Mutola pips Stephanie; Zelezny unstoppable

By K. P. Mohan

EDMONTON, AUG 13. Maria Mutola snatched a heart-stopping victory from Stephanie Graf in the 800 metres, Jan Zelezny produced the seventh longest throw in history to claim his third World javelin title while Hicham El Guerrouj won what looked a routine 1500 metres for him and wrote something down on the track.

The finale of the eighth World athletic championships at the Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday did provide the thrills - a shattering spill, too, in the women's longer relay - for a crowd of around 45,000, but as had happened at the Sydney Olympics, there was no World record to show after 10 days of competition.

The closest to a World record was Maurice Greene who clocked history's third fastest 100 metres, at 9.82s, but the Kansas Comet was not there to anchor the US short relay team on the final day, having ruled himself out with a suspect knee and a bothersome quadricep muscle. The US, disqualified and re-instated after the previous night heats, won all right, in 37.96s and added the men's 1600m gold as well. But there was disaster lurking around for the Americans in the women's longer relay final.

Suzianne Reid dropped the baton immediately after receiving it on the anchor, in the lead, and though she picked it up and ran as never before, the US had gone out of the medals bracket. A distraught Suzianne could not be consoled by her teammates.

Disappointment was also in store for Austria's Stephanie Graf as she found the gold being snatched from her by Mutola at the finish in the 800 metres. Three-hundredth of a second separated the two with Surinam's Letitia Vriesde, running in front from start to finish, fading just a little to take the bronze in 1:57.35. Mutola clocked 1:57.17, the poorest winning time in the Worlds. Both Graf and Vriesde returned season bests.

``This was a pretty important victory for me. In a year's time I have won the Olympics, World indoors and now this. It was a pretty tactical race...I started my kick a little late but I was able to come back from there. I think I have such an experience that I know what I am doing. I do have a lot of confidence in myself,'' said Mutola.

That might be true, but it was touch and go for the Mozambique woman. Graf had kicked hard from 90 metres to the line, to leave Vriesde behind. Mutola was about 15 metres further behind at that stage. But her power carried her through the straight, in relentless pursuit. Finally, with less than five metres to the finish, she caught up with Graf and passed her on the line.

``On the final steps, someone clipped my shoes and I lost one step, but this is not a complaint. I won the silver again and it is no wonder they call me `silver Stephanie' back home,'' said Graf.

Through the season, Graf had been the dominant 800m runner with victories over Mutola in Paris and Oslo. But it was always clear that Mutola's experience in championship races will be a factor here, though she was edged at the finish in Seville by the Czech Ludmila Formanova, who was injured this time. Mutola had earlier won the World crown in 1993.

Zelezny's record

Jan Zelezny had also won his first title in 1993. He followed it up with the gold again in 1995 but fell to the ninth place next time and was third in Seville two years ago. There, Aki Parviainen of Finland had overtaken Greek Konstadinos Gatsioudis and Zelezny in the fifth round.

On Sunday, Parviainen opened with a 91.31, the second longest of the season behind his own 92.41. An opening throw like that invariably kills the competition. But not this time. Zelezny came up with his winning 92.80 on his second attempt, also a championship record, and that held. Parviainen fouled his next five, often sprawling across the line in trying to match the Czech. Gatsioudis produced an 89.95 for the bronze. Zelezny had one of 89.45 and another 87.28 and fouled twice.

``I knew I could do it. I knew that I could win,'' said Zelezny about bettering Parviainen's opening throw. ``This is my best result at a World championships. You can see that I am only getting better with age and I think that is because I am understanding javelin throw better as I grow older. I am continuing to improve,'' said the 35-year-old Czech, who also has three Olympic gold medals to his credit.

Parviainen said that with a back-wind to aid the throwers, he knew that Zelezny would come up with a big one in response. ``There is only one man in the world who can do throws better than that,'' said the Finn about Zelezny. Of the top seven, the Czech now holds six marks including the world record of 98.48. Parviainen has the other one, a 93.09.

Guerrouj's back

Hicham El Guerrouj blew a kiss as he neared the finish-line, turning around to see whether there was a threat, knelt and kissed the track and then wrote something on it with a finger. He was overjoyed, as though he was winning a World title for the first time.

This was, of course, an expression of his relief, at having come back to winning ways on the global stage after the nightmare of the Sydney Olympic Games. He said Sydney had been avenged, though Kenyan Noah Ngeny was not around.

Two years ago, in Seville, El Guerrouj had blown kisses aplenty as he eased up towards the finish and yet clocked history's fastest time for the 1500 metres in a World championship or the Olympic Games, 3:27.65. Ngeny was second in 3:28.73.

On Sunday, El Guerrouj was not exactly as overpowering as he was in Seville. But he won with enough to spare from another Kenyan, Bernard Lagat, clocking a modest 3:30.68. Timings did not matter, rivals did not matter; what mattered to the 27- year-old Moroccan was he had won the World title again, in fact for the third time in a row to equal Algerian Noureddine Morceli's record.

What was it that he wrote on the track? The question was put to him twice in the interview room.

El Guerrouj made a long narration. But from French to English only the gist came out. He mentioned the trauma he suffered after the Olympics defeat and the agony that his family members had to go through.

So, he wrote those imaginary lines on the track ``I love you all...thank you''. This was for his family.

Sunday's was not one of those classical 1500m races nor the one in which El Guerrouj could show his complete mastery. Though he had started pulling away with 600 metres to go, the very fact that he had to turn around before blowing a kiss should tell its tale. True, El Guerrouj was never threatened. But his winning margin was nothing to shout about, even discounting for the easing up towards the finish.

El Guerrouj said that this was his last 1500m in a World championship, though his coach was not in agreement. But he was not sure whether he was going to run any more metric miles or not. By the time the next Olympics came around, he would be into 5,000 metres for sure. He said he wanted to end up as the best 1500-5000 runner the world had ever known.

Cloete dethrones Babakova

South African Hestrie Cloete put her Seville memories behind to dethrone defending champion Inga Babakova of Ukraine in the women's high jump. Both tied at 2.00 metres but the South African having cleared all her heights previous to the winning one on her first attempt was the clear winner on countback. Cloete had ended up in tears in Seville, failing to clear 1.92 in the qualifying round after having entered the competition as one of the favourites.

On Sunday night, she started at 1.85, then went to 1.90 and 1.94. At 1.97, there were six competitors including Swede Kajsa Bergqvist, one of the contenders, but at 2.00, only Cloete and Babakova remained. Thirty-four year-old Babakova, mother of a 11- year-old boy, failed once at 1.90, once at 1.97 and again once at 2.00.

Romanian Lidia Simon won the women's marathon gold after an exciting battle with Japanese Reiko Tosa. Like in the men's event held on the opening day, this one also ended up in a sprint finish, with Simon clocking 2:26.01 and the Japanese coming just five seconds behind. But nearing the stadium, Simon kicked early and Tosa just did not have anything left in her.

``I wasn't sure of my victory until I entered the stadium,'' said Simon, who won her first marathon gold and the first for her country.

For much of the time after the event started in the morning, it was Simon's teammate, Constantina Dita, who led the bunch. She led up to 30km, but Tosa took over from about 35km, followed closely by Simon and another Japanese, Yoko Shibui. Dita eventually finished 10th.

From about 2km out from the finish, Russian Sevtlana Zakharova outsprinted Shibui, while Simon and Tosa were engaged in a bitter battle upfront. Once the stadium gate was in sight, Simon kicked decisively for a memorable victory.

The Japanese took the gold in the World Cup marathon standings, with Russia second and Romania third.

The relays, as usual, brought ample excitement and while the US scored a runaway victory in the men's sprint relay, there was a keen battle in the longer one. Derrick Brew provided the US the lead in the third leg and Angelo Taylor, who crashed out of the 400m hurdles semifinals, made sure of the gold with a fine anchor.

The Bahamas claimed the silver, Timothy Munnings, its anchor, just managing to pip Jamaican Danny McFarlane on the line. The 400m champion Avard Moncur had given the team a splendid start that eventually led to the surprise silver.

A clean sweep of the relay titles by the US looked likely till Michelle Collins passed the baton to Suziann Reid on the last leg of the women's 4x400. Suziann shifted the baton from left to right, seemed to be in control and then suddenly it popped out of her hand. She had to wait for the other runners to pass before picking up the baton and the damage was done, though it was creditable that she managed to finish fourth. Jamaica was the beneficiary, winning the gold in a world-leading 3:20.65.

The results:

Men: 1500m: 1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Mar) 3:30.68, 2. Bernard Lagat (Ken) 3:31.10, 3. Driss Maazouzi (Fra) 3:31.54.

Javelin: 1. Jan Zelezny (Cze) 92.80 (meet record, old 90.82m), 2. Aki Parviainen (Fin) 91.31, 3. Konstadinos Gatsioudis (Gre) 89.95.

4x100m relay: 1. USA (Mickey Grimes, Bernard Williams, Dennis Mitchell, Tim Montgomery) 37.96s, 2. South Africa (Morne Nagel, Corne Du Plessis, Lee-Roy Newton, Mathew Quinn) 38.47, 3. Trinidad and Tobago (Marc Burns, Ato Boldon, Jaycey Harper, Darrel Brown) 38.58.

4x400m relay: 1. USA (Leonard Byrd, Antonio Pettigrew, Derrick Brew, Angelo Taylor) 2:57.54, 2. Bahamas (Avard Moncur, Christopher Brown, Troy McIntosh, Timothy Munnings) 2:58.19, 3. Jamaica (Brandon Simpson, Christopher Williams, Gregory Haughton, Danny McFarlane) 2:58.39.

Women: 800m: 1. Marioa Mutola (Moz) 1:57.17, 2. Stephanie Graf (Aut) 1:57.20, 3. Letitia Vriesde (Sur) 1:57.35.

Marathon: 1. Lidia Simon 2:26:01, 2. Reiko Tosa (Jpn) 2:26:06, 3. Svetlana Zakharova (Rus) 2:26:18, 4. Yoko Shibui (Jpn) 2:26:33, 5. Sonja Krolik (Ger) 2:28:17, 6. Florence Barsosio (Ken) 2:28:36, 7. Shitaye Gemeche (Eth) 2:28:40, 8. Lyubov Morgunova (Rus) 2:28:54.

High jump: 1. Hestrie Cloete (RSA) 2.00m, 2. Inga Babakova (Ukr) 2.00, 3. Kajsa Bergqvist (Swe) 1.97.

4x400m relay: 1. Jamaica (Sandie Richards, Catherine Scott, Debbie-Ann Paris, Lorraine Fenton) 3:20.65, 2. Germany (Florence Ekpoh-Umoh, Shanti Ghosh, Claudia Marx, Grit Breuer) 3:21.97, 3. Russia (Irina Rosikhina, Yuliya Nosova, Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, Olesya Zykhina) 3:24.92.

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