09/14/2008

World Athletics Final

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DEFAR'S DISTANCE DOUBLE CAPS WORLD ATHLETICS FINAL IN STUTTGART
By Bob Ramsak
(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

   NOTE: Thus ends Assistant Editor Bob Ramsak's phenomenal reporting this year from the great meetings of Europe.  While your editor got to go home to New York after Beijing, Bob had a day to wash his clothes then hit the road again.  Bob goes back to Ljubljana now for some well-deserved rest.  Thanks, Bob, for doing such a great job --Ed.

STUTTGART (14-Sep) -- Bouncing back from personal disappointment at the Olympics Games, Meseret Defar capped her season with a double victory to highlight the second and final day of the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Stuttgart on Sunday.

For the second straight day, Defar outkicked Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, this time in the 3000m, winning in 8:43.60 to win her fifth straight WAF title over the distance. Cheruiyot, who was fifth in the Olympic Games 5000 and beat Defar in the Brussels 5000 last weekend, led for much of the race until Defar kicked past her with 250 meters to go. Cheruiyot clocked 8:44:64.

In 2008, Defar, 24, last year’s IAAF Athlete of the Year, saw both her world record in the 5000 and her Olympic title in the event fall to her Ethiopian compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba, who did not compete this weekend. This was the second season-capping double for Defar, who also won both events in 2005 in Monaco.

For her efforts, Defar pocketed $60,000 in prize money over the two-days, among the weekend’s biggest paydays. American sprinter Sanya Richards, who won the first 200/400 double in WAF history, won $60,000 as well. They were only outdone by Barbora Spotakova who yesterday broke the world record in the javelin throw. Counting her world record bonus, the Czech Olympic champion will take home $130,000.

Unseasonably chilly conditions enveloped Mercedes Benz Stadium for the second day, providing a somewhat uninviting atmosphere for the venue’s final track and field event. But the weather did nothing to dampen the conclusion of Pamela Jelimo’s phenomenal 2008 season.

The Kenyan teenager, whose rise from obscurity this year was the sporting world’s biggest breakout story, once again dominated the 800, winning by more than two seconds in 1:56.23. Patiently following Briton Marilyn Okoro through a modest 59.08 first lap, the 18-year-old decided enough was enough midway through the penultimate turn and shifted gears en route her ninth sub-1:57 of the season. Her winning time, a WAF record, was only her ninth fastest of the season, but only three others have covered the distance faster this year.

“I guess that I actually have even more talent than I showed in 2008, so in 2009, I want to continue exploring my talents and actually run even faster,” said Jelimo, who hadn’t contested the event until April of this year. She ended her season undefeated in 12 finals, winning both the Olympic title and the $1 million Golden League Jackpot.

World champion Janeth Jepkosgei was second, more than two seconds back in 1:58.41.

Capping a solid inaugural campaign on the international circuit, Kenyan Haron Keitany picked up the biggest victory of his young career with a strong showing in the 1500m.

In one of the closest finishes of the weekend Keitany, who cruised to the African title in May, outkicked Olympic silver medalist Asbel Kiprop in 3:37.92, winning by a scant 0.01 seconds to collect his biggest payday of the year.

“I knew anything was possible, so I tried to stay in the back of the pack until the last 600 meters so I could be in good position to attack,” said the personable 24-year-old who outkicked Olympic champion Rashid Ramzi to win in Zurich late last month.

After a relatively modest pace, Abdalatti Iguider of Morocco, the runner-up in Rome and Brussels, took the lead at the bell, with Yusuf Saad Kamel and Keitany trailing closely, before Keitany made his move to the front for good with about 150m to go. Kiprop took up the challenge down the homestretch only to came up a bit short.

Exactly as he done in the Beijing final and last weekend in Brussels, New Zealand’s Nick Willis moved from fifth to third over the final 50 meters to again take third, clocking 3:38.22. In a blanket finish, Kenyan Gideon Gathimba was fourth (3:38.35) and Kamel (3:38.50), who was third in yesterday’s 800m, crossing the line in fifth.

2007 World champion Bernard Lagat, the winner of a tactical 3000 on Saturday, couldn’t muster a kick today, and finished sixth (3:38.79).

Edwin Soi returned to Stuttgart intent on defending his double distance victory of one year ago. Although he came up just short in the 3000m on Saturday, finishing second, the Olympic bronze medallist did come through in the 5000 today.

Kicking away from Ugandan Moses Kipsiro over the final 50 meters, the 22-year-old became only the second man to win back-to-back 5000m titles with his 13:22.81 run.

“I love this track here in Stuttgart, and enjoy to run here,” said Soi, whose $50,000 take this weekend ups his overall earnings here to $110,000 in four races over the past two years. “It was not an easy race for me here because on the one hand, I was a little scared of the other good runners, and on the other hand, there is so much pressure on me from my family, my federation and the whole country.”

Ugandan Moses Kipsiro snuck in to take second in 13:22.02 to spoil a Kenyan top three sweep, ahead of Micah Kogo (13:23.37) and Mark Kiptoo (13:23.73). Olypmic silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge and world indoor 3000m champion Tariku Bekele faded slightly over the final 20 meter to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

Paul Kipsiele Koech, the season’s undisputed No. 1 in the 3000m steeplechase despite missing the Olympic Games, again defeated Olympic medallists Brimin Kipruto and Richard Mateelong, clocking 8:05.35 to win by nearly 10 seconds in a largely solo front-running performance.

The chilly conditions, late date of the meet, and lack of pacemakers combined to generate only two personal best marks in the middle and long distance events. 

- Mayor loses a few votes -

Upon conclusion of the meet, Stuttgart’s Mayor Wolfgang Schuster was met by a chorus of boos by the 21,500 fans on hand, voicing their disapproval over the city’s decision last year to remove the track from the stadium. Stuttgart ended its three-year run as host of the World Athletics Final which moves to Thessaloniki, Greece, next September.  For now, it's one-year stint.

ENDS

Day 1 Recap
IN COOL, WET CONDITIONS, TACTICAL RACES RULE DAY ONE IN STUTTGART
By Bob Ramsak
(c) 2008 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

STUTTGART -- Tactical victories by Meseret Defar and Bernard Lagat were the key performances on the middle & long distance program of the first day of the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final on Saturday.

Defar bounced back from a pair of stinging defeats to take the 5000m in 14:53.82 to edge Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot (14:54.60), to avenge her loss of a week ago in Brussels over the same distance. The Kenyan led much of the race before Defar took over with just over 200m to go, covering the final lap in 58.7. Defar, who this event in 2005, will come back on Sunday and line up in the 3000.

Meselech Melkamu of Ethiopia, the World Indoor 3000m silver medallist third in 14:58.76.

After a dawdling pace through 2600m, Lagat broke from the pack with about 250m to go to kick to a decisive victory in the 3000, the first track final of the unseasonably cool, damp and somewhat gloomy day at Mercedes Benz stadium. The 1500 and 5000m winner at last year’s World Championships, Lagat reached the finish in 8:02.97.

"After the disappointing Olympics, I won all my races and wanted to win today so bad," Lagat said. "I am very excited that it worked although it was tough strategically."

Tactical and sluggish from the outset, Isaac Songok led the tightly knit pack through the first 1000m in 2:50.05 with Mike Kigen leading the field through the second kilometer in 5:36.98, with the race still entirely up for grabs.

Defending champion Edwin Soi, the Beijing 5000m bronze medallist, looked ready to pounce midway through the backstraight, but couldn’t respond adequately to Lagat’s move. Matt Tegenkamp, the 3000m winner in Zagreb on Tuesday, did however, and looked poised to complete a U.S 1-2 finish before Soi fought back to edge the American at the line by a scant 0.01 seconds in 8:03.55. In the blanket finish Kigen was fourth in 8:03.63.

Gulnara Samitova-Galkina continued her stellar steeplechase season with another solid front-running effort with a meet record 9:21.73.

The Russian, who became the first woman to break the event’s nine-minute barrier in Beijing, was in control throughout, again rendering Olympic silver medallist Eunice Jepkorir (9:24.03). Her compatriot Ruth Bisibori Nyangau was third, just under 0.4 seconds behind.

Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain took her third straight World Athletics title in the 1500m, clocking 4:06.59. Unlike her early burst for the lead in Beijing, where she was a disappointing fifth, Jamal didn’t make her move past long-time leader Gelete Burka until about 180m remained. Burka, who didn’t reach the Olympic final, held on for second (4:07.45), fighting off quick-finishing Irina Lishchynska, the Olympic silver medallist (4:07.65). Briton Lisa Dobriksey (4:07.72) repeated her fourth place finish from Beijing with American Shannon Rowbury (4:08.16) fifth.

In another tactical race, World champion and Olympic bronze medallist Alfred Kirwa Yego kicked to victory in the 800 in 1:49.05, the slowest winning time in the six-year history of this meet.

Leading through the field through a sluggish half in just under 57 seconds, he was passed by the favorite Yusuf Saad Kamel, the former Kenyan Gregory Konchellah, and Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski as the trio headed into the final bend. But Yego regrouped in time to steal back the race over the final 35 meters. In the mad dash for home, Abraham Chepkirwok of Uganda took second (1:49.22), with Kamel third, and Lewandowski fourth, both credited with 1:49.40.

The highlight of the day was Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova’s world record in the women’s javelin throw. The Czech threw 72.28m, shattering the previous mark of 71.70m set by Osleidys Menendez of Cuba at the 2005 World championships in Helsinki. In addition to her $30,000 first prize, she nabbed a $100,000 world record bonus.

ENDS