64.11
3. Franka Dietzsch (GER)
62.59
4. Kristin
Kuehl (USA) 62.39
5. Seilala Sua (USA) 61.70
6. Irina Yachenko (BLR)
59.74
7. Alison
Lever (AUS) 58.84
8. Monique Nacsa (AUS) 53.70
High Jump
1. Hestrie Cloete (RSA) 2,00
2. Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)
1,97
3. Vita
Palamar (UKR) 1,93
3. Amy Acuff (USA)
1,93
5. Blanka Vlasic (CRO) 1,93
6. Dora Gyorffy (HUN) 1,89
7. Venelina Veneva (BUL) 1,89
8. Yelena Yelesina (RUS) 1,85
20km Walk
1. Olimpiada Ivanova (RUS) 1:26:52.3 WR
2. Yelena Nikolayeva (RUS) 1:27:49.3
3. Eva
Perez (ESP) 1:32:22.4
4. Valentina Tsybulskaya (BLR) 1:33:25.5
5. Kerry Saxby-Junna
(AUS) 1:33:40.2
6. Jill Zenner (USA) 1:43:33.4
Triple Jump
1. Tatyana Lebedeva (RUS) 14,58
2. Tereza Marinova (BUL) 14,37
3. Olena Govorova (UKR) 14,25
4. Magdelin Martinez (ITA) 14,12
5. Yelena
Oleinikova (RUS) 13,94
6. Tiombe Hurd (USA) 13,40
7. Nicole Mladenis (AUS) 13,32
8. Heli Koivula (FIN) 13,23
Mile
1. Violeta Szekeley
(ROM) 4:38.03
2. Tatyana Tomashova (RUS) 4:38.13
3. Carla Sacramento (POR) 4:39.18
4. Lidia Chojecka (POL) 4:39.96
5. Lyudmila Vasilyeva (RUS) 4:40.79
6. Sarah Shwald (USA) 4:41.01
7. Naomi Mugo (KEN) 4:41.32
8. Georgie Clarke (AUS) 4:43.84
Men
5000m
1. Paul Bitok (KEN) 15:26.10
2. Luke Kipkosgei (KEN) 15:26.61
3. John Kibowen (KEN) 15:26.63
4. Hailu
Mekonnen (ETH) 15:26.70
5. Sammy Kipketer
(KEN) 15:27.94
6. Richard Limo (KEN) 15:28.00
7. Millon
Wolde (ETH) 15:30.51
Javelin
1. Jan Zelezny (CZE)
87,52
2. Breaux Greer (USA) 85,86
3. Eriks Rags (LAT) 84,68
4. Steve Backley (GBR) 83,34
5. Boris Henry (GER) 82,34
6. Andrew Currey (AUS) 81,44
7. Raymond Hecht (GER) 78,68
Mile
1. Noah Ngeny (KEN) 3:56.64
2. Kevin Sullivan (CAN) 3:56.81
3. Laban Rotich (KEN) 3:56.88
4. William Chirchir (KEN) 3:56.94
5. Bernard Lagat (KEN) 3:57.10
6. Craig Mottram (AUS) 3:58.24
7. John Mayock (GBR) 3:58.49
8. Brian Berryhill (USA) 4:00.26
200m
1. Shawn Crawford (USA) 20.17
2. Christopher Williams (JAM) 20.38
3. Joshua J. Johnson (USA) 20.54
4. Marlon Devonish (GBR) 20.74
5. Christian Malcolm (GBR) 20.77
6. Kevin Little (USA) 20.90
7. Stephane Buckland (MRI) 20.92
8. David Baxter (AUS) 21.39
Long Jump
1. Ivan Pedroso (CUB) 8,16
2. James Beckford (JAM) 8,07
3. Hussain
Al-Sabee (KSA) 7,97
4. Kevin Dilworth
(USA) 7,97
5. Luis Meliz (CUB) 7,88
6. Alexey Lukashevich (UKR) 7,87
7. Roman
Schurenko (UKR) 7,76
8. Danil Burkenya
(RUS) 7,67
9. Savante Stringfellow (USA) 7,61
Decathlon (after 5 events)
1. Tomas Dvorak (CZE) 4381 pts
2. Tom Pappas (USA) 4351
3. Erki
Nool (EST) 4262
4. Lev Lobodin (RUS)
4251
5. Jiri Ryba (CZE) 3871
6. Mike Nolan (CAN) 3789
7. Kip Janvrin (USA) 3717
