Marta Domínguez on her way to a national steeplechase record in Malaga (© Juan José Úbeda)
Spain’s reigning European 5000m champion Marta Domínguez produced the standout performance at the ‘Reunión Internacional Ciudad de Málaga, Gran Premio de Andalucía’ held on Saturday (27) on a sunny but quite windy day.
The 33-year-old Spaniard set a world season leading performance for the 3000m Steeplechase, an event she only took on last year, with a remarkable 9:16.50 clocking to slice over five seconds on her own national record.
The Reunión Internacional Ciudad de Málaga, Gran Premio de Andalucía is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 12-13 September in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Sixth on the all-time list in her fifth appearance
In addition, Domínguez rose to the sixth place on the all-time list for the event only bettered by a trio of Russians (Galkina, Volkova, Petrova) plus Kenya’s Eunice Jepkorir.
Paced by Russia’s Yelena Sidorchenkova, herself a 9:24.04 athlete, Domínguez went through the opening kilometre in a fine 3:03.28 time well inside schedule for her national record goal; twice the Spaniard even passed the pacemaker over the water-jumps suggesting she was running comfortably at the Russian’s shoulder.
Sidorchenkova left the race exactly at the 2000 point covered in 6:10.76 and from then on the 2001 & 2003 World 5000m silver medallist stepped up the pace to romp home unopposed in a massive career best and national record of 9:16:50. Russia’s Lyubov Kharlamova came a distant second in 9:33.77.
Arguably the best ever Spanish female athlete, Domínguez clearly decreased her rhythm in the closing 50m to take to bow to the enthusiastic home crowd.
“After my result in Huelva (8:36.53 for the 3000m flat event) and my last trainings, I knew I’m in good shape but the steeplechase is a different event, you have to negotiate lots of barriers and that makes the steeplechase a bit unpredictable for a still inexperienced specialist like me; honestly, the pacemaker made a great job and when she dropped out it was me against the clock and the wind.”
Asked on why she passed Sidorchenkova at two water jumps, a smiling Domínguez confessed: “I had no intention to overtake the rabbit at the water jump but that’s my weakest point by far, I still have not a fine technique and it’s not easy for me to calculate properly when I take a run-up.”
On her ambitions at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Berlin, Germany (15– 23 Aug), a cautious Domínguez said: “I don’t think of medals, I prefer to keep on working until Berlin and see what happens there. Of course, Russia’s Gulnara Samitova-Galkina is the Olympic champion, the world record holder and the undisputed number one but there will be lots of dangerous athletes in Berlin”.
Domínguez now plans a 1500m outing next Saturday (4 July) at the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Madrid.
Solo run for Tadese
In the men’s section Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese’s 5000m effort of 13:07.02 was officially regarded as the most valuable men’s performance of the meeting. The 27-year-old reigning World Half Marathon champion was making his first 5000m outing for the last three years. Tadese last tackled the event in July 2006 when he broke the Eritrean record in 12:59.27.
Yesterday after a 2:37.10 (1000m) and 5:20.00 (2000) splits, the 2009 World Cross Country bronze medallist killed the race with a third kilometre covered in a frantic 2:33.14 and by the 3700 point he had nobody for company.
Tadesse made his Marathon debut last 26 April in London but he didn’t finish the race and he now plans to focus on the Berlin Worlds 10,000m event. Ethiopia’s Dino Sefer finished runner-up in 13:15.81 for Kenyan Jonas Cheruiyot’s 13:17.49 in third.
Idowu defeats Évora in below par Triple Jump
The eagerly-awaited men’s Triple Jump contest didn’t quite respond to the expectations and there were barely two 16.50+ leaps posted by Phillips Idowu. Britain’s Olympic silver medallist and World Indoor champion’s effort was measured in round two at 17.05m with a tailwind of 1.6m/s. This performance took an overwhelming win over Portugal’s reigning Olympic and World champion Nelson Évora, who had to settle for second on this occasion with a 16.49 effort in round four.
Successful return by Pittman-Rawlinson
Reigning World 400m Hurdles champion Jana Pittman-Rawlinson of Australia made her competitive comeback after a full year injury hiatus and proved to be the strongest of the day with a 55.67 clocking, some 2.45 seconds outside her career best. Having overcome foot, Achilles tendon, calf, hamstring and back complaints in the previous 12 months, Pittman is now confident of rounding gradually into form to successfully defend her World title.
The 26-year-old Aussie trains now under the guidance of Craig Hilliard and has scheduled further outings in Monaco, London, Rome and Lausanne.
Ukraine’s Anastasiya Rabchenyuk took second in 56.72.
Convincing performance by Lischynska
Ukraine’s reigning World and Olympic 1500m silver medallist Irina Lischynska took a more than convincing win in her specialist event albeit her effort was also affected by the breeze.
Charlene Thomas ruled the race until the closing 220m when the 33-year-old Ukrainian opened her stride and passed the Briton with ease to take top spot in 4:06:48 for Thomas’ 4:07:73.
The men’s 1500m was dominated by Africa thanks to Kenya’s Nicholas Kemboi, who pipped Ethiopia’s Mekonnen Gebremedhin in the final 50m - 3:35.47 and 3:35.75 respectively. In another thrilling battle to be first European home Spain’s Arturo Casado caught Portugal’s reigning European Indoor champion Rui Silva (3:36.13/3:36.40) to bring the Portuguese’s winning string of six victories to an end.
Pars keeps momentum
Hungary’s Krisztian Pars managed his eleventh victory in a row this year to remain unbeaten. The 27-year-old Olympic Hammer Throw silver medallist opened with a foul then gradually improved until the fourth round when he unleashed 79.95m, which proved to be enough to hold off the challenge of Russia’s Aleksey Zagornyy, second with a 79.33 fifth round throw while the in-form Latvian Igor Sokolovs came third in 77.91.
Elsewhere…
Stephan Buckland of Mauritius ran a season’s best of 20.33 (+1.6) in the men’s 200m to get the better of Zimbabwe’s Brian Dzingai, timed at 20.37 while Russia’s Yuliya Chermoshanskaya succeeded in the women’s event in 23.27.
Kenya’s Grace Momanyi was a clear 5000m victor with a 15:08.31 performance and a ten-second advantage on Portugal Ines Monteiro, 15:18.04.
Back in the infield, World and Olympic Shot Put bronze medallist Andrei Mikhnevich of Belarus produced a season’s best of 20.81m to get the better of Portugal’s Marco Fortes (20.36).
Cuba’s Lisvanys Perez had a first-time clearance over 2.28m to take the High Jump ahead of Sweden’s Linus Thörnblad, runner-up thanks a second-try success at 2.26. Germany’s Silke Spiegelburg snatched the win in the women’s Pole Vault with 4.35m, while Romania’s Monica Stoian beat Spain’s Mercedes Chilla in the Javelin, 57.24 and 56.70 their respective efforts.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
