Sanchez
runs a 44.90 second flat 400m as Britain reflects on what might have been
Chris Turner for the IAAF
19 August 2001 – Gateshead - The Norwich Union Classic (IAAF GP11) meeting in
Gateshead’s International Stadium this afternoon, gave ample opportunity for
British athletics to re-assess it’s below par performance at the recent Edmonton
World Championships. Three time European javelin champion Steve Backley, who had
failed to qualify for the World final, and women’s Olympic 800m bronze
medallist, Kelly Holmes, who disappointingly finished outside the medals in
Edmonton, both produced fine victories today, which indicated just how
differently events could have panned out in Edmonton.
Not for the first time in Britain this summer, weather conditions were slightly damp. Thankfully though the torrential rain of the morning had died out by the start of competition but the track and runways remained wet and slippery in light spitting rain, throughout the afternoon.
The triple jump was the first women’s field event which got underway, and Russia’s newly crowned World champion Tatyana Lebedeva was a confident victor despite the wet conditions, with a winning leap of 14.94 metres. Not surprisingly, she later confessed that it has been difficult to psyche herself up mentally after the highs of Edmonton.
One athlete who had no problem finding motivation was Steve Backley, the Olympic silver medallist, in the men’s javelin, the opening event of the meeting. In Edmonton Backley bombed out of the qualification round with 81.50m, despite having thrown over 90m only three weeks before at the London Grand Prix, the last major meeting prior to Edmonton. However, today the British number one, who is also twice an Olympic silver medallist, was back to something of his best. His winning distance of 86.74m, came with his last attempt and clinched the win over the two Finns, Harri Haatainen (86.63m) and World silver medallist Aki Parviainen (86.46m), in what was a high standard competition.
All of Backley’s valid throws would have qualified him in Edmonton and the three time European champion was quick to reflect on this fact. “The distances today? Yes, my run up was one I haven’t used for eight years. Basically it’s shorter and less can go wrong…On reflection I should have used that for qualification in Edmonton” reflected Backley.
Kenya’s Olympic 1,500m champion Noah Ngeny, who was dropped off the Kenya’s Edmonton team for missing a pre-World’s training camp, was running below his specialist distance today and made a spirited sprint finish to win the men’s 800 metres in 1:45.97, beating a number of 1:43/1:44 specialist two lappers.
Kenya also won the men’s 1,500m, via a 3:36.87 minute run from Paul Bitok. There was a rare British middle distance win too, with John Mayock beating Ireland’s Mark Carroll in the 3000 metres - 7:57.11 to 7:57.27.
In the women’s 800 metres, Kelly Holmes who was second in Zurich on Friday, continued her excellent post Edmonton form, with a clear 1:58.10 win over a field which included Diane Cummings (2nd 1:58.85), Letitia Vriesda (5th 2:00.14) and Faith Macharia (9th 2:01.86), three of the five women who had finished ahead of her in the Edmonton final just a week ago.
“I have just taken yards out of the World’s bronze medallist (Vriesda), that felt good. Things are progressing well for me. The World championships just came too early, I couldn’t cope with the rounds. I know I can do one off races and I am pleased with that today.” said Holmes.
Without a phalanx of Ethiopian’s around her, World Cross Country Champion, Paula Radcliffe, who finished 4th in the World 10,000 metres, found the women’s 3000 metres very much to her liking, winning in 8:42.47, well clear of UK team mates Joanne Pavey (8:51.14) and Kathy Butler (8:52.05).
Britain’s male sprinters all fell short of the medals in Edmonton despite running well. Dwain Chambers (2nd 100m 10.31) and Christian Malcolm (2nd 200m 20.47), again ran confident races today but once more had to give best in their respected events to America’s Tim Mongomery (1st 100m 10.27) and Bernard Williams (1st 200m 20.23), who took the 100m silver and bronze medals in Edmonton.
In the women’s 100m, the gold and bronze medallists from Edmonton, Ukraine’s Zhanna Pintusevich-Block and Greece’s Ekaterini Thanou, reversed their positions with Thanou (11.28) taking the victory over the Ukrainian World champion (11.32). Bahamas Chandra Sturrup who was fourth in Edmonton, took third with 11.44 seconds.
Russia’s Olympic and World silver medallist Olga Kuzenkova, took the win in the women’s hammer, with a third round 68.91m and also had a first attempt of 68.82m.
Another Edmonton silver medallist on song was Israel’s Aleksandr Averbukh, who won the men’s pole vault with a first time clearance at 5.91m, and then had three failed attempts at 6.00m but none of them were even vaguely close.
In a below par men’s triple jump, Britain’s one and only World Championships gold medallist, Jonathan Edwards, did all that was necessary by taking the win in front of his home crowd with 17.14m, in the only field event today which was restricted to just four rounds.
Edmonton bronze medallist Dudley Dorival of Haiti (2nd 13.60) had to give best in the men’s 110m hurdles to America’s Larry Wade (1st 13.51).
However, the best track “head to head” of the afternoon was in the men’s 400 metres flat, which pitted World champion Avard Moncur of the Bahamas, against World 400m hurdles champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic and America’s Olympic one lap hurdles champion, Angelo Taylor. It could not have been much of a closer finish, with Sanchez and Taylor showing better lag speed on the flat, than the specialist champion, Moncur. The end result was a tight but convincing win for Sanchez, in a new personal best of 44.90, Taylor, second in 45.09 and Moncur, third with 45.15.
