THE IAAF TAKE ON PROCEEDINGS IN THE MELBOURNE COM GAMES YESTERDAY, DAY 4, ON WHICH 400M GOLD MEDALLIST JOHN STEFFENSEN ANNOUNCED HIMSELF TO THE WORLD WITH ENTHUSIASM
Wishing to emulate Freeman – Commonwealth Games, Day Four
Wednesday 22 March 2006
Melbourne, Australia - Kelly Sotherton matched her England team-mate Dean Macey by winning her first major championships title at the 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne today in the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
I wanted to win everything today
Kelly Sotherton (ENG) in the 800m, and on the way to Heptathlon - Melbourne
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Sotherton, the Olympic bronze medallist, won gold in the Heptathlon with a total of 6396 beating Australia’s Kylie Wheeler by 98 points. Wheeler took the silver with a PB of 6298 and Jessica Ennis of England, the European junior champion, took bronze with her PB 6269.
“I wanted to do better than that,” said Sotherton. “I gave it everything but I was probably a bit optimistic at this time of year. I’m sore in the knees, I’m sore in the side, I’m sore all over but I got the medal and that’s what counts.”
Sotherton tightened her stranglehold on the competition in the morning with a Long Jump of 6.51m, taking her to 4932 points after five events. Ennis maintained her overnight grip on second, 193 behind, thanks to a jump of 6.15, while Wheeler moved into the third with a jump of 6.52, just 30 points behind Ennis.
John Steffensen (AUS) powers to 44.73 PB in 400m - Melbourne
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Poor throwing
Like Macey last night, Sotherton lost valuable points with a poor Javelin Throw performance. The Javelin has always been Sotherton’s weakness and her best here, 32.04, was more than eight metres short of her PB and worth only 515. Ennis scored 598 with a best throw of 33.17 enough to keep her in second place, just one point ahead of Wheeler.
Unlike Macey Sotherton had a secure cushion before the final event, which in her case was the 800m. Her lead over Ennis stood at 104 points and she is a vastly superior 800m runner to her rivals.
World champion Dorcus Inzikuru of Uganda offers prayers of thanks - Melbourne
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On paper, at least. On the track Sotherton finished fourth in 2:11.08 beaten by the battling Wheeler who overtook Ennis for the silver with a big PB ¬ 2:10.62.
“I wanted to win everything today, and I definitely wanted that one,” said Sotherton, who finished the competition with a bruised calf, a jarred hip and a sore back. “I think I blew a gasket in the straight. I was dead.”
Ennis ran 2:12.66, a big personal best for her, to hang on to a medal.
Mark Boswell of Canada retains High Jump title - Melbourne
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“I knew I needed to stay with Kylie and hung on as much as I could,” said Ennis. “That was a massive pb.”
The 20-year-old may have lost the silver at the end but she was delighted with the bronze. “I love it,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed myself so much. I’m glad it’s over now because it’s hard.”
Steffensen’s huge ambition
Ghana’s Ignisius Gaisah is congratulated after his Long Jump win - Melbourne
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Australia’s John Steffensen was the most popular winner of the night. He took gold in the men’s 400m swept to the line by a huge roar from the fanatical fans, and then declared that he wanted to be “as good as Cathy Freeman”.
Steffensen smashed his personal best by more than a third of a second to clock 44.73, and was the only man under 45. Grenada’s double World indoor champion Alleyne Francique took the silver in 45.09 and Jermaine Gonzales of Jamaica the bronze in a pb of 45.16.
“Coming round the bend I said don’t lose it now son, don’t lose it now,” said Steffensen. “When you put in the hard work it all pays off. On the start line I told myself, this is my office. I know what I’m doing, I’ve just got to put my head down.”
Valerie Adams-Vili of New Zealand takes huge win in Shot - Melbourne
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Unexpected challenge to Inzikuru
It was Africa v Australia again in the only distance final of the night ¬ the first ever Commonwealth Games women’s 3000m Steeplechase,¬ as Mellissa Rollison shadowed the World champion Dorcus Inzikuru for the entire race.
The two broke away from the field with two laps to go and were locked together until the third last hurdle, 220m from home. The Ugandan got away to take the gold in 9:19.51, as the tiring Rollison held on for silver ahead of her compatriot Donna MacFarlane, both of them running personal bests.
Boswell’s bar, again
Mark Boswell retained his Commonwealth title in a controversial High Jump competition, clearing 2.26m. Boswell had a perfect competition until the bar moved up to 2.29, while England’s Martyn Bernard, who took silver, had two failures before clearing at the same height. Kyriacos Ioannou of Cyprus won the bronze with 2.23.
But Bernard was unhappy afterwards, complaining that someone had moved his mark and that he wasn’t allowed to wait until a medal ceremony had finished before jumping. He also asked to skip 2.29 and go for 2.31, but the officials refused.
“I feel gutted,” he said. “I don’t feel I had a fair crack at the gold. I know I got silver and people are telling me I should be happy but I am still disappointed.”
“I didn¹t know what was going on,” said Boswell. “It was a bit weird. It did throw me off a little bit, but I just had to stay focused. It was hard work. I had to focus to get the job done.”
Success continues from Moscow to Melbourne
Recently crowned World Indoor champion in Moscow, Ghana’s Ignisius Gaisah won the Long Jump with a best of 8.20m beating Gable Garenmotse of Botswana who produced the best jump of his life, 8.17, to take silver. Gaisah had to come from behind in the fourth round as the Botswanian led at half way. Gaisah was level with Fabrice Lapierre on 8.10, but found an extra 10 centimetres to take the lead.
Garenmotse also improved in the fourth round, but was three centimetres short and had to be satisfied with his second successive Commonwealth silver. Lapierre couldn’t improve but held on to bronze.
Adams-Vili is happily dominant
Valerie Adams-Vili of New Zealand produced the only Games’ record of the night, winning the women’s Shot Put with a 19.66m effort, nearly a metre and a half further than anyone else. She had another release of 19.55 and one at 18.95 ¬ both of which would also have taken the gold.
“I¹m bloody happy,” said Vili.
Defending champion Vivian Chukwuemeka of Nigeria took the silver with 18.25, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Cleopatra Borel-Brown moved up one place from Manchester to take the bronze.
And news of the heats…Campbell, Mutola…
Olympic champion Veronica Campbell qualified with ease from the women’s 200m semi-finals winning her heat in 23.23. Jamaicans were prominent among the qualifiers. Sherone Simpson was fastest in 23.18 and 100m champion Sheri-Ann Brooks qualified fifth quickest with 23.39.
Campbell was quicker in the morning, running a relaxed 23.17, and Brooks was just two hundredths slower. The 100m bronze medallist Delphine Atangana continued her great Games setting a personal best 23.32.
Jamaicans were looking impressive in the men’s event too. Chris Williams was the fastest qualifier in both rounds held today. He ran 20.49 in the first round this morning and 20.48 in the second. His team-mate Omar Brown was also quick in 20.57.
Many of the morning crowd had come to the MCG just to see Jana Pittman in the first round of the women’s 400m Hurdles. Pittman didn’t disappoint as she breezed through in 55.06, easily the fastest of the qualifiers.
Kemel Thompson was the quickest in the men’s semi-finals in 48.71. No-one else broke 49 but the South African pair of Alwyn Myburgh and Louis van Zyl look likely to challenge for medals. Pittman’s partner Chris Rawlinson, the defending champion, is also in the hunt.
Maria Mutola is clearly not suffering from jet lag after arriving down under from her triumph in Moscow at the World Indoors. The multi-medalled Mozambican qualified second fastest for tomorrow’s semi-finals of the 800m in a relaxed 2:03.11. Scotland¹s Susan Scott was quickest in 2:02.85.
John Nkamasai of Kenya was fastest qualifier form the men’s 800m in 1:46.55, closely followed by his team-mate Alex Rono.
Australia’s Bronwyn Thompson led the qualifiers for Friday’s women’s Long Jump final with a best of 6.71. Jamaica’s Eva Goulbourne and England’s Jade Johnson were the only other jumpers to go beyond the automatic distance of 6.50.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
:rolleyes: