Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt in Stockholm 2008, Bolt's last defeat (© Hasse Sjögren)
Some great sprinting and a close shave for the women’s 5000m World record was played out tonight (22) before the annual full house of 15,000 spectators at the DN Galan, a Super Grand Prix status meeting within the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008.
Powell over Bolt but only just
Asafa Powell flew out of the blocks (0.108 reaction time) to what seemed and ultimately was an unassailable lead by the halfway point of the men’s dash. The Commonwealth 100m champion got the jump on his Jamaican compatriot Usain Bolt (0.181). But we hadn’t counted on the World record holder’s pick-up from that point and effortlessly he made up the margin, bar 0.01 of a second of it.
So Powell prevailed with a 9.88 sec win (+0.4m/s wind) but one senses if Bolt put together a better start then this victory would have been even more closely contested. Why? Well, while Powell made a classic lunge at the finish, Bolt was upright in his stance looking comfortably over his shoulder at the winner outside him in lane five, as if to say ‘wait for next time’. The demeanour of the winner was that of the runner-up and vice-versa on this occasion. We’ll see the reality of such possibly ideal speculation come Beijing.
Yet there is no doubting that Powell has hit superb form, and hopefully his injury worries are now behind him.
“I was really happy with the race, my goal was to win,” said Powell. “My start was quick and fast and the speed stayed with me through the finish. I am really looking forward to the Olympics.”
In third and fourth came Norway’s Jaysuma Ndure and Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago both clocking 10.06 but split by the photo.
Defar - Second fastest ever at 5000m
A powerful, gutsy run by Meseret Defar was not quite enough for Ethiopia’s Olympic 5000m champion to snatch back her World record which eternal rival Tirunesh Dibaba had hacked five and half seconds off in Oslo on 6 June (14:11.15).
Defar showed her intent by settling in immediately behind pacemaker Olga Komyagina from the gun. That was the race over with, now the battle was only with the clock. Defar who had found herself alone with seven and half laps to go, passed 2000m (5:40), 3000m (8:34) and 4000m (11:29).
In the last 400m she drove hard for the finish - unofficially clocked in 60.37 secs – crossing in 14:12.88, so taking a large slice off her previous personal best (14:16.63 – 2007). It was a stadium record bettering the 22-year-old mark of Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen (14:37.33). NB. At time of writing no official splits have been released for the race.
“I feel sad and disappointed that I missed the World record by one second,” said Defar. “Today my feelings (in the race) were good and I had a very nice time during the race as everyone in the stadium supported me.”
Tanzania’s Zakia Mrisho (14:58.36) and Joanne Pavey of Britain (14:58.62) were the only others below 15mins.
Robles – sub 13 again
Smooth as silk, that’s the present brilliance of Dayron Robles’ hurdling, the World record holder for 110m Hurdles winning in 12.91 sec, a stadium record. The Cuban’s primary mission was to reassert his authority over the fastest American of 2008, David Oliver, who had beaten him in Berlin (1 June), and this he duly did, with the latter never in close contact by sprint hurdling standards, 13.04 for second place. Robles performance is the fifth equal fastest of all-time.
Kaki impressive as ever
When the last of two pacemakers left the track with 300m to go in the men’s 1000m it was down to just World Indoor and Junior 800m champion Abubaker Kaki of Sudan, and Youssef Kamel of Bahrain to fight it out for victory. Any thoughts of a World record had long been discarded by Kaki who could sense there was an opponent still close at hand. It was an exciting run to the line more than anyone had been expecting, with the Sudanese prevailing in 2:13.93, a World Junior record - to go with the one he already holds at the 800m - and a stadium record.
Kamal who had closed within 2 metres of Kaki on the final bend never had the strength to bring his attack completely to bare, finishing runner-up in 2:14.72, a PB.
Kaki’s time was of course the best in the world this year by a large margin (2:16.30 previous best) and leaves him as the seventh fastest of all-time which isn’t bad for someone who only turned 19-years-old on the 21 June.
“It was my first 1000m ever, I did aim at the (World senior) record but it is very hard to beat. I am very satisfied with my performances,” said the winner.
The reigning Olympic 800m champion is in good shape too. Yuriy Borzakovskiy came home in third in a 2:15.50 PB.
Wariner and Richards with ease
Jeremy Wariner killed the 400m dead in the first 150m, after that the Olympic and World champion was just in cruise control, holding off all opposition with ease without ever needing to apply top gear. His winning time of 44.29 sec more than enough to hold off the Bahamas’ Chris Brown (44.53).
Sanya Richards made it a comfortable 400m double for the USA winning the womne's race, but to be honest it seemed a very oddly timed run by the 2007 Golden League Jackpot winner who blasted off so fast from the blocks that you would have imagined this was a 200 metres race not the full lap. The early effort must have made Richard’s legs feel like lead in the final straight but she was still an clear winner in 50.38.
Jamaica’s Novlene Williams was second (50.85) and Allyson Felix, who is aiding her claim for a US Olympic 4x400m relay spot with every performance, was third in 50.88m.
Gomes’ 7m display for Portuguese record
Naide Gomes, World and European Indoor champion from Portugal, gave a display of elite long jumping which is rare in these relatively low key days for this event. 7m dead (-0.4m/s) in round one, followed by 7.04m (-0.3m/s) a national record with her next, Gomes followed with 6.97 and 6.85 leaps before finishing with two fouls. US champion Brittney Reese (6.80) and Sweden’s Carolina Klüft (6.71) were like the rest of the field simply outclassed.
As expected, Isinbayeva and Vlasic on top
That the Long Jump unexpectedly upstaged both the women’s Pole Vault and High Jump said much about these two events not quite buffing up to their expected sparkle this evening. Yelena Isinbayeva of course has another bright 1 carat diamond in her possession having improved her stadium record (4.79 - 2005) with her second time clearance at 4.85m. But in the absence of American record holder Jenn Stuczynski, who is reported to be suffering from a recurrence of a back problem, this event lacked its centre point.
“It was a fine competition but a little bit cold by 4.95,” said Isinbayeva who had three failed attempts at that bar.
Blanka Vlasic’s victory in the High Jump was as expected as Isinbayeva’s in the Pole Vault, and while she might have been pressed a little when Olympic champion Yelena Sleserenko went clear on the third time of asking at 2.00m – a height that Vlasic passed - the Russian’s failure at 2.02 put an end to any threat. The Croat World champion sealing her 34th consecutive win (31st at 2m) with a second time effort at that height.
“I have been competing a lot lately, now I need some rest,” said Vlasic.
Mottram comfortable
No one was following the pace of the two Kenyan rabbits in the 3000m, and when the race really began two laps from home it was Australia’s Craig Mottram who powered through and was never seriously threatened. The two-time World Cup winner came comfortably across the line in 7:37.73, despite a strong pursuit from Kenya’s Isaac Songok (7:38.97). Qatar’s Daham Bashair was third 7:39.45.
There is nothing like a home crowd roar to get the heart beating and with Osaka fourth placer Mustafa Mohamed in the 3000m Steeplechase the Swedes had plenty of reasons to cheer. The stadium rose when with the home straight entered their man was in the lead but it was not to be as first Mike Kipyego passed (8:14.35) and then with just as few metres to go, his Kenyan compatriot Wesley Kiprotich (8:14.52), also went overtook Mohamed (8:14.77).
USA’s women’s relay squads upstaged but men restore pride
A mixed 4x100m squad brought home by Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of the Bahamas showed two US squads how to exchange the baton, coming home in the second fastest time of the year in 42.29 sec.
UPDATE - DN Galan 26 July 2008 - The organisers have today confirmed that the original USA squad names were switched at the last minute, meaning that the official start lists did not reflect the actual team compositions, and therefore neither did the offocial results which were issued.
In their wake was the cream of American sprinting including the USA Red team – Muna Lee, Allyson Felix, Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards – which could well be the main US line-up in Beijing, who finished second (42.40), and USA Blue who had Angela Williams as their anchor and finished third(42.58).
USA restored pride with a win for their ‘Blue’ squad – Trammell, Spearmon, Crawford, Rodgers - in the men’s sprint relay (37.99sec), the fastest time in the world this year.
Blanket finish in women’s dash
In the individual women’s 100m final, no one was exactly firing on all cylinders, and six of the field of eight came home much as they started in a line, with Lauryn Williams taking the win in 11.10. Back in fourth was US champion Muna Lee, with compatriot Marshevet Hooker (11.13), and the Bahamas’ Chandra Sturrup (11.14) sandwiched in between.
In the 100m Hurdles, Canada’s Priscilla Jones (12.61) and USA’s Lolo Jones (12.64) were the fastest of the night, it’s just a pity they never got to compete together as they were the winners of two separate sections.
Holm and Thorkildsen win
Olympic champions prevailed in the men’s High Jump and Javelin Throw with Stefan Holm of Sweden the winner of the former (2.30m), and Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen the latter (87.36m).
In the increasingly cagey lead into Beijing for all the top men in the Javelin, Thorkildsen will have been pleased to have launched 87m plus throws with both his opening attempts.
“The competition today was very positive,” said the Norwegian. “It makes me focus stronger on my performance and shaping me up for the Olympics.”
For Holm who needed two attempts to get over 2.30m, “today was not one of my days. I was heavy and not really performing my best, I have no clue why this is.”
And Olsson returns but looks to have injured himself again
There seemed initially to be better news for Sweden in the Triple Jump, as Olympic champion Christian Olsson after a year’s injury lay off hit 17.00m exactly on his second attempt. But of Olsson’s remaining four jumps he had three passes and a foul and looks to have re-injured his hamstring again.
“I know what it is to like to fight for 12 months for two jumps and it’s not worth it,” said a very down Olsson.
Romania’s Marian Oprea won the competition with 17.25m in the second round.
Nesta Carter runs 9.98 sec even before the meet starts!
The evening had begun well even before the opening ceremony with a number of 100m sections highlighted by Nesta Carter’s 9.98 run (+1.0m/s) in the “B” race. Brazil’s Jose Carlos Moreira was the fastest of the “C” final – 10.29.
Other excitement was provided in the “B” men’s 400m brought home by Australia’s Sean Wroe in a 45.20 PB. In second was a familiar name, Calvin Smith, with the son of the 1983 and 87 World 200m champion and World record breaker for 100m, coming second in 45.52, and Renny Quow, of the Trinidad, third in 45.73.
Russia’s Yelena Sokolova was the victor in the women’s “B” Long Jump (6.69m; -0.4m/s), while Monica Henderson brought home the “B” women’s 400m (51.80). The “B” 100 was taken by Bianca Knight (11.15) and the “C” went to Angela Williams (11.20).
Appropriately on a night of sprinting 1968 Olympic 200m legends Tommie Smith and John Carlos glided down the home straight, in two slick sports cars, as part of the opening ceremony this evening.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
