It’s a diamond night for results and weather in Stockholm’s DN Galan
Tuesday 25 July 2006
Stockholm, Sweden - Seven one-carat diamonds were handed out during a hot summer night in Stockholm’s 1912 Olympic Stadium. The diamonds each worth approximately $10,000 have been awarded to every Stadium record breaker since 1994. 52 diamonds have been given out in all.
DN Galan celebrated its 40th anniversary in glamorous style in presence of legendary stars from its history. Jonathan Edwards, Renaldo Nehemiah, Sergey Bubka, Wilson Kipketer, Michael Johnson, Lasse Virén, Patrik Sjöberg and Ed Moses (exactly 30 years to the day after his Olympic victory in Montreal) attended the Super Grand Prix meeting which is the Swedish stage of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2006.
Jeremy Wariner (USA)
(Getty Images)
The sun really took part in the celebration, so hot that one of the security guards watching the diamonds on the infield collapsed at the same time as Jeremy Wariner started his gem-winning 400. The Olympic and World 400m champion won in a Stadium record, 44.02 seconds with an outstanding margin of 85 hundreds to the second man home, Brandon Simpson.
“My goal today was sub-44 and the diamond. I can’t complain,” said Wariner who had been sick during the last few days.
Jamaican sprint victories
Sherone Simpson of Jamaica equals her world season lead of 22.00 for 200m in Stockholm
(Hasse Sjögren)
The second diamond was earned by Asafa Powell who broke Maurice Greene seven-year-old Stadium record for the 100 metres by one hundred. The World record holder had a good start and sprinted away from Tyson Gay in the final metres for a 9.86 victory.
“All I worried about was running against the clock and did not mind anybody else in the race,” stated the supreme winner.
Asafa’s training partner Sherone Simpson completed the Jamaican sprint triumph. Strangely enough it was the dominant one-lapper Sanya Richards of the USA who started best in the women’s 200m, but she was overtaken by the ferociously fast finishing Sherone Simpson who equalled her own world leading 22.00. That was 0.02 quicker than Irina Privalova’s Stadium record from 1994.
Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE)
(Hasse Sjögren)
“22 flat! A world leading mark into headwind, wow! exclaimed the Commonwealth gold medallist.
Bergqvist challenges the World record
The expected home victories in the jumps only materialised in the women’s High Jump where World champion Kajsa Bergqvist outshone her opponents. Russia’s Anna Chicherova and American Amy Acuff went out at 1.96m. Kajsa had a clean sheet up to 2.02 and then she commanded the bar up to 2.10. The third attempt was really close, but 2.02 was enough to collect a new diamond. She won the first one back in 2002 when 2.00 was good for the win. South Africa’s World champion Hestrie Cloete raised the record to 2.01 the following year.
Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway hits the spear 89.78m in Stockholm
(Hasse Sjögren)
Olympic Champion Stefan Holm could not repeat Bergqvist’s triumph in the men’s competition. He had to be content with 2.27m, the same height as compatriot Linus Thörnblad. The Russians outmanoeuvred the home jumpers. Ivan Ukhov had no faults up to 2.30 and cleared 2.32 at his second attempt, while Andrei Silnov needed three jumps to succeed.
Christian Olsson has still just one victory at DN Galan. His first defeat after his miraculous comeback from injury this season came in the Olympic Stadium where his last Triple Jump of 17.24m was 15 centimetres shorter than Brazilian Jadel Gregorio’s winning leap. World champion Walter Davis (USA) also saved the best until the last jump, 17.32, that earned him the second place.
Defar’s smashes stadium record by 16 seconds
Paul Kipsiele Koech (KEN)
(Getty Images)
Kenya’s Stadium record holder Edith Masai fought hard against the Ethiopian duo Meseret Defar and Gelete Burka in a fast paced women’s 3000m. Russian Olga Komyagina led Defar and Burka through 2:46 at 1000 and stepped off the track a few metres before halfway at 4:10. Soon Masai was with them and followed through 2000 in 5:38 and right on to the last curve of the race. At that time Defar stepped up the pace and collected the evening’s third diamond by smashing the Stadium record by almost 16 seconds. Her winning time 8:24.66 is the fastest 3000m race since 2002. Burka and 39-year-old African Record holder Masai followed her under 8:30.
“I’m so happy with the diamond, thank you Stockholm. I just love being here”, declared the Olympic Champion.
Koech narrowly nets prize
Meseret Defar (ETH)
(Victah Sailer)
Paul Kipsiele Koech managed to break Wilson Boit Kipketer’s Stadium record for the 3000m Steeplchase by the smallest of margins. His 8:00.29 in a solo run during the last kilometre was a slight improvement by barely 0.3 seconds in a level paced race (2:39 at 1000, 5:21 at 2000).
“It was extremely good pace-making. It made it a nice race,” confirmed the winner.
The Swedish crowd was electrified by Mustafa Mohamed’s fearless struggle with another Kenyan, this year’s third fastest steeplechaser, Richard Matelong. Mohamed’s 8:14.67 put him second on the Swedish all-time-list, preceded only by Anders Gärderud, the 1976 Olympic Champion.
Kaouch (l) is forced wide as Bekele ® holds for the 1500m win in Stockholm
(Hasse Sjögren)
Thorkildsen puts on impressive display
Triple World and Olympic champion Jan Zelezny was born the same year as the DN Galan, in 1966, and celebrated with the best ever Javelin Throw by a 40-year-old, 85.08m. But that wasn’t enough to beat current Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen. The Norwegian had four throws over 85 metres, topped with 89.78m, 20 centimetres longer than Steve Backley’s World record throw from 1990.
“It was a fantastic competition. Some of my techniques did not work in the beginning, but seeing my mistakes on the giant screen made it possible to correct the errors,” explained the world season leader.
A small controversy over 1500m
World Indoor bronze medallist Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain made a brave run, right behind pacemaker Kenyan Faith Macharia in the women’s 1500m and won in 3:58.96 at the beginning of tonight’s meet. She was challenged all the way by France’s Latifa Essarokh who broke four minutes for the first time (3:59.61). Australian Sarah Jamieson, who tops the world lists for the Mile, improved to 4:00.91 as she came nearer and nearer the leading duo.
But there was a small controversy in the men’s race. Multiple World and Olympic 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele looking for some speed work won his competitive debut at 1500m in 3:33.08. But his last 30 metres were so full of lactic acid that as his legs began to fail he dramatically veered across a couple of lanes of the track in the final 50 metres, right in front of a duelling World silver medallist Adil Kaouch, who found himself forced wider and wider to the outside. Virtually unnoticed Kenyan Isaac Songok’s run on the inside of this pair almost took the victory, finishing second in 3:33.25.
In the 5000m three men broke the 13 minutes-barrier in a race where $500 were awarded to the leading man at the end of each lap from 3000 metres and on. Ugandan Boniface Kiprop saved his effort to the last lap and won in 12:57.11, ahead of Moroccan Abderrahim Goumri in 12:57.89, and emerging Jonas Cheruiyot in 12:59.08.
Defeat for Isinbayeva
The big surprise of the meet was Yelena Isinbayeva’s loss in the Pole Vault. Monika Pyrek of Poland was really close to clearing 4.72m on her third attempt. But 4.62 was enough to beat the World record holder, only the Russian’s second defeat during the last two years. She concluded last season with a no height in Yokohama.
World champion Michelle Perry won the women’s 100m Hurdles in 12.60 seconds, while Russian Oksana Udmurtova took the women’s Long Jump (6.74m).
In the men’s division the 200m went to Wallace Spearmon of the USA (20.08), the 800m was won by Bahrain’s Youssef Saad Kamel (1:44.50), and World Junior champion Aries Merritt (USA) clocked an impressive 13.17 seconds in the sprint hurdles.
Lorenzo Nesi for the IAAF