Edmonton 
2001 truly Global Athletics 
Pat Butcher for the IAAF 
12 August 2001 
– Edmonton - The final medals table is looking suspiciously like it used to do 
in the bad old days of the Cold War. But these are warmer times, and all credit 
to the Russians for getting their act back together after the considerable 
fall-out following the Soviet disintegration. They ended with 19 medals, the 
same as the USA, although the American drive on the closing day took them away 
from the Russians’ six golds, and ensured nine titles for Uncle Sam, which might 
have been ten but for the women’s 4x400 metres baton disaster on the last leg.
Perhaps more 
interesting for the future of the sport is the distribution of the other medals, 
and their destination. When a country like the Bahamas – population 275,000 – 
can win a gold and silver, with considerable input from individual winner, the 
elegant Avard Moncur on the men’s 4x400 relay, and countries like Senegal – to 
the joy of IAAF President Lamine Diack – and the Dominican Republic, and 
Mozambique and Jamaica can win gold, the athletic word is spreading well beyond 
its traditional frontiers. 
That, of course was 
part of the rationale for bringing these 8th IAAF World Championships to North 
America, which despite the US domination of Olympic and World Championship 
athletics medal tables remains in many respects a wasteland for publicising the 
sport. The Bahamas deserves another mention for its athletes’ performances over 
the last three years. Gold in Seville and Sydney, gold and silver here.
In contrast, countries 
like Great Britain and France, where athletics has a long and honourable 
tradition are engaged in much soul-searching, as to how they might retrieve 
former glories. GB, for example had its worst ever championships, despite their 
wide medal potential. One attempt at revival in Britain, for is the inauguration 
this Autumn of a National Distance Running Academy in West London. The idea is 
to provide an university course for aspiring young middle and long distance 
runners, with medical and psychological back-up, and that the centre should 
prove a focus for any other elite runner who wishes to use it. 
This initiative and 
similar ones in the USA (including at altitude) are attempts to reproduce the 
success in the distance events of countries like Kenya (three gold, three 
silver, one bronze here – Ethiopia (2-2-4), and Morocco (2-1-0), who have had 
camps such as these for years, thanks either to the national federations or to 
the clothing and footwear companies. 
It’s good to see the 
Polish revival continue, after their surprise men’s victory in the European Cup 
earlier this summer. A one time post-Second World War athletics power, they all 
but disappeared from the track and field map over the last decade, albeit the 
double gold medal success here was due to the tried and tested duo, Simon 
Ziolkowski in the hammer and the indefatigable Robert Korzeniowski in the 50k 
Walk. But again, at the less traditional end of the scale, and even though we 
may only be talking about a single athlete, or small team, the representation of 
countries like St Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Surinam, Israel and 
Estonia on the medal table suggests that the athletic word in spreading wider 
and further.

The final medals table is looking suspiciously like it used to do in the bad old days of the Cold War. But these are warmer times, and all credit to the Russians for getting their act back together after the considerable fall-out following the Soviet disintegration. 

Edmonton 2001 truly Global Athletics

It&rsquo;s been a decade since Maria Mutola made her first appearance at these World Championships, and yet again, she has proved why she has dominated the 800m for almost as long.Instead of wasting energy running from the front, where she would have provided a target for her Austrian rival Stephanie Graf, Mutola let Laetitia Vriesde set a fast pace and then Graf kick for home before she made her own move. By delaying her final sprint so late &ndash; Mutola went past Graf with only metres of the race remaining &ndash; she not only provided the capacity crowd with a thrilling finish, but proved her confidence was sky high.&ldquo;That comes from winning two major titles (Olympic and World Indoors) in less than a year. I have been around a long time now and I have the experience when it matters. But I did leave it late!&rdquo; she joked, and with only 0.18 sec between first and third, the finish resembled a sprint, rather than a two-lap race. &ldquo;Laetitia and Stephie gave me a really, really tough race today. It was very tactical &ndash; but also exciting for the spectators,&rdquo; said Mutola. After her victory, Mutola graciously acknowledged her rivals and admitted that she had been expecting a tough race long before arriving in Edmonton, especially because she had lost to Graf in Paris and Oslo, and been pushed hard by Fabiane dos Santos in Monaco. With dos Santos disqualified for a doping offence, Mutola then had to face a new threat in Vriesde, who started her season poorly, but peaking to perfection at these Championships, running a seasonal best of 1:57.35. She admitted after the race that, at 36, she was running out of opportunities to win a medal to add to the silver she won back in 1995. &ldquo;It took a lot out of me emotionally, but I knew that the only way I could win a medal was by running from the front. Coming into the home straight, I was praying: &lsquo;Stephanie and Maria, please don&rsquo;t pass me, don&rsquo;t pass me!&rsquo; When I crossed the line I knew I was third, but I still needed to ask someone &lsquo;was it me?&rsquo;&rdquo; Vriesde had been impressive throughout the rounds, clocking 1:59.58 in the semi-final, despite leading for virtually the entire race. After training for two years with Luiz de Oliveira, the Brazilian coach who master minded the careers of two legendary front runners 1984 Olympic 800m champion Joaquim Cruz, and Jose Luiz Barbosa, who was twice a World silver medallist, her tactics are less of a surprise. &ldquo;Luiz trains us to go out in front like a champion and not be afraid of anyone else. If someone wants to beat you they have to come and get you, and that&rsquo;s what happened today.&rdquo; For the popular Austrian, a self-effacing star who jokes about being called &ldquo;Silver Steffi&rdquo; back home, there was no disgrace in her latest second place finish: &ldquo;I am not frustrated today. During the medal ceremony I was really excited and proud. This was a really perfect race. I had to make a decision &ndash; whether to stay behind Maria and maybe end up third &ndash; or follow Letitia and go for the gold. I couldn&rsquo;t have waited because Letitia may have stayed in front. I wouldn&rsquo;t say I made a mistake. It was very close and I just needed more luck. Today Maria was the lucky one.&rdquo;

It’s been a decade since Maria Mutola made her first appearance at these World Championships, and yet again, she has proved why she has dominated the 800m for almost as long.

Mutola shows she is still the boss

Tegla Loroupe writes the Marathon in Edmonton 2001 12 August 2001 - Tegla Loroupe follows the Marathon live exclusively for the IAAF web site. Times shown are Central European Time. <table border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" height="4795" style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:Verdana;font-size:10px;" width="95%"><tbody><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 03:53 PMGood morning everyone, the marathon is about to start and it is 14 degrees Celsius and fine, so the starting conditions are very good. </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 03:55 PM58 women are running today and it should be a very competitive race. </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 03:57 PMThe runners are just coming up to the line for the start now </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:00 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The race has just started and the runners are doing the first lap of the stadium before heading out on to the streets </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:03 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Constantina Dita from Romania and Reiko Tosa from Japan are leading the pack at the start </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 04:05 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita is running very strongly in fron followed by two Japanese and the rest of the field split into a main following pack of around 30 runners with a second pack and other runners trailing them </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:05 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita is trying to build up a lead right from the start but I think it is much too early to run like this </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:10 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dita is still way ahead of the following pack now -maybe a hundred metres or more. The followers are lead by the Japanese </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:15 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dita is really opening the gap now. She must be 200 metres ahead but I think she is really using too much energy and we are only 15 minutes into the race </td></tr><tr><td height="180">posted 12-08-2001 04:17 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dita looks as though she is feeling tired now.. she swings her arms a lot and looks as though her shoulders are tired already. Lyubova from Russia is fronting the leaders of the pack. Dita's pace is under 2:25 - if she can keep it up </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 04:18 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita just ran the first 5k in 17:05 </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:21 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; the following group are not so relaxed. They are running closely bunched and there is a lot of elbow contact </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:22 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Tosa is now leading the pack, with Marleen Renders from Belgium just a stride behind her </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:23 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; at the 5k mark Dita had a 52 second lead. A good lead but not at all decisive in a marathon like this </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 04:24 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; and now the pack seems to be moving up on Dita. Tosa still leading the pack </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:30 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Half an hour into the race and Dita is still looking very strong and appears to be maintaining her lead. the pack is still very tight around a minute behind her </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 04:35 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 33:28 and Dita has just pulled in for water she has just passed 10k in under 34 minutes and is running a very constant pace. she is still one minute ahead of the following pack </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 04:39 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 38:30 and Tosa is looking very strong at the front of the pack, they are running through parkland now. renders is still up there with Tosa and the pack is holding up well </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:42 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Tosa runs very economically, but Dita and Renders too seem to swing their arms too much </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:47 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Renders was just helping the other girls to get water and that iss omething really nice in the marathon. It is not always easy to get to the water </td></tr><tr><td height="174">posted 12-08-2001 04:51 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Nuta Olaru is now running alongside Tosa in the front of the pack. There is a good crowd by the side of the road and they are giving a lot of support to the runners. When you are running the marathon you get into almost a sleep like state and the people cheering you on really wakes you up and gives you energy. Especially towards the end. When I ran the record in Rotterdam the crowd support really helped me. </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 04:52 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; 51:11 and Dita has just passed the 15km point.. she is running really well so far. </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 04:53 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; I expect the speed to change once they reach the halway point, with the pack leaders accelerating to bring back Dita </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 04:54 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Tosa went through 15 km 1 minute 47 behind Dita. </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 04:57 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; No-one in the pack wants to takeover from Tosa and this is giving Dita a big advantage unless Tosa increases her pace. But it looks as though Fatuma Roba is now starting to move up through the pack and is maybe planning to make a break </td></tr><tr><td height="142">posted 12-08-2001 05:02 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Watching the race I feel almost as nervous as if I was running it. The course is fairly flat at the moment but in a couple of kms it will start to go downhill - from km22 till km26 and then there is a steep uphill section with a gradient of 50 metres from km 27 to 29.. that is going to be tough </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 05:05 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; They are starting to move now and Lidia Simon from Romania has moved to the head of the pack. Dita looks more relaxed for the time being. She looks like she is on a training run. Alemu from Ethiopia is right behind Simon </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 05:06 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; there are nine in the lead pack now and the others are falling back. Florence Barsosio is running in the front with Simon and Alemu and Tosa is coming back alongside them </td></tr><tr><td height="160">posted 12-08-2001 05:09 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; It is getting warmer now - a couple of degrees more and strong sunshine, but the conditions are still good. It could be very hot towards the end as the runners feel tired. Dita has just grabbed a drink </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 05:10 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; she went through 20 km in 1:08:27 and is starting downhill now. She lost some time taking her water bottle </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 05:11 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita still has a 2 minute lead and I really hope that she can keep going and win. She has taken all the pain so far. </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 05:12 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita's speed is very constant running just over 17 for each 5 km split except the second that she rane in 16:47. It is a great run so far </td></tr><tr><td height="100">posted 12-08-2001 05:14 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dita just passed the half marathon in 1:12w:17!! </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 05:16 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Sonja Krolik has moved up in the pack now and is just ahead of Simon and Olaru, with the two Ethiopians and Morgunova close behind them. </td></tr><tr><td height="148">posted 12-08-2001 05:25 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita is approaching the end of the flat section at the bottom of the incline now and reaching the point where the gradient starts to go uphill. It does not look that steep, but whe your legs have been running for 26 kilometres you really feel the slightest incline </td></tr><tr><td height="100">posted 12-08-2001 05:25 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 1:25:27 for Dita at the 25km mark </td></tr><tr><td height="100">posted 12-08-2001 05:28 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dita is now 1 minute 35 secs ahead of the pack, with Krolik in the lead </td></tr><tr><td height="100">posted 12-08-2001 05:29 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; There are still 15 in the following pack, with Renders bringing up the rear </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 05:37 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Morgunova has taken over the lead of the pack now. It looked as though Dita had a problem, stumbling but she is back running smoothly way out in front </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 05:38 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The pack is starting to spead out more now with nine runners in front and the others gradually dropping back</td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" height="2884" style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:Verdana;font-size:10px;" width="95%"><tbody><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 05:41 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita seems to be having some problems with her right leg and her pace looks to be dropping off with the pack narrowing down her lead.. but she is climbing the gradient and still managing to give a little wave to the supporters on the roadside </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 05:45 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 1:44:28 and 30km. Dita grabbed a drink and stopped to look back at her pursuers. This is a mistake. </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 05:47 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Tosa is coming back now and the gap has narrowed way down. Just 40 seconds between Dita and the pack at the 30km mark... she will find it hard to keep her lead </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 05:50 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The pack is reeling in Dita now just a couple of hundred metres separate them from the leader </td></tr><tr><td height="196">posted 12-08-2001 05:55 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Dita has been overtaken by the pack. I feel sorry for her because she really ran a brave race. The finish looks like it will be between Simon, Tosa and Aleru and watch out for Zakharova from Russia, she is a real fighter [This message has been edited by Tegla (edited 12-08-2001).] </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 05:58 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; And of course, Tosa and Shibui will be doing everything possible to make it a Japanese one two. They are running side by side in front now and that may slow them down a little but they also give each other support. </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 05:59 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Having someone from your country/team running alongside you makes you feel better, because you can feel like you are on a training run. </td></tr><tr><td height="193">posted 12-08-2001 06:05 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Tosa and Shibui went through 35 km in 2:02:06, so they are going to be running to the finish around 2:28 -2:30. The Japanese and Simon have made a small break from Zakharova, but she could still come back. At the moment it does look though like the Japanese are going to take those two podium places. Lidia is not looking so comfortable now she does not seem relaxed in her running [This message has been edited by Tegla (edited 12-08-2001).] </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 06:06 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The Japanese will need to build up a lead, because if they reach the Stadium together Lidia Simon has the strongest kick. </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 06:12 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The pace is hotting up now and Tosa and Simon are side by side with Shibui behind and appearing to drop back still further, Zakharova is still in the game if she can turn on the gas in the last kilometres </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 06:13 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Lidia is trying to pull away, but Tosa is holding on. They have around 3-4 km to run </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 06:15 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Lidia and Reiko look really inseparable at the moment they are side by side again </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 06:16 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Shibui is looking like a definite for the bronze unless Zakharova can produce something magical. The first two places are wide open this pair is so evenly matched </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 06:18 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; The time can be a lot faster - maybe 2:24-2:26, they are about 2 kilometres out now. Zakharova looks to be closing on Shibui </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 06:20 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 2:18:48 as the girls run into China Town and Zakharova kicks hard to overtake Shibui and move up towards the leaders </td></tr><tr><td height="126">posted 12-08-2001 06:21 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Zakharova is coming up strong and looking good, she is lifting her legs high and looks very strong but I do not think she can catch the leaders.. It looks like Simon for the gold </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 06:23 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The stadium is in sight and Tosa and Simon are still togather - Zakharova around 50 metres behind them now </td></tr><tr><td height="110">posted 12-08-2001 06:23 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; It looks like it is going to be a sprint around the track in the stadium will decide the two top medals </td></tr><tr><td height="100">posted 12-08-2001 06:24 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Simon is kicking now as they approach the stadium and has taken the lead </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 06:25 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It doesn't look like Tosa has anything left as Simon sprints for the line and the gold medal </td></tr><tr><td height="135">posted 12-08-2001 06:26 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It is Simon all the way now into the home straight: Simon, Tosa, Zhakarova in that order across the line. A great Race </td></tr><tr><td height="116">posted 12-08-2001 06:30 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Thank you all for following the race with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. It was really a great race and a well-deserved victory for Lidia Simon. </td></tr><tr><td height="95">posted 12-08-2001 06:31 PM &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; A special mention too for Constantina Dita who just cross the line after running 2:30. She made all the early running and is a great athlete with a lot of courage.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Tegla Loroupe's unique view of the women's marathon at the 8th IAAF World Championships in Athletics - Edmonton 2001

Tegla writes the marathon

El 
Guerrouj bids farewell to the 1500 metres – maybe 
Ed Gordon for the IAAF 
12 August 2001 – Edmonton - Adil Kaouch limped home almost 
eighteen seconds behind the winner in the 1500 meters Sunday afternoon, but he 
was still a satisfied man.&nbsp; His work had been done very well.&nbsp; Almost as well as 
in Seville two years ago.
As one of three Moroccans in the final, it was Kaouch who made 
certain the pace of the final never sagged, making the atmosphere much like one 
of those Golden League meetings on which his countryman Hicham El Guerrouj has 
thrived for so many years.
With a 55.41 and 1:53.69 from his teammate, El Guerrouj 
powered away with 700 meters remaining to win his third world title in 3:30.68.
&quot;It has been a difficult year for me since the Olympics, but 
thanks to my family, I was able to get up to the very front again.&nbsp; When I 
crossed the finish line today, I just wrote on the track 'I love you all' to 
show my gratitude,&quot; he said in a euphoric tone.
By comparison in 1999, Kaouch had set an even more blistering 
pace.&nbsp; His opening laps were 54.31 and 1:52.51, leading to the current 
championship record of 3:27.65 by El Guerrouj.
But life's lessons are not easily lost on the Moroccan, and it 
was to be expected that he would be playing his tactical cards closer to the 
vest this year after his narrow loss in Sydney.&nbsp; With the revelation in the 
post-race press conference that this may have been his last 1500-metre race, his 
conservative &quot;win at any speed&quot; approach made complete sense.
El Guerrouj has always regarded himself as invincible over the 
final 600 metres of this event.&nbsp; And today this was a uncannily accurate 
evaluation of a kick which started with 700, not 600, metres remaining.
Coming off the final turn with a five-metre lead, precisely 
600 metres after starting his sprint, the Moroccan began to decelerate 
noticeably, perhaps thinking he had totally blown away his competition.&nbsp; 

Bernard Lagat, who himself looked momentarily vulnerable on 
the final curve, suddenly accelerated and, with his second-place time of 
3:31.10, made the final result closer than the Moroccan probably would have 
liked.
Did El Guerrouj glance up at the giant screen to see Lagat's 
stealthy approach over the closing metres?&nbsp; No one asked, and the Moroccan 
didn't tell.&nbsp; 
Lagat's medal was especially treasured, because originally he 
had not been on the Kenyan roster for Edmonton.&nbsp; Only in late July did his 
federation name him as a replacement for an ailing Noah Ngeny.&nbsp; 
&quot;This is one placing better than Sydney,&quot; said the Olympic 
bronze medallist.&nbsp; &quot;But I still have a long way to go.&quot;&nbsp; 
Lagat, who will not turn 26 until snows cover the ground in 
his training home in eastern Washington, admitted that his best days are still 
in the future.&nbsp; &quot;I can race in Paris, in Athens, and maybe even in Beijing in 
seven years.&nbsp; Who knows?&nbsp; I'm young and have lot of time to win championships.&quot;
The bronze medal also came from added effort.&nbsp; Driss Maazouzi 
of France was no better than fifth at the bell, but he kept and eye on William 
Chirchir of Kenya and Spain's Reyes Estévez before mowing them down in the final 
straight.
&quot;Age does not matter in this sport,&quot; said Maazouzi, actually 
the fourth Moroccan-born runner in the final.&nbsp; And he affirmed Lagat's 
sentiments.&nbsp; 
&quot;I'm 31 years old, and just won my first world championship 
medal.&nbsp; Age plays no part if you really want something.&quot;
His win now part of history, El Guerrouj expanded on his 
future plans at the medallists press conference.&nbsp; It is already well known that 
he will be running his first 5000 next Friday in Zürich.&nbsp; And after his 7:23.09 
debut at the 3000 in Brussels two years ago--still the number-two performance 
ever--this has to be one of the most eagerly awaited races of the year.&nbsp; 

&quot;I think this was my last 1500-metre race at the World 
Championships,&quot; he began, cautiously.&nbsp; &quot;But my coach doesn't agree.&nbsp; He'll have 
to convince me either one way or the other, and we'll see what comes of it.&quot;
After a pause, El Guerrouj began to sound more definite.&nbsp; &quot;My 
goal is to be the best runner of all time at both 1500 and 5000.&nbsp; I'd like to 
run the 5000 both in Paris in two years and then at the Olympics in Athens.&nbsp; I 
still feel young.&nbsp; If I could have run both events here, I would have done it.&nbsp; 
But the time schedule did not allow this possibility.&quot;
For El Guerrouj to walk away from unfinished business--that of 
winning an Olympic gold in the 1500--seems incredulous.&nbsp; Our &quot;sixth sense&quot; says 
that we'll see him again in the future in the &quot;metric mile&quot;, and at a very 
high-level competition.

Adil Kaouch limped home almost eighteen seconds behind the winner in the 1500 meters Sunday afternoon, but he was still a satisfied man.  His work had been done very well.  Almost as well as in Seville two years ago.

El Guerrouj bids farewell to the 1500 metres - maybe..

Kamathi 
gets a new tooth and cleaned up for homecoming 
Peter Njenga for the IAAF 
12 August 2001 - Edmonton, Canada - When Charles Kamathi returns home on 
Thursday morning at 6.30 am even his mother won't recognise him at first. 

On Monday the 10,000 metres 
world champion is to have his denture repaired by the best technology available 
in the west by a specialist dentist who was moved by the sight&nbsp;of the Kenyan 
grinning to the world without one tooth.
He has found a new one for 
him and cleaned up the colour of the rest from sugar brown to milk white&nbsp;as his 
contribution to improve the image of Kamathi.
The Embu policeman's teeth 
were affected by water with high fluoride when he was young which also messed up 
the gums.
And after Richard Limo won 
the 5,000m gold, an Asian with Kenyan roots, Kabir Lalani, rallied&nbsp;many Asians 
from neighbouring towns to attend&nbsp;Friday’s races.
Yesterday Lalani, his wife 
and their two sons pitched camp outside Alberta University with a Kenyan flag 
and posters posing for pictures and autographs. &quot;I left Kenya 27 years ago but 
my heart remains there.
&quot;So I felt 
very&nbsp;moved when I&nbsp;listened to the national anthem being played for the first 
time in those 27 years,&quot; said Lalani who also waited for Limo to return from 
shopping to get his autograph and a photograph.

When Charles Kamathi returns home on Thursday morning at 6.30 am even his mother won't recognise him at first. 

Kamathi gets new teeth for homecoming

Cloete 
gives South Africa Gold 
Ed Gordon for the IAAF 
12 August 2001 – Edmonton - There was absolutely no possibility that Hestrie 
Cloete would successfully clear her final attempt in the high jump on Sunday 
afternoon.&nbsp; Already with the knowledge that she had won, the South African's 
eyes were so flooded with tears that it was all she could do to keep the 
crossbar in focus.
Cloete won a close-fought battle against the 
defending world champion Inga Babakova of Ukraine, one which saw both jumpers 
clear 2.00, the event's benchmark height, as Cloete won on a countback.
The Germiston native, previously a gold 
medalist in the Commonwealth and African championships, was a picture of extreme 
relief at the end.&nbsp; &quot;It was a very tough competition.&nbsp; It was very stressful who 
would win in the end.&quot;
For the 22-year-old Cloete, the top step of the 
medal podium was a three-year journey, starting in 1999 when her 2.04 jump at 
the Monaco Golden League meeting set the standard for the world's female high 
jumpers.
Billed as one of the favourites in Seville, she 
sent a shock wave through the stadium when she failed to make it past the 
qualifying round.
In Sydney, things went much better as she took 
the silver medal with 2.01, the same height cleared by the winner Yelena 
Yelesina of Russia.&nbsp; Ironically, it was Yelesina who prevented a rematch in 
Edmonton when she was eliminated in the preliminaries.
Now, Cloete can finally feel the honour that 
goes with a global win as she presented her country with its only gold medal in 
these championships.&nbsp; 
But she knows that her event is unforgiving of 
errors, and that a minute slip-up can cause a medal to quickly vanish.
&quot;I'm trying to improve every year.&nbsp; I keep 
concentrating on my technique, knowing that I must continue to make strides 
until 2004.&quot;
Babakova, a native of Turkmenistan and a dual 
citizen of both Lithuania and Ukraine, was winning her fifth World Championships 
medal--a second silver to accompany her 1999 gold and two previous bronzes.&nbsp;

At age 34--and the oldest competititor in the 
final--she showed no disappointment in not successfully defending her title.&nbsp; 
Her only complaint was with the wind, which hampered everyone.&nbsp; 
&quot;The strong headwind was blowing in my face and 
causing difficulties with my technique.&nbsp; But I got some good advice from my 
coach--and my husband--and I consider my silver medal a product of our 
teamwork.&quot;
Kajsa Bergqvist of Sweden, the world indoor 
champion from last winter, matched the bronze medal she won in Sydney.&nbsp; Sporting 
a clean record through 1.97 and tied for the lead with Cloete, she found 2.00 
out of reach today.
Clearly, changing wind conditions contributed 
to some premature exits.&nbsp; After jumping was complete at the second crossbar 
placement of 1.90, only one of the twelve finalists had been eliminated.&nbsp; But 
after 1.94, as the wind began to pick up strength, the field was down to six.
Most surprising were the difficulties of 
Bulgarian Venelina Veneva, whose 2.04 was leading the season prior to Edmonton.&nbsp; 
With scattered misses throughout the day, she easily lost out on the bronze 
medal against Bergqvist on a countback.
A name to be reckoned with in the future is 
Blanka Vlasic of Croatia.&nbsp; The 17-year-old World Junior Champion from last year 
placed sixth with 1.94, only one centimetre off her personal best and in the 
biggest pressure cooker she has seen to date.&nbsp;
Cloete once told a South African publication 
that she chose high jumping because she wanted to &quot;reach for the clouds&quot;.&nbsp; Those 
clouds, which last year had a truly silver lining after her second-place Sydney 
performance, have suddenly turned to gold.

There was absolutely no possibility that Hestrie Cloete would successfully clear her final attempt in the high jump on Sunday afternoon.  Already with the knowledge that she had won, the South African's eyes were so flooded with tears that it was all she could do to keep the crossbar in focus.

Hestrie gives South Africa Gold

Sadova’s 
Lessons 
Nikolay Ivanov for the IAAF 

12 August 2001 - Edmonton -
The new 
World Champion in the discus throw Moscow athlete, 
Natalya Sadova made a wonderful reality out of her greatest dream by beating&nbsp; 
Belorussian athlete Ellina Zvereva who was had been world and European champion 
while Natalya was getting only silver and bronze medals.&nbsp;&nbsp; Once Sadova even 
asked 40-year-old Ellina&nbsp; to leave the sport and let others take gold medals. 
But Zvereva continued her competitions. That is why Sadova till the last attempt 
in Edmonton was afraid of her old rival.
But what happened now that 
made Natalya strong enough to overcome Zvereva?
“I think she was fed up 
with her failures and she found the right&nbsp; way to control her emotions,” says 
her coach and husband Mikhail Sadov. “She is much calmer now and has no more 
false dreams. She is consulting with me more often.”
The coach of Irina 
Privalova, Vladimir Paraschuk was the main person who helped to change Sadova’s 
fate.
“I talked with him very 
much and he explained what I need to do,” says Mikhail. “The main thing is to 
respect and to love your athlete.”
Mikhail was a javelin 
thrower but he finished with the sport because of injuries and in 1996 he 
became&nbsp; Natalya’s&nbsp; coach. Previously she had been trained by her father Ivan 
Koptiuh who&nbsp; gave his permission&nbsp; to pass his beloved athlete into good hands. 
In Edmonton Mikhail was on the edge of a nervous breakdown while watching the 
competition. And when Natalya won he could not find the words to speak about her 
victory. For the first time she accomplished what her team was expecting from 
her.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
In Atlanta she came second 
and in Sydney Natalya did not even reach the final and it was a very important 
lesson for her, it changed all her attitude to the sport.
“There were many reasons 
for my failure. First of all I did not do everything to achieve my main target. 
We tried to prepare for the Olympic games and at the same time to win dollars at 
the Grand Prix meetings. And at the end we failed. We did not win money or an 
Olympic medal. I was so tired to loose every game,&nbsp; - she says now.

The new World Champion in the discus throw Moscow athlete, Natalya Sadova made a wonderful reality out of her greatest dream by beating  Belorussian athlete Ellina Zvereva

Sadova's Lessons

Nineties 
the decade of&nbsp; gender equality 
Ed Gordon for the IAAF 
11 August 2001- Edmonton - If a visitor to the Tokyo World Championships in 1991 
had fallen asleep for ten years and suddenly awakened for the Edmonton 
competition, he would have had been surprised at the expanded list of stadium 
events.
The enlightened decade of 
the 1990s saw the addition of the pole vault, triple jump, and hammer 
competitions for women, events which were being contested in many countries but 
which had not been accorded full status in global competitions.
It was not a reaction to 
any push towards “political correctness”.&nbsp; Quite the contrary, it was a move of 
necessity, made to give these disenfranchised athletes a platform for showing 
their talents.&nbsp; 
The triple jump was the 
first of the three events to catch the eye of female athletes.&nbsp; As early as 
1984, it became a part of the NCAA championships in the US, and the following 
year it was added to the US championship programme, where a modest leap of 13.17 
gave Wendy Brown the first US title.&nbsp; 
Russia, as the Soviet 
Union, first crowned a national triple jump champion in 1986, and Britain 
followed in 1989.&nbsp; Germany added the event in 1992, perhaps in preparation for 
hosting the 1993 World Championships where the triple jump made its 
international debut after almost a decade of waiting.
Anna Biryukova of Russia 
made history as the first global champion with a world-record leap of 15.09.&nbsp; 
The success of the event there led to its inclusion in the Atlanta Games, where 
Inessa Kravets of Ukraine, the reigning world champion and world-record holder, 
won the first Olympic gold with a jump of 15.33.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; * * * * *


The 
pole vault was next to be grasped by young women, particularly those in 
gymnastics programmes.&nbsp; 
Germany was one of the 
early pioneers in establishing the vault as a championships event, adding it in 
1992, the same year as the triple jump.&nbsp; The early move to full status 
undoubtedly was instrumental in cultivating that nation’s high-level women’s 
vaulting program as early as the mid-1990s.&nbsp; 
Russia and Britain elevated 
the event the following year, in 1993.&nbsp; Svetlana Abramanova was the first 
Russian champion at 3.70, while Kate Staples first wore the gold in the UK with 
3.20.
Stacy Dragila and her 
American colleagues, on the other hand, had to wait until 1997 for official 
recognition.&nbsp; Actually, the pole vault had been a title event in the 1996 indoor 
competition, but since it was not to be included in the Olympic programme, it 
was not officially contested at that year’s Olympic Trials.
Ironically, despite one of 
its perceived roles as a developmental organization, the NCAA waited an 
additional year, until 1998, before finally establishing the pole vault as a 
championship event.
Then started the Age of 
Dragila.&nbsp; The 1999 World Championships in Seville was the first to see a women’s 
pole vault, as she won the first title by equalling the world record of 4.60.&nbsp;

In 2000, she captured the 
first Olympic gold medal in the event, again tying the world record which was 
still at 4.60.&nbsp; Then came her victory in Edmonton at 4.75 in that epic battle 
with Russia’s Svetlana Feofanova.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; * * * * * 
The Seville Championships 
came just a year after the IAAF’s highly successful “Year of Women” in 1998.&nbsp; 
And swept in along with the pole vault onto the championship programme was the 
women’s hammer.&nbsp; A year later the hammer also accompanied the pole vault as a 
debutant events in the Sydney Olympics.
Like the pole vault, this 
discipline was already far along in its development by the early years of the 
1990s.&nbsp; Even as far back as 1991, the NCAA had added a 20-pound weight throw, a 
sort of “indoor hammer”, to its indoor championships.&nbsp; And although that 
organization didn’t crown an outdoor champion until 1996, the US federation 
added the event as early as 1992, as Sonja Fitts won the first title with 56.48.
Two years before, in 1990, 
the Soviet Union recognized 19-year-old Olga Kuzenkova as its first female 
hammer champion.
Eventually, in 1993, both 
Germany and Britain added the hammer at their top competition.
In Seville, Romania’s 
Mihaela Melinte won the first World Championship gold with a powerful series, 
capped by a 75.20 best.&nbsp; Early pioneer Kuzenkova took the silver, as she did in 
Sydney in the first Olympic hammer for women, won by 17-year-old Kamila 
Skolimowska of Poland.
In Edmonton, Cuba’s Yipsi 
Moreno took the title with a late throw, pushing Kuzenkova to a bridesmaid 
position for the third straight year.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;* * * * *
In evaluating an event’s 
development, it is instructive in some cases to compare the existing world 
record of the men’s event with that of the women’s event.
In the established jumps, 
the ratio of men’s to women’s world record is remarkably similar.&nbsp; The men’s 
high jump record exceeds the women’s by 17 percent, and by 19 percent for the 
long jump.
In the year the women’s 
triple jump was added to the World Championships, that excess was 19 percent.&nbsp; 
And in a statistical quirk, the two triple jump world records—still the existing 
ones—established in the Gothenburg championships in 1995 showed the men’s 
standard 18 percent ahead of the women’s.&nbsp; Such remarkable consistency 
indicates, in rough measure, that the women’s triple jump has reached a level of 
maturity in a very short time.
For the pole vault, such a 
comparison becomes distorted because of Sergey Bubka’s remarkable career over 
almost two decades.&nbsp; At the moment, his world record is 28 percent higher than 
that of Stacy Dragila.&nbsp; 
Even leaving Bubka’s marks 
out of the comparison and focusing on the 6.05 jumps of Dmitriy Markov and 
Maksim Tarasov, if the “usual” ratio of men’s-to-women’s records is followed, 
the women’s record should be in the range of 5.08.
Perhaps this was what Bubka 
was speaking of when he was asked in the early days of the Edmonton 
championships whether he thought the women’s event had reached a high level.
Or it could show the 
fallacy of such a simplistic comparison of marks, one which fails to include, 
among other things, the inherent differences in the pole construction variations 
between the men’s and the women’s events.
The inclusion of a 
implements of varying weights certainly destroys all simple means of comparisons 
of men’s and women’s throwing events. 
Still, a look at the 
women’s hammer all-time list shows relatively few marks from the past two 
seasons, an indication that either the event has peaked (hopefully not) or has 
at least temporarily hit a plateau while awaiting the next breakthrough.
Even with the addition of 
these three events to international competitions in the past ten years, gender 
equality still awaits the recognition of the women’s steeplechase.
Poland, Russia, Ukraine, 
South Africa, Romania, Kenya and the US—all of these nations already contest the 
event at the national championships.&nbsp; Presumably it will only be a matter of 
time before we will see women splashing through the water at the World 
Championships.

If a visitor to the Tokyo World Championships in 1991 had fallen asleep for ten years and suddenly awakened for the Edmonton competition, he would have had been surprised at the expanded list of stadium events.

Nineties the age of gender equality

Kirkland 
makes it a great day for the USA 
Nick Davies for 
the IAAF
11 August 2001 - 
Not since the 1932 Olympic Games have the USA gone 1-2 in a 
major 100m hurdles final, but this afternoon, Anjanette Kirkland ran a world 
leading 12.42 to beat her compatriot, Gail Devers, a three-time champion. To add 
icing to the cake, the young Texan Jenny Adams, set a personal best of 12.63 to 
finish fifth, just 0.05 seconds outside the medals.
“I am so happy to see three 
Americans in the final,” said 34 year-old Devers after the race, “I remember 10 
years ago when I was the only one around. Jenny has done so much for our event 
this year, and I really want to congratulate Anjanette Kirkland who has now won 
two world titles, although she has had a really tough year.”
Kirkland, who won here in 
lane 1, must enjoy the outside lanes as she won her world title at 60m hurdles 
in Lisbon from lane 8. “I didn’t care about the lane,” said Kirkland. “I focus 
on my race - I run from within myself. I don’t worry about people around me. All 
I can remember about the race other than hearing the gun and then crossing the 
line! I kept running past the line until I heard my name being called. All I had 
planned to do was come off the last hurdle fast, and that is what helped me win 
the race.”


Kirkland’s 
year has been marked by controversy. In January she was asked to leave the 
famous Coaching/Management group HSI [they handle Maurice Greene, Inger Miller, 
Ato Boldon among other] and subsequent incidents related to her departure have 
led to legal action. But despite having to look for a new coach, the 27 year-old 
won the Word Indoors in March, then started to get coaching advice from 1992 
Olympic 110m hurdles silver medallist Tony Dees. But hampered by a succession of 
injuries, she struggled to qualify for the US team for Edmonton, clinching the 
last qualifying place, and then had to watch as Jenny Adams stole all the 
headlines with her barnstorming debut tour of Europe. Coming into the 
Championships, Kirkland’s seasonal best of 12.75 place her 10th in 
the world. But despite her problems, and the fact that all the Media attention 
was going to Devers and Adams, Kirkland believed in herself: “I have always seen 
this gold around my neck, even way back in Lisbon! I just placed my trust in God 
and asked Him to let me shine. This year I have had a lot of problems. But I am 
not a person for negative thinking. I wanted people to know me as a champion and 
I think I have shown everyone that I am a strong person.” 
Kirkland’s season may have 
ended here in Edmonton, as the hurdler has been suffering from niggles to her 
neck and back and is not sure if her body can take the long distance flights to 
Europe and then Australia necessary if she is to contest what’s left of the 
season. “My chiropractor and masseur have been working flat out to get me 
through the rounds here. I’m going to talk to them now.”


For 
Gail Devers, 2001 has been a roller-coaster experience. She won the US Trials, 
but has also struggled since then with injuries. “I’m really looking forward to 
starting a season feeling healthy. But I’m satisfied with silver, especially 
since another American got the gold. In this calibre of race, I needed to have a 
clean race but I had a bad start then hit some hurdles and at the eighth, I 
kinda popped up in the air. After that, I just tried to hang on for second 
place. I’m happy with the medal.”
As for the youngest of the 
trio – Jenny Adams – she could put her fifth place into perspective. “Obviously 
I am disappointed, but this is all new to me. You have to get used to the 
special atmosphere of these major championships. I set a personal best and I’m 
really excited about going back to Europe. I really think I can run a good race 
in Zurich next Friday.”
&nbsp;
ends

Not since the 1932 Olympic Games have the USA gone 1-2 in a major 100m hurdles final, but this afternoon, Anjanette Kirkland ran a world leading 12.42 to beat her compatriot, Gail Devers

Kirkland makes it a great day for the USA

Would 
you rather be goodor lucky? 
Jim Dunaway for the 
IAAF 
11 August 
2001 – Edmonton - The United States' 4x100 metres relay teams tried it both 
ways. 
 
The U.S. women, after qualifying in moderate fashion by finishing second behind 
France in the faster of the two heats - France running 42.49 to the Americans 
42.64 -replaced anchor women Torri Edwards with Marion Jones for the final. 
 
The results were electrifying. Despite a 
less-than-elegant first exchange between lead-off runner Kelli White and Chryste 
Gaines, by the time third leg Inger Miller passed off to Jones, Maid Marion had 
a 2-3 metres lead on France, Germany and Jamaica. 
 
Then Jones tore off an anchor leg which added another three metres to the 
margin, hitting the finish in 41.71 to Germany's 42.32. just watching Jones run 
one could see that the tightness which had marked her races earlier in the week 
was gone. 
 
This was the real Marion Jones - the one we had all come to Edmonton to see. 
 
Whatever sluggishness there was, or seemed to be, before she came to these World 
Championships is gone. Zurich -- look out! 
 
The American victory ended a four-year drought in the women's 4x100 at major 
meetings. In the 1999 World Championships in Sevilla and the 2000 Olympics in 
Sydney, a Bahamas team of Sevatheda Fynes, Chandra Sturrup, Pauline Davis and 
Debbie Ferguson dominated everyone,&nbsp; while injuries limited&nbsp; the United States 
to fourth and and third places, respectively. 
 
Last evening, after Ferguson finished a close second to Jones in the individual 
200, the Bahamian lamented the absence of Fynes (injured) and Davis (retired),saying, 
&quot;I'm sorry I won't be running the 4x100 tomorrow.&quot;&nbsp; Then she added with a big 
smile, &quot;But I'm going to the mall!&quot; 
 
Yes, the U.S. women were good. But the U.S. men were lucky. Coach Orin Richburg 
decided to go with a second-string team in the first of three rounds in the 
men's 4x100. Instead of using 100-metres medalists Tim Montgomery and Bernard 
Williams on the two straightaway legs, Richburg sent out a&nbsp; foursome of Jon 
Drummond, Mickey Grimes, Dennis Mitchell and J.J.Johnson. 
 
It almost didn't work. two-thirds of the way through the first leg, Drummond's 
right quadricep cramped. &quot;It felt like someone punched me,&quot; he said. And 
although he managed to hand off to Grimes late in the zone, it took a&nbsp; brilliant 
curve by the veteran Mitchell to give Johnson the lead going into the final 
100m. Their winning time was 38.35, the pretty slow for a U.S. team in a meet of 
this level. 
 
A few minutes later, it got worse. Drummond had stepped on the inside lane line 
twice while trying&nbsp; to run with his cramp, and the U.S. was disqualified. 
&nbsp; 
The U.S. then protested the DQ, and after a half-hour of thinking about it the 
jury of appeal reinstated the United States for Sunday's semfinals. 
 
The Perils of Pauline will continue tomorrow afternoon, with the final scheduled 
to be the last track race of&nbsp; the Championships. The U.S. team has been 
announced as Mickey Grimes to Bernard Williams to Dennis Mitchell to Tim 
Montgomery. 
 
The American news release concludes with the words, &quot;Subject to Change.&quot; 
 
As if we couldn't figure that out for ourselves!

The United States' 4x100 metres relay teams tried it both ways. 
The U.S. women, after qualifying in moderate fashion by finishing second behind France in the faster of the two heats - France running 42.49 to the Americans 42.64 -replaced anchor women Torri Edwards with Marion Jones for the final.

Would you rather be good or lucky

Since the World Championships in Athletics was inaugurated in Helsinki in 1983, seven men and seven women marathon runners were crowned as the World Champion  (Abel Anton won twice).  During the same period, five men and five women marathon runners were crowned as the Olympic Champion.  Only two marathon runners - Rosa Mota in Roma and Seoul, and Gezahegne Abera in Sydney and Edmonton - have won both of the coveted titles.

Simon versus Japan on the streets of Edmonton

What 
to look out for on Day 10 
11 August 2001 - Edmonton - Befitting the climax of 10 days of great 
competition, the final day of the World Championships pits Hicham El-Guerrouj 
against the resurgent Kenyans over 1500m, a great head to head between Maria 
Mutola and Stephanie Graf in the 800m, and another chance to see 
master-craftsman Jan Zelezny at work in the javelin.
But there 
are also 5 more finals on a Sunday that should definitely help the IAAF sell the 
sport in North America. The first race, starting at 08:00, will be the women’s 
marathon and you can go on-line with Tegla Loroupe (who knows something about 
the event) in the forum section of this site. With Olympic champion Naoko 
Takahashi not present in Edmonton, all eyes will be on her compatriot Yoko 
Shibui, the 22 year-old who ran 2:23:11 in January, the fastest ever debut at 
the distance. Although the marathon-mad Japanese are expecting a lot from Shibui, 
who has prepared meticulously for this race, it remains to be seen if she can 
cope with the pressure of her first major championship race. Kazumi Matsuo, 
anther Japanese contender, has won every marathon she has contested, and has an 
impressive personal best of 2:24:15. Kenya’s best hopes, in the absence of 
Loroupe, will rest with Florence Barsosio, while Ethiopia are fielding 1996 
Olympic champion Fatuma Roba – who has run 2:27:22 this year – and Elfenesh 
Alemu – who has run 2:24:29. But in what is likely to be a very open race, 
Romania’s Olympic silver medallist Lidia Simon, and Svetlana Zakharova of 
Russia, who finished behind Tegla Loroupe in this year’s London Marathon, will 
be challenging for gold.
Hicham El 
Guerrouj may not have to worry about Noah Ngeny this time, but the defending 
world champion at 1500m will still need to watch the Kenyans, who have come back 
with a bang in Edmonton. El Guerrouj has said this will be his last major race 
at the distance, and he will be eager to end on a high. Bernard Lagat, who has a 
best of 3:30.83 this year, and William Chirchir, who won the Kenyan Trials, will 
probably try to slow the pace down, but this could also play into the hands of 
the leading Europeans. Portugal’s Rui Silva, the world indoor champion who won 
the last Golden League meeting in Monaco, Spain’s Jose Antonio Redolat and 
France’s Mehdi Baala, will all fancy their chances in a slow, tactical race. 
Morocco’a Abdelkader Hachlaf set a personal best of 3:36.02 to make the final.
Following 
the amazing failure of Olympic silver medallist Steve Backley, who recently 
threw 90.81, to qualify for the men’s javelin final, yet another title should go 
to Jan Zelezny. The Czech, who has ever won every honour in the sport, qualified 
almost dismissively – throwing 90.76 with his first and only throw – metres 
ahead of the next best in his group Boris Henry (86.53) and Mick Hill (84.88) 
who both set seasonal bests. If his technique is off-key, Zelezny could be 
pushed by the consistent Konstadinos Gatsioudis, who qualified impressively with 
87.81. Finland – the land of javelin throwers – will be represented by the 
defending world champion Aki Parvianen, who struggled to qualify with 81.82, but 
may get it right this afternoon.
The 
women’s 800m promises another instalment of the Maria Mutola vs Stephanie Graf 
saga, as both runners qualified impressively, and easily, from their respective 
semi-finals. With Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Holmes back from injury and 
improving with every race, there could be a repeat of the Sydney medal podium – 
Mutola, Graf and Holmes, although Graf has been running well enough this year to 
turn the tables on her Mozambican rival.
The women’s High Jump is 
extremely open, with the most impressive qualifiers being the defending champion 
Inga Babakova of the Ukraine, Commonwealth Champion Hestrie Cloete, Olympic 
finalist Vita Palamar and Amy Acuff. World Indoor champion Kajsa Bergqvist – who 
is still in contention for the Golden League Jackpot – looked a little nervy in 
qualifying, but is likely to rise to the occasion this afternoon.
In the 
relays, the USA, even without Michael Johnson, should start as favourites in the 
men’s 4x400m after comfortably winning their semi-final. Their toughest rivals 
are likely to be Brazil, Poland and the Bahamas, who will be anchored by the 
400m world champion Avard Moncur. The USA will also start as firm favourites in 
the women’s final.
Following 
the various dramas that put paid to the hopes of Great Britain, Cuba, Jamaica 
and Germany in the men’s 4x100m qualifying round, the big question is whether 
the USA – who were disqualified but reinstated on protest when it was accepted 
that an injury caused Jon Drummond to unwittingly step on the line - will be 
able to snatch gold with their makeshift team. Ato Boldon – who withdrew from 
the 200m to help his young 4x100m team mates – heads an impressive outfit from 
Trinidad and Tobago, while Canada could take advantage of the demise of so many 
contenders to bring the local crowd to its feet in what will be the last race of 
these Championships.

Befitting the climax of 10 days of great competition, the final day of the World Championships pits Hicham El-Guerrouj against the resurgent Kenyans over 1500m, a great head to head between Maria Mutola and Stephanie Graf in the 800m, and another chance to see master-craftsman Jan Zelezny at work in the javelin.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

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Kenyans welcome home triumphant athletes