Maurren Maggi competing at the IAAF World Cup (© Getty Images)
Maurren Maggi, the top athlete of South America and Brazil, was the highlight of the opening stage of the 2003 IAAF Grand Prix, at the “19º Edição do Grande Prêmio Brasil de Atletismo” which took place in the north eastern city of Belém, State of Pará, in front of a record crowd for South American Athletics of 41,215 spectators.
A week after achieving the world’s best mark of the year in the Long Jump (6.90 in São Caetano do Sul), Maurren was hoping to beat the meet record of 7.10m, set by Ukraine’s Inessa Kravets in 1990, but had to content herself with an effort of 6.80 (0.3). Maggi opened with 6.69, and followed with 4.45, 6.62, 6.80, a foul, and 6.65.
Still, her 4 best jumps were good enough to secure her the first place. Grace Upshaw (USA) was second with 6.55m, Tatyana Ter-Mesrobyan (RUS) third with 6.50m, Concepción Montaner (ESP) fourth with 6.49m, and Valentina Gotovska (LAT) fifth with 6.43m.
“It was very important to put a good show for this crowd. The people from Belém support our sport very strongly, and I have to give them a lot of credit for that”, said Maggi, a 26 year-old from São Carlos, São Paulo.
The overall level of performances of the meet was a little lower than expected, but still, 2 world’s best performances of 2003 were set at the “Magueirão” Stadium.
Promising youngster Germaine Mason from Jamaica (20 years-old) set one of those WL marks by winning the high jump with 2.31m, a new national record. Mason cleared all his heights at his first attempt (2.15, 2.20, 2.25, 2.28 and 2.31), and then retired from the event, leaving the sensation that he can go even higher.
Last year Mason was third at the World Junior Championships in Kingston, and so far, he has become the first athlete to go higher than 2.30m this outdoor season. Sharing the second place were Jessé de Lima (BRA) and Charles Clinger (USA) with 2.25m, while Alessandro Talotti (ITA) was fourth, also with 2.25m.
The other WL mark was set by local favourite Hudson de Souza, who took a very competitive 1500m race in 3:38.27, ahead of Kenyans David Kiplat and Robert Rono (both clocked 3:38.86).
Also very competitive was the 800 metres race, were the 2003 World Leader, Joseph Mutua (KEN) beat the World Indoor Champion, David Krummenacker (USA). Mutua clocked 1:45.63, while Krummenacker was second with 1:46.00, with former World Junior Champion Nicholas Wachira third in 1:46.20.
Mutua has already run 1:44.90 (Roodeport, 28 March), while for Krummenacker, it was the first race of his outdoor campaign.
In the Men’s Triple Jump, Brazil’s Jadel Gregório and Cuba’s Yandri Betanzos beat the 2003 World Leader, US’ Kenta Bell (17.31 twice this year) in a very tight competition.
Gregório’s best jump was 16.89m (0.6), achieved in the first round. Betanzos also opened with 16.88m (0.0), while Bell didn’t have his best day, and only had one good jump (16.87m/0.4) in his last attempt.
Americans Sandra Glover and Aretha Hill recorded good victories in their respective events, the 400mh and the Discus.
Glover won comfortably with 54.69, to move the 4th spot in the 2003 World Lists, while Hill threw the Discus to 62.55m (she has a season’s best of 63.13m).
Other winners were USA’s J.J. Johnson (100m in 10.20/-1.0), Bahamian Dominic Demeritte (200m in 20.35/0.8), Brazil’s Anderson Jorge dos Santos (46.19 in 400m), 1996 Olympic Silver medalist, USA’s Mark Crear (13.63/-0,3 in 110mh), Jamaican Ian Weakley (49.16 in 400mh), and Chile’s José Francisco Nava (5.20m in PV).
On the women’s side, Brazilians Lucimar de Moura took the 200m (23.51/-1.1), and Geisa Coutinho the 400m (51.86). Argentina’s Valeria Rodríguez won the 3000m (9:20.16), Jamaican Lacena Golding-Clarke the 100mh (13.01), and Cuban Yumileidi Cumbá the Shot (18.44).
