Timely Thoughts

The Pamela Jelimo steam train keeps steaming towards records of a various kind and this time, another new World Junior record in the 800m with her winning time of 1:54.97 at the Golden League meeting in Paris.

The win keeps her on track with other Jackpot contender Blanca Vasic who had a mixed bag performance wise but was still good enough to stay in contention by winning.

Jeremy Wariner stepped it up a gear in winning his 400m over LeShawn Merritt and edged to 3 - 2 lead for 2008. The win was impressive and so was the time and the manner of the victory (imo) may have set the doubt back in the mind of Merritt. Wariner's winning time was 43.86 for a world season lead.

Back to Jelimo and her amazing 800m. She was taken through the first 400m in 400m and with 300m to go in was purely a demonstration of power running at the front of the field as she scappered away to a victory of just under 4 seconds, a massive gap at this level. And in case anyone was in doubt that the others weren't trying it is good to find that a further 4 in the field ran Personal Bests however the one who should be challenging and who did not run a PB was Kenyan compatriot, Janeth Jepkosgei, in 3rd with 1:58.52.

Going into the Olympics it is not all cut and dry for the Kenyan 800m starlet to simply bag the Gold by turning up as at the recent Russian Championships the new World Indoor Champion and World Record holder over 1500m indoors recording a stunning 1:54.85 in winning the 800m title and she was chased home by a horde of contenders who recorded 1:56 and still failed to win their Championships.

So we can look forward to a competitve Women's 800m in Beijing and an race of interest.

The 1500m race matchup for the Men was diluted of some its big names with last year's winner Allan Webb providing a no show and with the withdrawal of a few others, namely Nick Willis of New Zealand the field did not resemble the same as what was found in earlier press releases. Despie the withdrawals and the inept shorts, the winner in effortless style was Augustine Kiprono Choge in 3:32.40. Choge dealt with last week's Rome winner, Asbel Kiprop, with scant regard for the status that was being built around his compatriot as being the next big thing over 1500m.

In the Women's 1500m, ex-Ethiopian and now by way of Bahrain, Maryam Yusuf Jamal continued her imperious form in taking the race at a canter with this years much improved Shannon Rowbury of the USA 2nd in 4:00.33. Jamal squeaked under 4 minutes with a time of 3:5.99.

The Men's 3000m SteepleChase gave a glimpse of a possible medalist over the Olympic Distance with ex-Kenyan and now by way of Bahrain, Tareq Mubarak Taher, winning at will in a decent time of 8:08.53. The Beijing Gold will certainly be between last week's Rome Top Two finishers, Kenyans Brimin Kiprop Kipruto and Ezekiel Kemboi, and Taher, who incidently finished 3rd in Rome. The overall event favourite from past Championships, Saif Saaeed Shaheen, failed to finish in a Steeple event in Athens last weekend and is certainly not in the shake up on current form.

A great feature of the race was the 3rd place finish of Sweden's Mustafa Mohamed who made a terrific comeback by recording 8:11.10 going into the Olympics, a top 5 finish at the Games would indeed be an achievement for Sverige.

The Women's 5000m came across as a no eventer despite the decent finishing time of 14:38.47 by Kenya's
Lucy Kabuu Wangui. The problem was the lack of depth in the field and quite frankly the lack of a field to talk of considering there was only 5 finishers.

Fortunately the Men's 3000m had a touch of a sparkle for Irish fans with Alistair Cragg making an appearance on the international stage, the ex-South African had nothing in the tank when coming into the final 100m and had to be content with 4th behind race winner Edwin Cheruiyot Soi, who won in 7:36.71.

The Roma Golden League Track series sees a new World Record set in the pole vault by Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva.

Another 2 centimetre another dollar, the style is similar, yet the celebration is unique and brilliant.

The Golden League moved to the next level in Roma last night and the performances and competition followed suite.

Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva moved her own World Record in the pole vault up to 5.03 from 5.01 for her 22nd World Record and stayed on course to emulate the record manner of the great jumper Sergei Bubka.

The closest event finish of the evening was undoubtedly the 400m match-up between USA compatriots, Jeremy Wariner and LeShawn Merrit. Merritt had got the better of Wariner less than a week before in the US trials and was beginning to get himself into a position to in some way to do a 'mind number' on Wariner before the Olympics when he took the lead inch by inch as they edged towards the finish line, at first glance people were led to believe that Merritt had won however in some incredible way Wariner had dipped to take the victory by the most slender of margins and keep his cause alive. The cause being to win Gold in Beijing.

Another athlete to stay on the Jackpot track was Kenya 's new 800m sensation Pamela Jelimo who scarpered away from the field in her usual confident self to register another phenomenal 1.55.69 with 2007 World Champion compatriot, Janeth Jepkosgei, 2nd in 1:58.74. Such was the quality of the race that Jepkosge's 1:58.74 was mase to look pedestrian and the remarkable feat of the entire field running sub 2minutes, that surely must be a record of sorts?

High jumper Blanka Vlasic stuck to her winning ways and ensured she stayed in the Jackpot hunt with her flawless series of jumps to win with 2 meters, the only one the field to do so.

Kenya's Asbel Kiprop won the 1500m going away, and in a PB of 3:31.64, from a field where France's Mehdi Baala looked set to take the win in the final 100m only to be relegated to 4th from 2nd over the last 30m. One person who must feel happy was Canada 's Nate Brannen who surely has secured his ticket to Beijing with his finishing time of 3:34.65.

In the Men's 800m South Africa's Mbulaeni Mulaudzi had made all the right moves and looked to be on his way to victory but that was until Morocco's
Amine Laalou came with a late burst to take victory in a time of 1:44.27.

The year's World Leader at the distance and new Men's sensation, Sudan's Abubaker Kaki Khamis, was busy winning the World Junior title in Poland to add to his World Senior Indoor 800m title won earlier in Spain this year, only the Beijing Olympics beckons for this young raw talent.

Kenyan Brimin Kiprop Kipruto won the 3000m SteepleChase in 8:15.71 however sadly the only major news in this event was the announcement of the failing in the A sample of a dope test for the Netherland's Simon Vroeman who had announced his positive test. We shall certainly be discussing this more in the future once we hear more. Sadly.

Finland's European Champiuon of 2007, Jukka Keskisalo, made an appearance to finish in 6th place and it shall be interesting to map his progress in Beijing where he is sure to come up against Sweden's Mustafa Mohamed for the crown of Best Steepler of Europe.

The women's 5000m did not register anything exciting or unexpected when Ethiopia's World Record holder in the distance, Tirunesh Dibaba, galloped to an effortless victory in 14:36.58.

What was of interest for New Zealand was the new National Record of Kimberley Smith with a time of 14:45.93. Smith certainly is having a season of records.

In the men's equivalent, Sileshi Sihine got a valuable victory over compatriot Bekele and Kenya's Eluid Kipchoge with a winning time of 13:04.94, achieved with a devastating kick. The only aspect of the victory was that the win came over Tariku Bekele and not Kenenisa.

That's our wrap up of the events of the evening and till the yonder

Take care

TheEd