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Wariner vs Carter, “keep your eyes open for this” -
IAAF Golden League, Rome
Thursday 13 July 2006
Rome, Italy - After a dominating 43.91 performance at last weekend’s Meeting Gaz de France in Paris, World 400m champion Jeremy Wariner appeared untouchable on his road to a slice of the $1 million IAAF Golden League Jackpot. But after Xavier Carter stunned the athletics world with his 19.63 victory in the Lausanne 200 metres two days ago, Wariner might actually have an unanticipated challenge when the pair line up for the 400 metres Friday night at the Borotalco Golden Gala - IAAF Golden League in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico. And both are looking forward to their match-up.

“I really want to see what I can run going against Jeremy,” said Carter, more affectionately known as ‘The X-Man’. “I really never have run just the 400 and that’s it; I’ve been running races and then the 400. I really want to see what I can run running fresh.”

In June, the 20-year-old became the first to ever claim both the 100 and 400 metre NCAA titles, a combination previously thought to be virtually impossible at that level. Adding a pair of relay titles to his victory haul, Carter produced a quadruple win that hadn’t been witnessed at the NCAAs since the days of the legendary Jesse Owens.

Carter took a month off from competition after the NCAAs, doing little but resting for about a week before resuming with some light training –“basically just some strength training,” he said—prior to his professional debut in Luzern on 6 July, where he won the 100 in a near-PB 10.11. Obviously still in fine condition, he said he was a expecting a PB in the Lausanne 200, his first half-lap effort since April. But when the clock eventually flashed 19.63, Carter was shocked.

“I wasn’t sure what kind of time I’d be able to run, but I knew it would a good time because I’ve been training for the 400,” he said. ‘I knew I’d run a PR. But it was a shock. I’m shocked still. Running the second fastest time ever, I feel like it’s a big accomplishment.” Carter, at just 20, trails only World record holder Michael Johnson’s legendary 19.32 in the all-time 200m standings.

Wariner, who’s improved his 200 PB dramatically this year, was impressed as well.

“I watched him at the NCAAs and saw him win the 100 and come back and win the 400. That’s impressive. And his 200 in Lausanne was impressive,” said Wariner, the World and Olympic champion. “With the right people pushing him, there’s no telling how fast he can go, and with the right people pushing me there’s no telling what I can do. With us pushing each other for the rest of our careers, we might even be able to run into the 42s for the first time.”

Of his dash into the history books in Lausanne, Carter said that he largely ran the race he was expected to run.

“ I knew I was going to be strong at the end because of all my speed work. I made a little mistake on the curve – I think I relaxed a little too much - but other than that it was a great race.”

Like Wariner, Carter is relishing his Rome appearance, certainly the toughest test of his young professional career.

“I’m not going to say I can’t beat him or if I can beat him. But it is going to be a challenge. I’m not going into the race to not challenge him. I’m a competitor, and whoever the man is at the time, I’m trying to shoot for him. He’s a great athlete and I respect him for that.”

Carter said that with his limited experience of contesting the full lap with a fresh pair of legs, he has no idea what his limit in the event might be, and doesn’t really know what kind of performance to expect tomorrow night.

“I don’t really have a time in mind. Maybe low 44. Maybe 43.”

But he did make just one prediction.

“ It’s going to be a special race. I’d tell everyone to keep their eyes open for it.”

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

IAAF Golden League – Rome PREVIEW
Thursday 13 July 2006
Rome, Italy - “The training is good, the weather is good” confirmed Asafa Powell in the Italian capital today as he prepared for his latest bid to become the world’s outright fastest man. They are conditions which more generally also point towards what should be another marvellous edition of the Borotalco Golden Gala - IAAF Golden League - meeting in the Olympic stadium tomorrow (Friday 14 July).

When Carl Lewis powered to a 9.93 second 100m run on 30 August 1987, a result which retrospectively with the disqualification of Ben Johnson was a World Championship winning result, and equalled the World record, the Olympic stadium was an uncovered sports cauldron. 19-years-on, the venue’s spectator tribunes are entirely roofed but if Powell comes to the boil on the 100m home straight no lid will contain the celebrations. Coming less than a week after Italy rejoiced after winning the FIFA Soccer World Cup, Rome is ready to continue the party, and a sub-9.77 run by Powell, or of course yet another equalling performance, would be the perfect catalyst.

Powell “should have been out there” – IAAF Golden League, Rome

Rome has also witnessed a World record over 400m but that was back in the 1960 Olympics when USA’s Otis Davis ran 45.07 electronically / 44.9 hand timed on 6 September 1960 to secure the gold. No one is predicting that the current all-time best of Michael Johnson (43.18, Seville 1999) is in danger tomorrow but Jeremy Wariner and Xavier Carter will surely produce a keenly fought battle to delight us.

Sanya Richards, the fastest in the world in the women’s 400m is unlikely to encounter any close opposition in Rome. The nearest anyone has come to the World Championship silver medallist this summer is the 49.96 national record of Bulgaria’s Vanya Stambolova who finished behind the American in Paris last Saturday (8 July).

Richards’ 49.27 that won the USA nationals (24 June) is far ahead of the world, and the 21-year-old has backed that up with three other sub-50 times in 2006 – 49.73 in Paris; 49.82 Oslo, 2 June; 49.89 Kingston, 6 May). Aside the Bulgarian, only Russian champion Svetlana Pospelova (49.99, 13 June) has dipped under 50 seconds this year. Richards is a class apart.

Defar and Dibaba – the duel rather than the record is of importance

“ Defar has broken the women’s 5000m World record* this season and Tirunesh Dibaba has come very close,” was the accurate summary of the status of the two protagonists in tomorrow night’s 5000m race made by meeting director Luigi D‘Onofrio earlier today.

The two athletes are in spectacular form this year. Olympic gold medallist Defar clipped the World record on 3 June in New York in a time of 14:23.53, just a day after World champion Tirunesh Dibaba had come within striking distance of the old mark of 14:24.68, with her victory in Oslo (14:30.40) on the 2 June. Dibaba took a close call (14:54.24 to 14:54.30) win from her rival in a dramatic sprint finish in Paris last weekend (8 July) with the battle for the victory taking priority over any further record attempts by the two. The same scenario is perhaps set for Rome.

IAAF Golden League Jackpot round-up

These four athletes, Powell, Wariner, Richards and Dibaba, having taken wins in both the opening legs of the IAAF Golden League in Oslo and Paris, are the only athletes who remain in the hunt for at least a share of the full $1 Million Golden League Jackpot, for those who can win their event at all six meetings this year.

However, there are another 14 athletes still in with a chance of sharing at least $500,000 having the possibility still of completing five wins in 2006 –

MEN: Alex Kipchirchir (KEN, 1500m), Ivan Heshko (UKR, 1500m), Isaac Songok (KEN, 5000m), Kenenisa Bekele (ETH, 5000m), Irving Saladino (PAN, LJ), Ignisious Gaisah (GHA, LJ), Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR, JT), Tero Pitkämäki (FIN, JT).

WOMEN: Debbie Ferguson McKenzie (BAH, 100m), Marion Jones (USA, 100m), Brigitte Foster-Hylton (JAM, 100mH), Susanna Kallur (SWE, 100mH), Blanka Vlasic (CRO, HJ), Yelena Slesarenko (RUS, HJ)

Ramzi goes for third Rome win

So in which other events do we look for the possible highlights in Rome?

Rashid Ramzi, the World 800m and 1500m champion, goes for his third consecutive Rome Golden Gala victory at 1500m. Ramzi has had three starts so far this summer - 1500m 3:32.34, 21 May; Mile 3:52.39, 28 May; 3:53.55, 3 June – and will take on 21-year-old Kenyan Alex Kipchirchir, the winner of the Dream Mile in Oslo, Ukraine’s World indoor champion, Ivan Heshko, who won in Paris, and the fastest of the year so far, Kenyan Daniel Kipchirchir Komen who won in Athens (3:30.27).

Hot 5000

If the men’s 1500m is bubbling, the 5000m is set to boil in quite simply one of the best line-ups ever outside a global final. Fast or slowly run, it offers everything to delight the appetite of a true distance running fan.

With Qatar’s World champion and record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen in the 5000m, the men’s 3000m Steeplechase would seem to be in the hands of Kenyan World and Olympic medallist Brimin Kipruto. However, this season behind Shaheen's performances everyone else has been seen to be pretty equal, so it is really anyone’s guess as to which of the 16 men field will prevail.

Borza to adjusting his timing

Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy executed a perfectly timed finish in Athens on the 3 July (1:43.42) but misjudged it spectacularly in Lausanne on Tuesday (11 July) with 1:44.87 for third. The man who was on the different sides to both the Russian’s runs, second in Paris and first in Lausanne, Wilfred Bungei is not here but the third, fifth and sixth quickest of the year will be - Latvian Dmitrijs Milkevics (1:43.67), Alfred Kirwa of kenya (1:43.91) and USA's Khadevis Robinson (1:44.13).

What only 48 hours ago was a great men’s 110m Hurdles line-up in Rome has been broken apart by the events of Lausanne (11 July). Jubilation or fatigue has robbed the Rome start list of Liu Xiang, the new 12.88 second World record holder (gone back to China where his run has stolen the headlines) and Dominique Arnold, also inside the old World record, whose body is tired from his 12.90. With entries fluid at the time of writing, we’ll let the action on Friday night speak for itself.

Jackson’s race without much doubt

With the exception of his defeat at the USA nationals by Kerron Clement, World champion Bershawn Jackson, 23, has been unbeatable this season at the 400m Hurdles, and it seems unlikely that situation will change in Rome.

World Junior champion Clement, 20, who beat Jackson 47.39 to 47.48 in Indianapolis for the USA title, the fastest race of the year so far, has not travelled well to Europe. Since crossing the Atlantic, he was been a shadow of his former self – 8th, 49.32, Athens 3 July; 2nd, 48.57, Paris 8 July; 6th, 49.07, Lausanne 11 July – but sometimes even the greatest vintages don’t travel well. But he’s still very green to the circuit so it would be premature to make a judgement of this exceptional talent quite yet.

Everyone is here – LJ and JT

In the men’s infield programme, two of the three offerings, the Long Jump and Javelin Throw are Golden League events.

Everyone who merits being here, and is fit, is here in both competitions.

The Javelin Throw, with the top three in the world this year also matches the same expectations. Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, and Finland’s Tero Pitkämäki, as already pointed out have a chance for the $500,000 Golden League Jackpot having respectively taken wins in Oslo and Paris, so whatever the result someone is going home financially, or at least potentially financially, poorer from the night. Latvian Vadims Vasilevskis, the other 90m plus thrower of the season, is here too, and though he is throwing well is nursing a foot injury.

The Pole Vault competes the men’s programme, and the local fans will be praying for the successful high rise of Italy’s 2003 World champion Giuseppe Gibilisco.

Simpson, Jones…

The women’s 100m is having a low key year in terms of times, with just three athletes below 11 seconds. With Jamaica’s Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell (10.99) injured, it is left to the year’s two fastest Sherone Simpson, also a Jamaican (10.82), and Paris Golden League winner Marion Jones, to fight it out with the likes of USA’s World champion Lauryn Williams and World 200m gold medallist Allyson Felix, and Oslo victor Debbie Ferguson Mckenzie of the Bahamas.

After running a Kenyan national record (1:56.66) in Lausanne on Tuesday, the fastest time of 2006, Janeth Jepkosgei will be the favourite for the women’s 800m, though she was closely pursued by Cuban World champion Zuliya Calatayud in third (1:56.91), who also starts here.

The women’s 100m Hurdles also stunned, like so much else on Lausanne’s results’ sheets. The first three from Tuesday’s race compete in Rome, Michelle Perry (12.43), Damu Cherry (12.44), and Brigitte Foster Hylton (12.49), the latter also won in Oslo, and with Sweden’s Susanna Kallur who was the champion in Paris, has Jackpot ambitions.

Peerless Demus

Lashinda Demus must regret that the women’s 400m Hurdles is not a Golden League Jackpot event like the sprint hurdles. The American is as pre-eminent in this event as Sanya Richards is at the flat 400m sprint. The 23-year-old has eight straight wins (finals) to her credit this season and leads the world with a best of 53.02. No one is likely to come close to the 2005 World silver medallist.

Two field events complete the women’s card tomorrow night, the High Jump and the Triple Jump.

These events are of the highest quality, and like the three men’s infield competitions the line-ups could grace Olympic finals.

The only update required to the earlier High Jump story being that Yelena Slesarenko, after a 2m victory on count-back over Kajsa Bergqvist (SWE), Tia Hellebaut BEL (NR), and Blanka Vlašic (CRO), in Paris, was herself beaten on count-back in Lausanne by American Chaunté Howard after they had each cleared 1.99m.

The Triple Jump also offers us most of the usual elite of the event. Last year’s $1 Million Golden League Jackpot winner Tatyana Lebedeva is again the athlete in the driving seat for honours though this year the Jackpot is focused on other events. The reigning double World Indoor champion and former double World outdoor champion is the outstanding favourite for victory. The 29-year-old has taken three straight Triple Jump victories this outdoor season, all with leaps of over 15 metres.

Chris Turner for the IAAF