Day 4 of the Paris 2003 World Track Championships, did not disappoint. Maria Mutola confirmed her status as the World’s Premier WOmen’s 800m runner at present by winning her event. The Men’s 3000m SteepleChase event will go down as the most bizarre race of the Games, so far.
There were also the Women’s 5000m Heats, where the finishing times show how the standard in this event has risen. Favoured runner Gabriela Szabo [ ROM ] qualified as a fastest loser with a time of 14:56.70 and the last person to qualify for the finals as a fastest loser was Canada’s Courtney Babcock with 15:01.48 This time would have been the World Record for the distance in 1984. | results |
Find below the 800m and 3000m Steeplechase reports
Women’s 800m Final :
Maria Mutola of Mozambique, captured the Women’s title with minimal fuss, ‘going away’ to a controlled win in 1:59.89 , after an opening lap of 61.20.
The opening lap was provided via courtesy of the African record holder, and the only talking point provided by this race was the 2nd place finishing of Kelly Holmes of Britain. Holmes is a training partner of the winner, and it was mentioned that the two of them discussed a plan before the race.
For me this is a first, long have we seen how a race has been planned to provide a winner, however a strategy to win the silver medal is new on my list of experiences.
Mutola controlled the race early and the rest of the field were
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Maria Mutola
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courteous enough not to pass the favourite. In retrospect, a mistake of the opposition, however totally in the hands of the competition to alter the strategy of others. Going into the backstraight Holmes prepared her challenge, it was slow and deliberate to start with. With 200m to go, Holmes edged to the front and began her drive towards the line round the last bend.
Coming into the straight Mutola switched lanes for her challenge. Once she found ‘light’ the result was never in doubt.
Mutola captured a well deserved title, for the definite form athlete of the season, and she can now concentrate on her next Million Dollar challenge in Brussels..
Russia’s Natalya Khrushchelyova was a surprise 3rd place in a time of 2:00.29.
With the withdrawal of Jolande Ceplak and Stephanie Graf, the door was left wide open for any takers who desired a place on the podium. The top spot was always pre-booked, however the happy recipients of remaining medals no for certain that such chances don’t come all too often in such Championships. | results |
Men’s 3000m SteepleChase :
This event will be known as the most bizarre race witnessed in quite a while for me. Firstly, the opening lap was like a mad dash at the opening of a Spring Sale, except the barriers were higher.
Saaeed Saif Shaheen of Qatar, the once known Stephen Cherono of Kenya, provided a race worthy of being labelled BIZARRE. After galloping clear of the field he looked to have sealed the race for all intent and purpose, however that obviously was not part of the plan. He places entertainment high on his agenda of desires for a World Championship final.
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Shaheen and Kemboi
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The gun erupted around this vast stadium and immediately two athletes galloped to the fore, and they were both clad in the maroon colours of Qatar. At a Qatar expense of $1000 per month for the rest of his life, Shaheen must have been considering the value of a down payment on a house, for the 1st 1000m was below World Record pace. Jokes aside, the 1st 400m was in 59. The front two were pursued immediately by Abraham Cherono, brother to Shaheen. The steeplechase is a family tradition, the elder brother won the title in 1999.
The pencil thin and remarkably smooth flowing Shaheen soon rid himself of his pacesetter and pursuers [ 2min into the race ], as he shot through the first 1000m in 2:36.24. His movement was effortless, although his hurdling is not considered fluent, his running inbetween the barriers shows no exertion from the effort needed to clear the obstacles.
The Kenyans had been talking up a storm as to how they were going to halt the purpose of their ex-compatriot, however Qatar’s race strategy put paid to that. 3min 20 into the race and the tall Quatar athlete had extended his lead over his brother to 3 seconds with the more fancied, opposition, Ezekiel Kemboi, following a further 3 seconds after that. A gap of 6 seconds before the 2nd kilometer. Shaheen was looking into the stadium screen, he had slowed the pace down to a 67 second lap, and was not looking in the least bit stressed. Just after 4mins into the race and Abraham Cherono had slipped to 5 seconds in arrears with Kemboi just 1 second behind his team mate but still 6 seconds off the leader. Kemboi then accelerated and went into 2nd place closing the gap to 4 seconds at the waterjump. Coming off the water he further accelerated to close to within 3 seconds.
Shaheen was totally conscious of the big gains Kemboi was making into his lead, and when they went into the backstraight towards the 2K [ 5:19.58 ] his foe sprinted to come alongside. Going towards the waterjump, Shaheen let Kemboi take the initiative and gain a 2m lead. Coming out the water Kemboi was 5m clear.
Race over close the shutters and shut the shop. Not so, Kemboi must have thought there is something wrong “Why, am I leading?”, because he allowed his rival to rejoin him. Kemboi dropped his arms, shook them loose and glanced to his right expecting Shaheen to pass him. No way, the Qatar athlete was more intent on watching the large screen to see what was taking place behind them. Two laps to go and the front 2 covered the next 100m in 19 seconds, Shaheen ambled past Kemboi without any complaints from the latter and they joyously continued their discussion of the current crisis of the nearby Penguin Colony. Kemboi then took up the lead with an admirable burst going towards the next jump. This was short lived as they began to tread track, with the rest of the pack of 4 pursuers now less than 3 seconds away. Going round the bend before the waterjump, just as they were exchanging their favourite Pastry Recipes, Kemboi dared to look 
behind, “Look the other runners, where did they come from”.
Coming into the straight with 500m to go and over the barrier the 2 Spanish runners, Eliseo Martín and Luis Miguel Martín, made a drastic attempt to catch the leading duo. The bell was rung at 7:06.7 and the Spaniards were preparing in anticipation of a Gold laden voyage home.
Then Kemboi stretched out his arms preparing for the final 350m to go, he was accelerating, the Spanish coped with the initial burst however going into the backstraight Kemboi let rip and the European challenge was no more. Shaheen majestically opened his long legs and glided past the Kenyan, Eliseo of the Martíns dug deep and was able to be within 1 second going over the waterjump. However thereafter, the real fight for 1st place took place in all of its intensity. The tall slender athlete from Qatar began his sprint to the line and when the Kenyan went past him after the final barrier, it was considered to be curtains for Shaheen. Those however, who had witnessed their last duel in Zurich would have thought DeJavu was a twin to ‘Where have I seen you before’, because it was exactly the same. The arm movement, the grimaces, the tilted head, the footstrike and the enormous tension. The result was exactly the same, a win for Shaheen in 8:04.39 and Kemboi 2nd in 8:05.11, this time however the gap was slightly larger.
The last lap a sub 58 second and the announcement of the publishing rights by the 2 athletes to a book entitled, How not to run a World Championship Final surely to follow shortly. | results |
Women’s 800m Final – Tuesday, August 26, 2003
| Pos Bib Athlete Nat Time1 5 748 Mutola Maria de Lourdes MOZ 1:59.89
2 4 397 Holmes Kelly GBR 2:00.18 3 2 917 Khrushchelyova Natalya RUS 2:00.29 4 6 702 Aït Hammou Amina MAR 2:01.09 5 1 438 Gesell Claudia GER 2:01.84 6 7 148 Cummins Diane CAN 2:02.48 7 8 464 Serwaa Akosua GHA 2:03.24 3 51 Graf Stephanie AUT DNS Intermediate Pos Bib Athlete Nat Time 400m 1 748 Mutola Maria de Lourdes MOZ 1:01.20 |
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| Women’s 5000m Heats – Tuesday, August 26, 2003 |
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| Heat 1Pos Bib Athlete Nat Time
1 656 Masai Edith KEN 14:45.35 Q (PB) 2 320 Dibaba Tirunesh ETH 14:45.96 Q 3 178 Sun Yingjie CHN 14:46.73 Q (SB) 4 294 Domínguez Marta ESP 14:48.33 Q (PB) 5 709 Ouaziz Zahra MAR 14:52.66 Q 6 949 Samitova Gulnara RUS 14:58.88 q (PB) 7 152 Mondor Émilie CAN 14:59.68 q (NR) 8 661 Wanjiku Jane KEN 15:04.00 (PB) 9 318 Defar Meseret ETH 15:11.72 10 954 Yegorova Olga RUS 15:12.41 11 617 Fukushi Kayoko JPN 15:16.53 12 13 Aït Salem Souad ALG 15:34.64 13 715 Chikwakwa Catherine MAW 15:40.10 (NR) 14 279 Sultan Simret ERI 16:09.48 (PB) 15 820 Melchor Ines PER 17:17.90 764 Kiplagat Lornah NED DNS Intermediate Pos Bib Athlete Nat Time 1000m 1 617 Fukushi Kayoko JPN 3:00.77 2000m 1 178 Sun Yingjie CHN 5:55.79 3000m 1 178 Sun Yingjie CHN 8:50.34 4000m 1 178 Sun Yingjie CHN 11:49.78 |
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| Heat 2Pos Bib Athlete Nat Time
1 1077 Abeylegesse Elvan TUR 14:54.95 Q (PB) 2 546 O’Sullivan Sonia IRL 14:55.50 Q (SB) 3 316 Adere Berhane ETH 14:56.01 Q 4 659 Ochichi Isabella KEN 14:56.63 Q 5 958 Zadorozhnaya Yelena RUS 14:56.70 Q 6 884 Szabo Gabriela ROM 14:56.70 q 7 706 El Kamch Zhor MAR 15:00.61 q 8 147 Babcock Courtney CAN 15:01.48 q (PB) 9 451 Mikitenko Irina GER 15:06.97 10 1048 Joseph Restituta TAN 15:10.54 (SB) 11 1130 Fleshman Lauren USA 15:12.71 (PB) 12 179 Xing Huina CHN 15:13.50 13 480 Iakóvou Hrisostomía GRE 15:44.90 14 53 Pumper Susanne AUT 15:53.52 15 1081 Inzikuru Docus UGA 16:00.99 16 518 Argereta Lilian Claber HON 20:17.90 (PB) 78 Kwizera Anesie BDI DNS Intermediate Pos Bib Athlete Nat Time 1000m 1 546 O’Sullivan Sonia IRL 3:03.38 2000m 1 546 O’Sullivan Sonia IRL 6:07.83 3000m 1 659 Ochichi Isabella KEN 9:08.89 4000m 1 706 El Kamch Zhor MAR 12:07.62 |
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