|
Welcome to Helsinki 2005 Day 1 |
Day 1 of the Helsinki 2005 World Track Championships, would see the major race being the final of the Women's 10 000m, where Berhane Adere of Ethiopia would line up as favourite.
Also on the card for the 1st day was the heats of Women's 800m, Men's 1500m and SteepleChase.
Women's 10000m Final :
The Ethiopian dominance of this event continued with the East African country completing a clean sweep of the medals. On this occasion Paris 2003 winner, Berhane Adere, had to settle for 2nd after a ferocious final lap which saw Tirunesh Dibaba take the crown. This win is part of Dibaba's attempt to win the 10000/5000m double.
The race was run in blustering conditions in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium of 1952 and for Britain's Paula Radcliffe there was to be no chance of redemption on the World Track stage, after she went to the front to make the pace true. The conditions were certainly not conducive for front-running and the 1st K was covered in 3:02.50 followed by a series of kilometers all below 3.05, to take the athletes through 5k in 15:16.29. At this point there was a cluster of athletes all gathered together who were untroubled by the pace being provided.
Tthe Brit succumbed the lead to Edith Masai of Kenya, shortly after the 5K and was literally blown away over the final 1k of the race after the Ethiopinas provided the closing shots of ferocious speed. Radcliffe would finish 9th in 30:42.75 and will go towards Saturday's marathon in a hope of quelling her own demons.
The final kilometer was timed at 2:49, however the first 200m of the last lap was timed at 27 seconds +; when Abere attempted to break the challenge from her compatriots. Dibaba bolted past to cover the last 200m in a shade above 30seconds for a last lap of
58.53, which is simply put, phenomenal.
To give a gauge of the wind, the first 6 athletes were faster in Paris 2003 and judging on the clsoing speed of Dibaba, a sub 30 minute 10k is certainly on the cards, but for now, there is a task on Day9 and judging by this result, it will take something special to stop Dibaba achieving her famous double. | results |
Women's 3000m SteepleChase Heats :
This is the first year that Women's SteepleChase will be contested in a World Track Championships and originally it was thought that Uganda's Docus Inzikuru merely needs to turn up, not so. With the running of Russia's Yelena Zadorozhnaya in the Steeple, we have a contender who carries both the speed and strength to challenge the African and make it an intriguing event at these champs.| results |
Women's 800m Heats :
At Paris 2003, Maria Mutola was without peers and undoubtedly the talk of the town. On this occasion the great Mozambique athlete has been reduced to a bit part player, while the World watches a new sorte of Russian athletes blow a new explosive era through the 800m.
The other athletes to impress early were America's Hazel Clark and Cuba's Zulia Calatayud with Morocco's Hasna Benhassi showing a cagey approach which makes her dangerous once in the final.
Canada's Dianne Cummins showed tremendous grit in her heat to lead and post a fast qualifying time | results |
Men's 1500m Heats :
The Men's 1500 build-up and final promises to be one of the highlights of the games, as there is no precence of last year's top 2 medal winners from the Athens Games.
The heats saw Kenya's Daniel Kipchircir Komen losing out of a place in the final after a mad scramble for the line where the US's Christopher Lukezic pulled himself between the gap provided by Komen and Qatar's Daham Najim Bashir
For me, the performance of France's Mehdi Baala promises much for the forthcoming semis and final . | results |
|
