Jeremy Wariner en route to a dominating performance in Paris (© Getty Images)
World and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner was racing solo tonight, his opponents isolated spectators on the Stade de France’s eight lane stage as he delivered a magnificent 43.91 second performance which was markedly superior to anything else at a high quality Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint-Denis, the second leg of the IAAF Golden League 2006.
Wariner left us in no doubt that he is intent of at least taking a share of the $1 Million Golden League Jackpot on offer for six wins this season, and in the longer term of matching the exploits of his manager, the retired World 200m / 400m record holder Michael Johnson. Wariner’s 43.91 win tonight for 400m was unopposed, a personal best, improving the 43.93 with which he won last year’s World title, and a meeting record. The 22-year-old, already the seventh quickest all-time, is now homing in on his agents’ 43.18 World record.
“Definitely my strength training has been going very well and I am getting my speed going as well,” said Wariner, “and I hope to do this (sort of performance) now throughout the season…. I know I have a lot more in me….My season’s goal is the Jackpot.”
Powell false started and left disappointed
The American’s run was significant enough to up-stage even Asafa Powell in the 100m. Jamaica’s joint World record holder who false started, eventually got away well and took a virtually gun to tape win in 9.85 seconds (+0.1m/s wind), a meet record, in what he described a little disappointedly as an “alright race. I had hoped for a little more.”
By contrast Marion Jones could not have hoped for anything better in the women’s dash. The 30-year-old former multiple global champion was back to winning ways, with a last 30m which took her past Jamaica’s Sherone Simpson for a clear win – 10.92 to 10.98. Jones’ time was the second quickest of the year behind Simpson’s 10.82 (24 June), and her best since a 10.90 second victory at the 2002 World Cup.
Isinbayeva – hardly a bad start!
Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva opened her summer with a 4.76m win in the women’s Pole Vault, by the 24-year-old’s standards it was perhaps below par but then one always expects perfection from the 19 time senior World record breaking athlete. Still her vault was a meet record and a world season’s lead, so hardly a bad start!
Middle distance duels – 1500m and 5000m
The meeting had first come to light with the women’s 1500m, the fourth event on the track this evening. Four of the top five finishers were Russian but to be accurate this was a two woman affair with the expected duo of Yelena Soboleva and Yuliya Chizhenko fighting it out. Soboleva, the fastest of the year (3:56.74) as she reached the shoulder of the last bend seemed ready to pounce as she followed just to the right of her compatriot’s heels. Chizhenko who had been beaten comfortably in Athens on Monday by Soboleva was however ready on this occasion, powering ahead herself to neutralize the expected attack. That Soboleva never was able to draw level let alone pass the leader was an indication of the power of Chizhenko’s final sprint, the World Indoor champion eventually winning in 3:55.68. The time was the fastest time in the world in 2006, a meeting record, and made her the 14th quickest athlete of all-time.
Soboleva finished second in 3:56.43, a personal best, as was France’s Latifa Essarokh’s 4:00.67 in third. All can be thankful to Olga Komyagina, one of the two official pace makers, for keeping the tempo high from approximately 800m to 1200m of tonight’s race.
We had another close duel in the women’s 5000m but this time the combatants were both Ethiopians. World record holder* Meseret Defar took the bell in front with World champion Tirunesh Dibaba back in fourth. Down the back straight Dibaba eased her way up into second, and coming off the curve made her move to pass Defar. Slowly, step by step she came closer but it seemed that Defar would just have enough to prevail, then in the last steps to the line, the World record holder, presumably out of tiredness lunged early for the line, or was it a slight stumble, and that was enough for Dibaba to nip across the finish for her second Golden League win of 2006. An absorbing battle ended with 14:54.24 to 14:54.30 finishes; the last lap an unofficial 57.02. These women were high speeding in any definition of distance running. Marvellous!
Bekele takes initiative with 500m to go
The men’s 5000m might not have provoked the same adjective but nonetheless Kenenisa Bekele’s 12:51.32 win was a world season lead, the Ethiopian World record holder taking to the front with 500m to go, and from that point untouchable.
There were PBs for the next five athletes who followed the 24-year-old World Athlete of the Year across the line. In fifth place overall, came Boniface Kiprop, the Commonwealth Games 10,000m champion with a Ugandan record of 12:57.60.
Richards - in a class of her own
Notching up a second Golden League win was Sanya Richards. The women’s 400m World silver medallist was untroubled throughout the race finishing in 49.73 seconds, the world’s fastest time of the year behind her own (49.27 – 24 June). Bulgarian season’s revelation Vanya Stambolova, set a national record (49.96) in second, the fastest in the world by a European this summer. 2001 and 2003 World champions, respectively Amy Mbackë Thiam (SEN) and Ana Guevara (MEX) were next best with 50.54 and 50.79 second finishes.
Another European lead was set in the women’s 100m Hurdles which was dominated by Sweden’s Susanna Kallur in 12.61 seconds. USA’s Damu Cherry who was closing towards the line ran out of track before she could complete her assault, finishing second in 12.62.
Slesarenko over Bergqvist at 2m
Another outstanding Swede, World champion Kajsa Bergqvist however had to settle for second on count back in a women’s High Jump which was the best competition seen so far this summer. Four women finished with 2 metre successes, with Olympic champion Yelena Slesarenko of Russia, a season’s best, the winner by virtue of a better jumping card through the earlier heights. In third came Belgian heptathlete Tia Hellebaut with a national record, and Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic, the world season’s leader (2.03), finishing fourth also on 2.00m.
Demus unmatched
There is no doubt that Kerron Clement is, for the moment at least, not a particularly good traveller. Since crossing over to Europe from the ‘New World’ in the last fortnight the US 400m Hurdles champion, who leads the world with the 47.39 seconds run which brought him that title over World champion Bershawn Jackson, has produced a jet-lagged run in Athens (49.32 – 3 July) and tonight struggled in the final straight to finishing second in 48.57. South Africa’s Alwyn Myburgh took the victory (48.46).
No such trouble for another American, Lashinda Demus, the World Championships silver medallist, and like Clement the fastest of 2006, in her specialist event the women’s 400m Hurdles (53.02). The 23-year-old, running in lane 4, was challenged persistently by Sheena Johnson in the lane outside her, as they ran down the final 100 metres but she now possesses a racing ability unmatched by her rivals in every respect. Demus’ win in 53.76 was in the end comfortable, with Tiffany Ross-Williams coming late for second (54.26), as Johnson’s challenge finally faded in the last 20 metres (third, 54.39).
Bungei and Heshko make late drive home
A late sprint by World Indoor champion Wilfred Bungei brought the Kenyan, the second fastest in the world this season over 800m (1:43.59), to a 1:44.41 win in grand style in the men’s 800m. Similar occurred in the 1500m. World Indoor champion Ivan Heshko, boxed in fourth place on the inside track as the race entered the final 100 metres, burst around the outside and in a well judged turn of speed powered home for an ultimately comfortable 3:31.08 European lead victory. Back in seventh there was a national record for New Zealand’s Commonwealth champion Nick Willis of New Zealand (3:32.17).
Trammell - 13.06; Robles PB
French hero Ladji Doucouré couldn’t live up to the crowd’s hopes, even if the reigning World champion in the 110m Hurdles established a news European season’s lead (13.21) tonight. The time was good enough only for fifth in a sprint hurdles taken by Terrence Trammell in 13.06 seconds, a 2006 world season’s lead.
Of particular note was the personal best for Cuba’s 19-year-old Dayron Robles in third (13.11). The World Indoor 60m Hurdles silver medallist finished just behind Dominique Arnold (USA) who had led for much of the race (second 13.08).
In the infield there was a confident victory for Finland’s Tero Pitkämäki in the men’s Javelin Throw over all his major rivals, with the exception of the absent Andrus Värnik, the World champion. The Finn’s win tonight was 89.07m, 1.90m ahead of his nearest opponent who was Cuban Guillermo Martinez in a national record (87.17m).
Gaisah surprises all
There was a surprise 8.31m (+0.2m/s) - season’s best - win for World Indoor champion Ignisious Gaisah in the men’s Long Jump, not that the 23-year-old Ghanaian isn’t a phenomenal talent and worthy of the victory but since the start of the summer Panama’s Irving Saladino has held a firm grip on this event. Tonight Saladino was second with 8.29m (+0.1m/s), and of course he had finished runner-up to Gaisah at the World Indoors too. In third, came World and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips (8.16m; -0.5).
The last track event was the men’s 3000m Steeplechase which was taken by Kenya’s Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi in 8:09.29, his season’s best. However, as good as the victory was, everybody currently running in this event anywhere in the world has to be measured against the form of double World champion Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar. No one is on the same planet at the moment, with Shaheen on a different track earlier this week clocking 7:56.33 (3 July). Enough said!
As a postscript, the men’s “B” 100m was won by Jamaican Dwight Thomas in 10.24 seconds.
Golden League Jackpot round-up
Remaining in contention for at least a share of $1 Million:
Asafa Powell (100m), Jeremy Wariner (400m), Sanya Richards (women’s 400m), and Tirunesh Dibaba (3000m/5000m).
Remaining in contention for at least a share of $500,000:
All winners in either Oslo or Paris.
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Chris Turner for the IAAF
*World record pending ratification
