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Welcome to the Paris 2003 Day 9 |
Day 9 of the Paris 2003 World Track Championships, saw the
running of the Women's Marathon earlier in the afternoon and
was followed by three quality races, the Men's 800 - Women's
1500m and the Men's 5000m final.
The winning of the Women's Marathon by Catherine Ndereba
of Kenya added to her status of being one of the World's Premier
competitors over the distance. The winning time of 2Hr 23min
55sec, was a new Championship Record. | report
and results | [ on separate page ]
Men's 800m Final
The Men's 800m final was one the most eagerly anticipated
races of the Championships, and it was reserved for the final
day of the Games.expected to be one the top.
In the build up during the season and through the heats and
finals, all the major protagonists progressed. Some with a
few scares along the way, as well as the elimination of Swiss
star, Andre Bucher.
The names being bandied around as they lined up, as to who
could be a possible winner, were ranging from the enormously
talented Russian, Yuriy Borzakovskiy, the two South African
form athletes Mbulaeni Mulaudz and Hezekiél Sepeng,
as well as the World Record holder Wilson Kipketer. Yet no
mention was made of Algerian hopeful, Djabir Saïd-Guerni
who was returning from inactivity due to injury and was hoping
to reboot his 800m career.
With a Championship final, the normal problems relate to
who would take the lead, and it was with much interest that
we observed the World Record holder [1:41.11], Kipketer, provide
the pace through the 1st 400m.
It was not an overtly swift first 400m, 52.46, however it
was a tempo the smooth striding Danish athlete was hoping
would set him up for a 1st place finish. He was doing everything
correctly, maintaining the pace round the bend, as he came
into the backstraight, an increase in tempo. The athletes
were being stretched out, each of them gathering their final
reserves to attack the leader.
Then without warning Borzakovskiy bolted past and going into
the bend just after the 200m to go mark, he cut in front of
Kipketer, at this moment the loss of momentum in my opinion
ended Kipketer's hopes of winning.
The young Russian strode into the final 100m full of confidence
and sufficient reserves still in his tank. He was keeping
all at bay, however he had not accounted for the man on Algeria
who so obssessed to cap his return to competition with something
special.
As they drove to the line Saïd-Guerni through himself
at the line, Borzakovskiy's final dip brought him crashing
to the ground, after the finish line and a silver medal. Saïd-Guerni
had grabbed victory by 300th's of a second. South African
left his final burst too late and had to be satisfied with
the Bronze medal and the hope of a better showing at next
year's Athens Olympics. | results
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Women's 1500m Final
The Women's 1500m final was expected to be won at a canter
to the World's fastest and unbeaten athlete from Turkey, Süreyya
Ayhan. With the Turkish nation hoping to witness their first
ever WC Gold, Ayhan was unable to deliver.
After leading the race from the gun, through a fast 1st 400m
of 60:50, Ayhan chose to slow the pace, much as she did in
the semi-finals. A tactic which was not only niave, but what
would also give the rest of the field the opportunity to gain
confidence in their chances of defeating the powerful athlete.
With 2:06.76 on the clock, a 66 second lap, the field were
readily assembling behind her. The Russians were willing to
make a scrap of it, and when the next lap was another slow
65plus, there was only 300m left to run. And, there was a
whole host of athletes in with a shouting chance.
Ayhan attempted to accelerate from 300m out, however with
the determination of her other competitors underestimated
she was unable to offer scant resistance when Russian, Tatyana
Tomashova powered past her to win in 3:58.52.
Ayhan came home in a visibly disappointed 2nd place with
Britain's Hayley Tullett grasping Bronze from in a PB time
of 3:59.95. | results
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Men's 5000m Final
The Men's 5000m final promised to deliver something spectacular,
with the coming together of the Middle Distance King of 1500m,
Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, up against the newest pride
of Ethiopia, Kenenisa Bekele. These two were the favourites,
despite both having won a title earleier in the Champs, El
Guerrouj the 1500m
and Bekele the 10000m
. Both had in the process put a strong case forward that by
capturing the 5000m title they would be entitled to a page
in the book of Athletic's Great Achievements.
As per usual, someone forgot to tell the Kenyans the script.
With Abraham Chibii in the field, who had delivered a host
of surprising victories in the earlier Golden
League meetings in Paris
and Roma
, many pundits would not have been surprised. However, it
was not Chibii, but Eliud Kipchoge, who had set a New World
Junior Record of 12:52.61 in Oslo
earlier in the year, who would provide the surprise.
From the gun Bekele made his intentions clear, within 30m he was
at the front of the pack of starters and within 100m El Guerrouj
was placed to the right of the Ethiopian's shoulder. The 1st 400m,
was covered in 60.53 , this was going to be no easy ride, and the
other competitors must have been hoping that the pace would settle.
Through 800m in 2:01.09 , 1000m in 2:31.94 . 400m later the pace
dropped to 62.35 and going through 2K the clock read 5:07.27 [ 2:36.33]
Still the Ethiopian led the race, slowly allowing the tempo to drop
to a 64.12 lap, going through 3K in 7:45.44 the speed for the kilometer
had dropped to a 2:39 K. All the early blaze and glory had lost
its impact, all the main protagonists were gathering. [who, if
anyone, had advised him of such a tactic] |
