News Archive

At the third Golden League Meeting in Oslo's New Bislett stadium, Norway Britain’s Jo Pavey was the

one pushing the pace in the women’s 3000m with two laps to go, leading a trio

of Africans – Maryam Yusuf Jamal, now of Bahrain but formerly an Ethiopian,

Gete Wami (ETH) and Isabella Ochichi (KEN). The Briton had taken over from the

Russian pace maker Olga Komyagina who led through the earlier rounds (1000m

<st1:time hour="2" minute="48">2:48</st1:time>; 2000m

<st1:time hour="5" minute="38">5:38</st1:time>), and Pavey’s decision to keep the

race lively was eventually to be rewarded with third place and a European

season’s lead of 8:33.79.

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Just after the bell it was

Jamal, one of only three women this year to have gone under 4mins for the

1500m, who used her speed to break from her three opponents. Ochichi, the

Olympic 5000m silver medallist tried to respond, and also easily slipped past

Pavey but she never made any impact on the Bahraini.

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Jamal crossed the line for

an emphatic victory, a world season’s lead of 8:28.87, which was also a

Bahraini national record. Ochichi was second in her summer’s best (8:31.42),

and after Pavey came home, Gete Wami crossed in 8:36.22. Notable in fifth was a

personal best by

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Susanne Wigene (8:41.34).

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Fast men’s Mile

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It was to be the

<st1:place>Arabian Gulf</st1:place>’s night in the middle distances, as

the final event of the evening, the ExxonMobil Dream Mile, also went to an Arab

state, this time

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>, with Najem Dahame Bashir, the

former Kenyan David Nyaga, winning in a world leading time of 3:47.97, which

was also an Area record.

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In a fast race there was a

season’s best for Bernard Lagat (second 3:48.38), PB’s for Daniel Kipchirchir

Komen (third 3:48.49) and

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Alan Webb (fourth 3:48.92). Area

records also fell to Craig Mottram of

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> with 3:48.98 (fifth) and Hudson de

Souza of

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region> (eighth 3:51.05). Sixth place, and

the last man under

<st1:time hour="3" minute="50">3:50</st1:time> this evening, went to Tarek Boukensa (3:49.95

PB).

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Nick McCormick with 3:52.05 established a

European 2005 lead.

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Earlier in the evening both

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Marius Bakken and

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Tim Broe had tried similar

tactics in the men’s 5000m, to those which Pavey later employed in the women's

3000m, by doing their best to resist the inevitable African onslaught. They led

with two laps to go but were eventually swallowed up, with John Kibowen the

winner in 13:07.74, squeezing out Moses Mosop on the line (13:07.81). Commonwealth

champion Sammy Kipketer was third (13:09.16).

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Andrianova continues in

role as World title favourite

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Tatyana Andrianova proved

again that she is currently the strongest and most intelligent racer in the

women’s 800m. Already the world season leader (1:56.07) she came close to that

mark with a well timed win in 1:56.91, after staying distant from the opening

pace (55.43 – 400m). In a similar manner to her win on Tuesday in

<st1:city>

<st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>, when she unleashed her final kick

there was no one with the pick-up to answer. Also impressive was Olga

Kotlyarova who until this summer had been better known as a 400m runner, as an

Olympic and World finalist, but who can now consider herself fully established

as a racer at 800m thanks to her second place, 1:57.55 PB, which improved on

her 1:57.98 from last season. In third was Svetlana Cherkasova (1:57.86), with

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Hazel Clark also under

<st1:time hour="1" minute="58">1:58</st1:time> with a PB of 1:57.99. Another

Russian Svetlana Klyuka was also under 2 minutes (1:58.44).

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Mulaudzi reverses Athens fortunes

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The men’s 800m was not the

speed display of the women’s two laps. As throughout the rest of this summer,

the men are just not flying. In the end it came down to a fine sprint duel

between the Olympic gold and silver medallists from last summer, respectively

Yuriy Borzakovskiy and Mbulaena Mulaudzi. This time the victory was reversed,

as the Russian was caught on the line by a lower dipping South African, but it

was a very close to call – 1:44.15 to 1:44.18.

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Emphasising the low state

of the event this year, Borzakovskiy’s time in second was a European lead. Alfred

Kirwa Yego was third in a personal best of 1:44.45.

<st1:country-region>

<st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Gary Reed in fourth improved the

national record with 1:44.54. Mulaudzi had also won in

<st1:city>

<st1:place>Helsinki</st1:place></st1:city> last Monday (25) with what remains

the current world’s fastest of 2005 – 1:44.08.

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