Bergqvist and Alekna highlight Sheffield Super Grand Prix - REPORT
Sunday 21 August 2005
Sheffield - Sweden’s Kasja Bergqvist made use of the surprisingly perfect conditions in Sheffield this afternoon to prove - if there was still any doubt - that she is the number one high jumper in the world at the moment.
The World champion produced the top performance of the Norwich Union British Grand Prix when she leapt to a world leading 2.03m to beat a quality field in the best weather conditions many of the athletes have seen for a month.
It was one of two UK Allcomers’ records set on a warm, sunny day enjoyed by a capacity 17,000 crowd that also saw a raft of Don Valley stadium records.
Bergqvist won the competition with a second attempt clearance at 1.97 when Ukraine’s Viktoriya Palamar and Anna Chicherova of Russoa failed at that height, and then went on to clear 2.00 and her season’s best 2.03 with ease - the latter mark equalling the all-comers’ record held by Hestrie Cloete, Ulrike Meyfarth and Tamara Bykova.
“A new world lead for the year, what more could I ask?” said the happy Swede afterwards. “It was so much fun. The conditions couldn’t have been better, 25 degrees, the sun shining, an amazing crowd, a full stadium. I was just able to enjoy it.”
Bergqvist also made three serious attempts at a personal best 2.07, two of them close.
“Will I have another go at the world record?” she wondered later. “I don’t know. This season is already too good to be true. I am undefeated, I’ve won the world Championships but if the opportunity comes around then of course I will try.”
Record for Alekna too
The second allcomers’ record also went to a World champion enjoying the un-Helsinki-like weather. Lithuania’s Virgiljius Alekna needed a throw of 69.22m to hold off the challenge of World silver medallist Gerd Kanter of Estonia, a mark eclipsing the previous all comers’ record set by USA’s John Powell back in 1982.
Alekna won with a second round throw, responding immediately to Kanter’s 67.51 which had temporarily pushed him into second place. One of the few throwers who seemed able to master the slippery circle, Alekna also had a last round effort of 68.88.
“I was pleased with the winning throw but it could have been much longer,” said the world champion.
Dibaba wins but no World record
Great things were expected of another world champion. Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba had even talked of a world record before coming to Sheffield “if the weather is right”. It could hardly have been more right, but the World 5000m and 10,000m champion fell some way short of her goal after the pacemakers, Olga Kamyagina and Naomi Mugo dropped out before half way.
Dibaba, suffering with stomach cramps, and her sister Ejageyehu were left to run the second half alone. Once they’d passed 3k in 8:47.08 it was clear the record wasn’t going to fall today. Tirunesh again demonstrated her finishing speed on the last lap, however, sprinting away from her older sister to win in 14:51.77, erasing Fernando Ribeiro’s 1997 stadium record. Ejageyehu was second in 14:53.48.
“I tried to chase the world record today but just before 3000m I got cramp on the right side of my stomach which stopped me running as fast as I wanted to,” said Dibaba. “I will try again before the end of the season.”
A stadium record also fell in an eventful men’s 100m. Former World champion Kim Collins won in 10.01 but only after Maurice Greene continued his horrible season, getting disqualified for a false start after Jamaica’s Michel Frater had put the whole field on a warning. Collins finished ahead of USA’s Leonard Scott, who clocked 10.10, with Frater third.
Gatlin and Felix secure 200m wins
Justin Gatlin had to fight hard to continue his winning streak in the men’s 200m. Slow out of his blocks, the double World sprint champion trailed his US team-mate Tyson Gay until the last two strides when Gay eased up too early, assuming the race was won.
“It has been a very tough, exhausting few weeks,” said a visibly relieved Gatlin, whose winning time was 20.04, only four hundredths outside his best of the year. Gay was second in 20.09.
In contrast, Allyson Felix looked her usual smooth, comfortably winning the women’s 200m in 22.54 ahead of World 100m champion Lauryn Williams. Williams was slow out of the blocks but ran a powerful bend to lead Felix by a metre as they entered the straight. Felix was always in control though and overhauled her US team-mate on the run-in.
“I’ve achieved everything I wanted to this season so I’m just looking to have some fun,” said Felix. “That was very comfortable, just the sort of race I was looking for.”
The 100m went to the woman Felix beat to claim her title in Helsinki, Veronica Campbell. As she did in Zurich on Friday, the Jamaican looked in complete control throughout and easily beat Olympic champion Yuliya Nesterenko in 10.89, aided by a 2.4m/s headwind.
“I’m feeling pretty good right now,” said Campbell. “I just wish I’d felt this good at the World Championships, I would have produced a better result.”
Sanya Richards is another athlete who must be kicking herself for not producing her best form a week ago. The American again got the better of World and Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling, though not with quite the same devastating result as in Zurich.
Richards ran a controlled race to win in 49.77, a time only she and Williams-Darling have beaten this year. The Bahaman, who was marginally ahead as they entered the home straight, finished second in 50.02, with her compatriot Christine Amertil third.
“The times are coming a little late in the season,” said Richards. “I am disappointed about the worlds and I have had a couple of sleepless nights about that race.”
Doucouré, Davis and Phillips defeated
Dominique Arnold is another athlete who seems to have peaked too late. For the second time in less than 48 hours, the American got the better of France’s World 110m hurdles champion Ladji Doucouré and bronze medallist Allen Johnson.
Arnold, who missed races through injury prior to Helsinki, dipped ahead of the Frenchman to win on the line in 13.26, although Doucouré was later disqualified. Jamaica’s Maurice Wignall was given second while Johnson finished back in fourth in 13.50.
Other World champions who were defeated today included the American horizontal jumpers Dwight Phillips and Walter Davis, and pole vaulter Rens Blom.
Phillips lost to his fellow American Miguel Pate, whose winning long jump of 8.45m was not only a stadium record but the second longest in the world this year. Phillips was second with 8.38 and world silver medallist Ignisious Gaisah third with 8.23.
“Finally I was able to do myself justice and get a really long jump down in black and white,” said Pate.
Davis lost by just four centimetres to Cuba’s Alexander Martinez who saved his best till last, leaping 17.44 in the final round.
Blom had a poor competition in the pole vault, finishing eighth with a top height of 5.60. The event was won by USA’s Brad Walker who equalled his best of the year, setting a stadium record of 5.90. So good did he feel, that Walker even took three attempts at a US record of 6.04.
Australian record for Mottram
One national record did fall, when Craig Mottram backed up his world 5000m bronze medal by setting an Australian record to win the rarely-run two miles. Mottram outkicked Kenya’s Boniface Songok over the last 100m to win in 8:11.27, the seventh best time of all time.
The Emsley Carr Mile was won by a Briton for the first time in 11 years when Commonwealth 1500m champion Michael East came from behind to scrape past Kenya’s Laban Rotich on the line, setting a personal best 3:52.50. Rotich was only three hundredths behind while Bernard Lagat was third in 3:52.89.
“To win this famous race is great,” said East.
However famous, the men’s mile was no match for the women’s 800m as a draw for the crowd; the race which concluded the meeting was billed the final outing on a British track for double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes and was staged with all the razzamataz of show biz.
Holmes had entered the stadium by army helicopter at the start of the meeting and left it in an open-topped car, accompanied by fire works. In between, she dragged her suspect Achilles round two laps, but the injury did not hold up. She limped across the line in eighth in a race won by Jenny Meadows in 2:03.43.
“I gave it my best shot but with 200m to go my Achilles went,” said Holmes who still has not ruled out returning for one last championships at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March.
“Thinking about the future, I need to get my injury sorted out and have a rest. If I can get this out of the way I can think about it with a clear mind.”
IAAF Norwich Union Super Grand Prix, Sheffield:
Men’s
100m Final:
1 Kim Collins (Skn) 10.01secs
2 Leonard Scott (USA) 10.10
3 Michael Frater (Jam) 10.11
4 Jason Gardener (Gbr) 10.12
5 Marlon Devonish (Gbr) 10.13
6 Darrel Brown (Tri) 10.14
7 Marc Burns (Tri) 10.15
8 Ainsley Waugh (Jam) 10.31
9 Daniel Plummer (Gbr) 10.46
DQ Maurice Greene (USA)
400m Final:
1 Michael Blackwood (Jam) 45.29secs
2 Timothy Benjamin (Gbr) 45.49
3 Alleyne Francique (Grn) 45.51
4 Darold Williamson (USA) 45.64
5 Sanjay Ayre (Jam) 45.84
6 Gary Kikaya (Cod) 46.02
7 Robert Tobin (Gbr) 46.30
8 Martyn Rooney (Gbr) 47.08
Discus Final:
1 Virgilijus Alekna (Ltu) 69.22metres
2 Gerd Kanter (Est) 67.51
3 Aleksander Tammert (Est) 65.31
4 Mario Pestano (Spa) 65.10
5 Frantz Kruger (Rsa) 65.02
6 Michael Mllenbeck (Ger) 63.83
7 Jarred Rome (USA) 63.21
8 Ian Waltz (USA) 61.77
9 Vasiliy Kaptyukh (Blr) 61.21
10 Gbor Mt (Hun) 60.83
11 Carl Myerscough (Gbr) 60.44
12 Emeka Udechuku (Gbr) 55.69
Two Miles Final:
1 Craig Mottram (Aus) 8mins 11.27secs
2 Boniface Kiprotich Songok (Ken) 8:12.86
3 Shadrack Korir (Ken) 8:19.53
4 Adrian Blincoe (Nzl) 8:21.00
5 Joseph Ebuya (Ken) 8:23.21
6 Ian Dobson (USA) 8:29.30
7 Paul Morrison (Can) 8:31.87
8 Mohammed Farah (Gbr) 8:36.73
DNF Martin Keino (Ken)
Charles Kiplangat Bett (Ken)
Long Jump Final:
1 Miguel Pate (USA) 8.45metres
2 Dwight Phillips (USA) 8.38
3 Ignisious Gaisah (Gha) 8.23
4 James Beckford (Jam) 8.03
5 John Moffitt (USA) 7.96
6 Joan Lino Martnez (Spa) 7.86
7 Christopher Tomlinson (Gbr) 7.82
8 Yochai Halevi (Isr) 7.64
9 Darren Ritchie (Gbr) 7.54
110m Hurdles Final:
1 Dominique Arnold (USA) 13.26secs
2 Maurice Wignall (Jam) 13.31
3 Ron Bramlett (USA) 13.42
4 Allen Johnson (USA) 13.50
5 Mateus Facho Inocncio (Bra) 13.54
6 Andrew Turner (Gbr) 13.83
7 Anwar Moore (USA) 28.41
DQ David Hughes (Gbr)
Stanislavs Olijars (Lat)
Ladji Doucour (Fra)
200m Final:
1 Justin Gatlin (USA) 20.04secs
2 Tyson Gay (USA) 20.09
3 Stphane Buckland (Mri) 20.39
4 Marlon Devonish (Gbr) 20.48
5 Christopher Williams (Jam) 20.57
6 Aaron Armstrong (Tri) 20.61
7 John Capel (USA) 20.72
8 Monzavous Edwards (USA) 21.23
One Mile Final:
1 Michael East (Gbr) 3mins 52.50secs
2 Laban Rotich (Ken) 3:52.55
3 Bernard Lagat (USA) 3:52.89
4 Mark Fountain (Aus) 3:53.24
5 Kevin Sullivan (Can) 3:54.48
6 Paul Korir (Ken) 3:55.62
7 Nathan Brannen (Can) 3:56.16
8 James Nolan (Irl) 3:58.54
9 Tom Carter (Gbr) 3:58.56
10 Chris Warburton (Gbr) 4:01.23
11 Jon Rankin (USA) 4:05.20
12 Nicholas Willis (Nzl) 4:08.83
13 Thomas Mayo (Gbr) 4:16.95
DNF David Lelei (Ken)
Triple Jump Final:
1 Alexander Martnez (Cub) 17.44m
2 Walter Davis (USA) 17.40
3 Dmitriy Valyukevich (Svk) 17.19
4 Igor Spasovkhodskiy (Rus) 17.18
5 Danila Burkenya (Rus) 17.03
6 Nathan Douglas (Gbr) 17.02
7 Karl Taillepierre (Fra) 16.88
8 Kenta Bell (USA) 16.54
Pole Vault Final:
1 Brad Walker (USA) 5.90m
2 Tim Lobinger (Ger) 5.80
3 Derek Miles (USA) 5.80
4 Denys Yurchenko (Ukr) 5.75
5 Steven Hooker (Aus) 5.70
=6 Pavel Gerasimov (Rus) 5.60
Toby Stevenson (USA) 5.60
8 Rens Blom (Ned) 5.60
9 Nick Buckfield (Gbr) 5.60
10 Timothy Mack (USA) 5.50
11 Lars Brgeling (Ger) 5.50
12 Danny Ecker (Ger) 5.35
13 Steven Lewis (Gbr) 5.35
Women’s
400m Final:
1 Sanya Richards (USA) 49.77secs
2 Tonique Williams-Darling (Bah) 50.02
3 Christine Amertil (Bah) 50.67
4 Christine Ohuruogu (Gbr) 50.79
5 Monique Hennagan (USA) 50.87
6 Lee McConnell (Gbr) 51.24
7 Donna Fraser (Gbr) 52.28
8 Solen Dsert (Fra) 53.86
100m Final:
1 Veronica Campbell (Jam) 10.89secs
2 Yuliya Nesterenko (Blr) 11.09
3 Muna Lee (USA) 11.22
4 Zhanna Block (Ukr) 11.26
5 Angela Daigle (USA) 11.27
6 Aleen Bailey (Jam) 11.34
7 Sherone Simpson (Jam) 11.34
8 Emma Ania (Gbr) 11.37
9 Anyika Onuora (Gbr) 11.42
10 Emily Freeman (Gbr) 11.66
5000m Final:
1 Tirunesh Dibaba (Eth) 14mins 51.77secs
2 Ejegayehu Dibaba (Eth) 14:53.48
3 Liliya Shobukhova (Rus) 15:09.11
4 Prisca Jepleting Ngetich (Ken) 15:11.80
5 Sara Slattery (USA) 15:58.00
DNF Renee Metivier (USA)
Yelena Sidorchenkova (Rus)
Olga Komyagina (Rus)
Naomi Mugo (Ken)
200m Final:
1 Allyson Felix (USA) 22.54secs
2 Lauryn Williams (USA) 22.91
3 Cydonie Mothersill (Cay) 23.16
4 Kim Gevaert (Bel) 23.20
5 Stephanie Durst (USA) 23.22
6 Moushaumi Robinson (USA) 23.25
7 Aleen Bailey (Jam) 23.29
8 Joice Maduaka (Gbr) 23.84
High Jump Final:
1 Kajsa Bergqvist (Swe) 2.03m
2 Viktoriya Palamar (Ukr) 1.94
3 Anna Chicherova (Rus) 1.94
4 Ruth Beitia (Spa) 1.91
5 Iryna Mykhalchenko (Ukr) 1.91
6 Viktoriya Styopina (Ukr) 1.88
7 Ifoma Jones (USA) 1.88
8 Oana Pantelimon (Rom) 1.84
9 Julia Bennett (Gbr) 1.80
10 Jessica Ennis (Gbr) 1.75
800m Final:
1 Jennifer Meadows (Gbr) 2mins 03.43secs
2 Susan Scott (Gbr) 2:03.77
3 Karen Harewood (Gbr) 2:03.94
4 Jemma Simpson (Gbr) 2:04.15
5 Hayley Tullett (Gbr) 2:04.84
6 Brigita Langerholc (Slo) 2:05.39
7 Helen Clitheroe (Gbr) 2:06.07
8 Kelly Holmes (Gbr) 2:06.69
9 Kelly Sotherton (Gbr) 2:07.94,
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