World season leads for Mulaudzi and Selsouli, and a boost for Arron in Monaco – IAAF World Athletics Tour
Wednesday 25 July 2007
Monaco - Two world season leads (men’s 800m and women’s 3000m) and a rejuvenated Christine Arron were the stories to emerge from tonight’s Herculis 2007, the third of five Super Grand Prix status meetings which are part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2007, which took place in the Mediterranean principality’s Stade Louis II.
>>Editor’s note - photos to follow later<<
Mulaudzi springs his own surprise
Bouncing back from a surprise upset in the All Africa Games last weekend, South Africa’s Olympic silver medallist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi timed his run in the men’s 800m to perfection nipping past Bahrain’s Saad Youssef Kamel (2nd 1:43.87) and Morocco’s Amine Laalou (3rd 1:43.94) in the last few metres. These two had been engaged in a tight home straight battle of their own until the South African caught them unawares. Mulaudzi just had the better sprint power to prevail in 1:43.74, a new world season lead. No one had broken 1:44 before today! With the first six runner’s all setting season’s bests, including a European lead from Latvia’s Dmitrijs Milkevics (1:44.37) this whole race was a nice surprise.
Selsouli and Bekele produce solo magic
Notching-up personal bests at such an intense rate that you would imagine they were on offer in the summer sales which are currently in progress in shops all over France, were those athletes contesting the women’s 3000m. Mariem Alaoui Selsouli of Morocco, who demolished her 5000m PB with a stunning 14:36.52 in Rome on 13 July, was in the same unstoppable groove this evening.
The 23-year-old, who was World Junior silver medallist at 3000m in 2002, this time slashed her PB at that distance. Passing through 2000m alone in 5:40.25, she pressed on in a largely solo effort to take the tape in 8:29.52. It was the fastest time in the world this year by some margin (8:43.85, Vivian Cheruiyot, the previous best), and destroyed her career’s fastest which she set in 2006 (8:45.96).
In a race of the highest quality the next seven runners home were also under the old 2007 world best, and without turning this report into an alternative results sheet let me just recount that in second place was USA’s Jen Rhines (8:35.03) and New Zealand’s Kim Smith (8:35.31), both were PBs as were the times of another four of the finishers. In fifth though not in her lifetime fastest was Lidia Chojecka of Poland with a European season lead (8:38.30).
Kenenisa Bekele was supreme in the men’s 3000m. The shortness of this paragraph denoting nothing more than that his run was not quite as fast as his race in Sheffield on 15 July (7:26.69), and that it didn’t provide quite such a shock! Yet Bekele was just as assured tonight. After the last pacemaker dropped out with three laps to go, he began a solo parade of brilliance which ended in 7:29.32. No one came close to the World and Olympic 10,000m champion, though Moses Kipsiro (7:32.03), Ireland’s Alistair Cragg (7:32.49), and Ahmed Baday of Morocco (7:34.94) in the next three places can be satisfied with personal bests.
Vlasic and Lebedeva - confident bets for Osaka
On the infield Blanka Vlasic and Lebedeva showed they continue to be in fine pre-Osaka form.
Vlasic was supreme in the women’s High Jump. A clean score card through all her six heights from 1.85m to her winning 2.03m leap, is the sort of consistency of a World champion in the making. None of her attempts at 2.06m, in trying to improve the 2.05m world lead which she set in Madrid on Saturday, were close but that didn’t matter as the current World champion Sweden’s Kajsa Bergqvist, a Monaco resident, was well beaten. The Swede can take some comfort that she is back over 2 metres. Third place with 1.97m was taken by Spain’s Ruth Beitia.
“I jumped 2.05 in Madrid three days ago and I still feel a little empty, not in my legs but in my head,” commented Vlasic, “I’m happy I am consistent over 2m.”
Lebedeva in the Triple Jump put on a show for the spectators. That there were another seven athletes in the event tonight didn’t seem to have any relevance for the Russian who has won two World Triple Jump titles, both indoors and out, during her career. Her 15.10m (+0.4m/s) was just 4 centimetres shy of her world season lead which she has held since her victory in Athens on 2 July.
“I enjoyed tonight…a good training for the World Championships,” said Lebedeva. “It would be good if I could do both events (LJ and TJ) in Osaka…If I finish first or second at the national championships I will qualify (also for the Long jump).”
Magnificent Rawlinson
The last hurdle doubts of earlier this season are now gone for the 2003 World champion in the 400m Hurdles. Well to be exact they were never even tested tonight as Jana Rawlinson (Pittman) took the race from the gun in lane 4. The rest of the field was immediately history and when the Australian closed out alone, she had set the third quickest time of the year – 53.46. Impressive stuff, and only matched in its degree by Rawlinson’s extreme modesty. Afterwards she commented that she “hoped for a top-5 finish at next month’s World Championships.” In reality her run tonight confirmed she is in World title contention.
“Wow, what a race I’m really happy with it,” said Rawlinson. “I knew I was there time wise. I’ve run five races this year and they have all been 54 (seconds). I just had to get a good race together.”
Taylor has his eyes on a brace of gold
USA’s Angelo Taylor, who is in resurgent form this year, looks a gold medal candidate as much as the Rawlinson but in his case at the flat 400m. The men’s 400m Hurdles Olympic gold medallist from 2000 is only 28-years-old, and has been impressive at both the flat and over the barriers at 400m this year, including a 44.05 PB to win the US 400m title. At the hurdles, which he was contesting in Monaco, his best of 2007 was 48.68 when starting tonight. He exits with 48.45, making him the 8th quickest in the world. Once senses he will get faster. Taylor is again hot property especially as he beat two of this summer’s faster hurdlers, fellow American Kerron Clement (2nd 48.47) and South Africa’s LJ Van Zyl (3rd 48.91).
But as already mentioned it is at the flat 400m that Taylor has a USA team berth for Osaka, and he’s confident about that: “I’m going there to win gold in the 400, and the relay of course. I want two golds.”
Smooth Merritt
LaShawn Merritt who came second to Taylor in the US title race might have other ideas though. With a 44.38 seconds run to win the 400m, he showed a smooth change of gear in the last 80 metres which was a delight to watch, and too much for Australia’s Commonwealth champion John Steffensen, who coming off the final bend had held a slight lead. The Australian closed out well beaten in a season’s best of 44.92, well clear of Jamaica’s Michael Blackwood in third (45.05).
Mansour and Jamal keep Bahraini fans happy
Bilal Ali Mansour of Bahrain, the former Kenyan John Yego, beat a quality line-up in the men’s 1500m. Tightly packed as the bell sounded (2:38 pacemaker), a dozen runners were in close contention down the back straight for the final time, so close that France’s Driss Maazouzi found himself flat on the track having tripped in the melee. In the final sprint to the line Mansour had the better of a trio of Moroccans, winning in 3:32.28. Second place went to Mohamed Moustaoui (3:32.67), then Yassine Bensghir (3:33.04) and Abdelaati Iguider (3:34.11). Mansour’s best this year is 3:31.49 when winning in Athens, and he also won in another World Athletics Tour meeting in Lausanne. The 28-year-old will be in the medal mix come Osaka.
Maryam Jamal is another with World championship podium ambitions. The Bahraini, one of only two women this season to duck under 4mins was the easy winner in 4:00.43. Jamal’s floating stride is a joy to watch, unless you are an opponent of course. The 22-year-old former Ethiopian gave no one a look-in this evening. Of the three Moroccans distantly following her home it had been fourth place Siham Hilali (4:04.03 PB) who had done most to try and pursue Jamal, and she was unfortunate not to have enough left in her legs to resist the last 20 metres challenge of her compatriots Bouchra Chaabi (2nd 4:03.62 PB) and Ibtissam Lakhoud (3rd, 4:03.84).
Arron raises French hopes
Could it be that France’s Christine Arron might also be at the party in Osaka, an “A” list guest rather than just a space filler on the French team? Europe’s record holder for the 100m, who took two bronze medals in the sprints at the World Championships in 2005 looks to be recovering her top shape just at the right time. The 33-year-old who is back from injury slashed her season’s best to 11.06, her best before tonight had been 11.23! Whatever the predictions for the Worlds, what is clear is that she remains the darling of the French crowd, the stadium’s audience rising to greet her victory taken ahead among others of the reigning World champion, Lauryn Williams of USA, and last year’s fastest woman, Sherone Simpson of Jamaica, who were well beaten in fifth and last respectively.
“The good shape is gradually coming back,” confirmed Arron. “I am pleased this was a good race. I had a good start and a good transition. It has really reassured me with regards to my injury.”
Ecker on count-back from Hooker
There was a 5.87m Pole Vault battle for Danny Ecker who last weekend’s was crowned German champion. The 30-year-old who took the European Indoor title in Birmingham in March was only separated on the same height from Australian Steve Hooker thanks to his first time success at the winning height. Hooker needed two attempts to clear the 5.87 bar. Ecker’s height was a European season’s best. France’s Roman Mesnil was third with 5.82m, his 2007 summer best. World champion Rens Blom and Olympic titleholder Tim Mack were left stranded back in joint eleventh pace with only 5.50m to their credit.
A season’s best for USA’s Damu Cherry of 12.74 seconds was just enough to win off the last obstacle in the women’s 100m Hurdles. It had been a tight duel with this season’s third fastest, compatriot Lolo Jones who finished 4/100th behind. In the men’s 110m Hurdles Terrence Trammell led USA athletes home to the first six places in 13.19 seconds. France’s World champion Ladji Doucouré continues to stay adrift of the global elite, finishing in sixth (13.40).
There was a blanket finish in the men’s 100m, the only trouble for Australia’s Joshua Ross who had taken an impressive win in Madrid on Saturday, was that he wasn’t in the same ‘bed’ as the rest of the finishers this time. Covered on the line was Jamaica’s Clement Campbell, who took the photo-finish in 10.17 from World 200m silver medallist Wallace Spearmon, who clocked the same time. It was a season’s best for the American. Tightly packed in third and fourth came two more Jamaicans – Nesta Carter (10.22) and World 100m silver medallist Michael Frater (10.23).
The Long Jump was won by USA’s Brain Johnson with 8.18m (+0.5m/s) on what was particularly still evening. No other man broke 8m! Erik Rags of Latvia took the Javelin Throw in 80.01m. No other man broke 80m!
Chris Turner for the IAAF