All smiles - Spaniard Nuria Fernández after her 4:01.77 national record in Valencia (© Julio Fontán)
Valencia, SpainTo the delight and surprise of the home crowd Spain’s Nuria Fernández provided the main highlight of today’s ‘Reunión Internacional Ciudad de Valencia’ - IAAF Indoor Permit meeting – held at the stadium which hosted the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships last year.
The local athlete grabbed an emphatic 1500 win breaking the world’s season best in the process thanks to a 4:01.77 clocking. In the men’s section Ethiopia’s Abraham Cherkos stole the show with a no less impressive 7:34.05 3000m time.
1500m national record falls
The 32-year-old Fernández had asked the organisers for pacemakers to attempt Marta Domínguez’s Spanish 1500m indoor record of 4:07.69 set back in 2002 and right from the gun the Madrid-based athlete showed huge determination to fulfill her target as she closely followed the pace set by the rabbit, who went through the 400m point in 1:06.39 to maintain the rhythm at the 800m (2:12.89).
By the 1000m point the clock was reading 2:44.8 just on schedule for the Spanish record but Fernández’s closing 500m was simply outstanding. By the 1200m the Spaniard was running alone, and her split of 3:15.47 (for a stunning 1:02.58 400m section) already suggested her achievement might surpass a mere National record.
In addition, Fernández increased even more her frantic pace over the final stages to clock a brilliant 4:01.77 which is a massive PB (indoors and outdoors), a new Spanish indoor record and more importantly a world leading performance which places her at the top-ten of the all-time list.
World leading time... building-up for the 3000m!
An ecstatic Fernández astonished the media assembled when she confessed that, “After so many years competing over 800m (PB of 2:00.35) and 1500m, this winter season I had planned to tackle the 3000m thinking of the Europeans in Turin. Actually I made the Spanish team for the European Cross Country championships in Brussels last December and lowered my 10km PB by one minute (33:30) later that month. Today, I had decided to make my season’s debut over 1500 to check my speed. This great performance now opens a big question mark about the event I’ll contest there. It’s time now to enjoy today’s success.”
Fernández, who was a gifted prodigy who ran the 800m event in 2:05.08 at the age of 16 added, “Honestly, I didn’t expected this kind of mark. I knew I was in good shape to clock in the 4:05-4:07 range but this world lead performance has surpassed any expectations. I had a great, a special day, and I took advantage of that. I became a mother in October 2007 and now I can’t think about athletics all the time, which has revealed a positive in the end.” Prior to today, her most notable performance came at the 2001 World Indoors where she finished seventh. Next weekend she will compete at the Spanish indoor championships but she’s still undecided between the 1500 and 3000m events.
Behind Fernández, her fellow Spaniard Natalia Rodríguez took second in a PB of 4:08.24 while Ethiopia’s Meskerem Assefa (4:10.36) finished third heading a quintet of athletes who ran in 4:10, Portugal’s reigning European XC silver medallist Jessica Augusto (PB of 4:10.56) among others.
Feleke out-sprints top Kenyans
Ethiopia’s crop of outstanding distance runners seems never-ending. In the absence of the last two World 3000m indoor champions in the guise of Kenenisa Bekele (2006) and his younger brother Tariku (2008) the diminutive Cherkos – himself bronze medallist last year on the same track – kept the Ethiopian pride with a commanding win against a slew of quality Kenyans.
The race kicked off fast enough to forecast a new world leading time as the opening kilometre was covered in 2:31.83 with Ethiopia’s Roba Gari and Kenya’s Daniel Kipchirchir Komen closest to the pacesetters. The leading group crossed the second kilo in a still brisk 5:04.82 and shortly afterwards the Kenyan trio of Kipchirchir Komen, Shedrack Korir and World Junior 3000m record holder Augustine Choge ruled the race with Cherkos sandwiched between them.
The key movement came before the bell (7:07) when the reigning World Junior 5000m champion Cherkos opened full gas and went to the front by unleashing a devastating change of speed which only Choge could hold off but Cherkos’ final lap only took him 26.9 and the Ethiopian succeeded with a PB and WL of 7:34.05 for Choge’s 7:34.47 while Korir managed another career best in third timed 7:35.98, exactly two seconds ahead of a faltering Kipchirchir Komen.
It was quite a surprise in the domestic battle as Sergio Sánchez – eighth placed last year at the Valencia Worlds – get the better of the renowned Jesús España, who ran in the leading group for the first two kilos but faded then to be overtaken by the 26-year-old Sánchez, whose huge PB of 7:43.41(to España’s 7:47.46) ranks now second on the European lists only behind Britain’s Mo Farah.
Keitany is the 1500 boss, 4 Spaniards inside 3:38.50
Kenya’s Haron Keitany proved again to be the most in-form 1500m specialist six days after his world leader in Gent. Although the event opened with a 57.33 split the rhythm decreased in the second 400m section (1:56.36 for the 800) so the chances of a new improvement by Keitany had partially gone by then. The 25-year-old ran always closest to an efficient pacemaker (Kenya’s Reuben Bett reached the 1300 point in 3:07) and his win was never threatened but Ethiopia’s Mekonnen Gebremedhin completed a fine win trailing in Keitany’s wake to achieve a PB of 3:35.71 to Keitany’s winning time of 3:35.17.
After the African duo, a flurry of top Spaniards romped home headed by Diego Ruiz in third to clock a PB of 3:36.42, a new European leading time while Álvaro Fernández took fourth in 3:37.47, Álvaro Rodríguez clinched fifth in a PB of 3:38.10 and reigning European indoor bronze medallist Arturo Casado had to settle for sixth still in a fine 3:38.43. With only three berths for the Europeans in Turin on offer the battle for them promises to be fierce at next weekend’s (21/22 Feb) Spanish championships in Seville.
Chepkirwok takes 800m, Cheruiyot wins in indoor debut
Uganda’s Abraham Chepkirwok was the only African on show in the men’s 800m but he managed to maintain his continent’s supremacy against a powerful European contingent. Paced through the opening 400m in a fast 52.32, the Ugandan 2006 World Junior bronze medallist travelled in third behind the Spanish pair of Luis Alberto Marco and Antonio Reina.
Shortly before the bell (1:20.8) Chepkirwok took charge of the race, he didn’t relinquish and romped home in 1:47.12 although he was pushed until the finish line by the 22-year-old Marco, who was timed with a massive PB of 1:47.14 which propels him into the Turin medal picture at the next Europeans. Poland’s reigning European U-23 champion Marcin Lewandowski marginally beat his countryman Adam Kszczot, 1:47.52 and 1:47.55 their respective times.
Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot had a successful debut indoors as the reigning World 500om silver medallist was unchallenged in the 3000m to take a comfortable win in 8:42.13, over ten seconds clear of the Portuguese pair of Sara Moreira (PB of 8:53.27) and reigning European XC bronze medallist Ines Monteiro timed at 8:54.97, also a career best.
Carruthers prevails over Onyia
The 60m Hurdles witnessed a photo-finish final between local idol Josephine Onyia and America’s Danielle Carruthers. The latter bounced back from a poor reaction time (0.213) and a false start to equal the Valencia-based Onyia over the last hurdle and cross the line neck to neck with the Spaniard. Only a few minutes after the event was over it was announced that Carruthers became the winner in a SB of 7.95 while Onyia was given the same time to extend her own European season’s best.
In the men’s event Jackson Quiñónez proved to be a real fighter and gifted the local crowd a fine win in a SB of 7.62 ahead of a triumvirate of USA’s specialists headed by Eric Mitchum and Aubrey Herring, both credited with 7.69.
The men’s flat race went for Poland’s Dariusz Kuc dipping for the first time under 6.60 (6.59) the same time than runner-up Rae Edwards.
It’s worth mentioning that an out-of form World champion Olujosi Fasuba of Nigeria didn’t advance to the final following a very poor 6.78 performance in the first semifinal while former Olympic and World Long Jump champion Dwight Phillips didn’t advance either after clocking 6.77 in semifinal 2.
Elsewhere...
In the men’s High Jump America’s Jesse Williams could not match his stunning PB and WL of 2.36 set two days before in Banska Bystrica but still got an easy win thanks to a 2.30 first time clearance to Cuba’s Lisvanys Pérez’s 2.23. Poland’s Martin Starzak was succesful in the Long Jump with an 8.07 fourth-round effort while Cuba’s reigning Olympic bronze medallist Ibrahim Camejo was the only other jumper exceeding the 8.00 barrier with a 8.03 leap.
The Shot put contest disappointed slightly as neither Christian Cantwell (SB of 21.47 twice) nor Poland’s Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski could reach the 21m mark. Reigning World indoor champion Cantwell opened with a 20.66 heave, strengthened his lead in round 2 thanks to a 20.95 release but then accumulated four fouls while the Pole only exceeded 20m (20.30) in round four for second. Germany’s reigning European U-23 bronze medallist Anna Battke was victorious in the Pole Vault contest with a 4.40 clearance before failing three times at a would-be PB of 4.61.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
