Chambers topples Greene again

23 August 2002Dwain Chambers' fourth 100m win of the season over USA's Maurice Greene, and a remarkable 400m hurdles/flat double by Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic were just two of the many highlights on the track at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in London's Crystal Palace.

In the men’s 100m, not only did Dwain Chambers achieve what the local spectators had come to see, the beating of Maurice Greene the world record holder, but the new European champion also added style to his victory by winning in 9.98 seconds. Chambers pulled out the win in the final 25 metres edging up and past Greene with ease.

“I have a cold so I really didn’t expect to win here,” Chambers said. “Chambers 4-Greene 1 is a good tally to have on my CV for this year and it gives me great confidence that I can perform in the same way next year,” he added.

The American World and OIympic champion, defeated for the fourth time by his British rival, had an explanation for his bad showing.

 “Yeah he won, he got lucky this time, I had a problem at the start and he got lucky,” Greene commented.

The reigning World Champion almost fell over in the first few steps after his start and had to content himself with the third place as Tim Montgomery finished second. “This year is just a trying year for me, I am just preparing for the next one,“ Greene concluded.

In the women’s dash, America’s Marion Jones met Ukraine’s Zhanna Pintusevich-Block for the first time during the 2002 season. Their last duel dated back to the 2001 World championships held in Edmonton, Canada, where the quintuple Olympic medallist had suffered a rare defeat over 100m. In Crystal Palace, the American sprint queen took her revenge, easily clinching the race in 10.97 seconds.

“There was a lot of pressure because there was such a great array of talent,” Jones said. “I felt good. It’s important for me to race against quality opposition,” she added.

Already behind after the gun, Pintusevich who recorded 11.11, was never able to get into the contest for victory. “I didn’t start very well,” the World Champion explained. “Marion ran well and she won. It’s as simple as that,” she conceded.

Both sprinters had come into the race undefeated with similar performances, Pintusevich having recorded a world season's best of 10.83, against 10.84 for Jones, the former basketball player. They will face each other in a rematch next week at the Memorial Van Damme Golden League meet in Brussels.
Next to the crowd's celebration of Chambers' performance, one of the loudest and longest rounds of applause came at the conclusion of the men's 110m hurdles. In this event, Colin Jackson made his last outdoor appearance on British soil and despite "only" crossing the line in third position behind Americans Allen Johnson and Larry Wade, the European champion received a standing ovation for his past performances which include the world record, two world and four European golds.

“I almost cried when I crossed the finish line,” he told the spectators after his race. The world record holder will end his career in Birmingham next March at the IAAF World Indoor Championships. 

The spectators were not the only ones to pay Jackson a tribute, as world champion Allen Johnson, the race winner in 13.23 seconds, lifted Jackson in the air while the Briton was being interviewed by the in-field announcer speaker. 

The most remarkable athletic feat of the night, which unfortunately was not as loudly applauded or appreciated by the crowd as that of Jackson, came from Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic, the world 400m hurdles champion who produced a rare 400m hurdles/400 flat double.

Sanchez started his campaign at the 400m hurdles, where he luckily found an extra bit of energy to extend his winning streak by a mere 0.1 second. Usually ahead of his opponents after the last hurdle, the reigning world champion, first in 48.08 seconds, edged America’s James Carter on the finish line and was only declared the winner after a photo-finish study.

“I was pushed very hard in this event,” the 24-year-old athlete admitted afterwards. "Every time, I step on the track, they’re gunning for me. I am always under a lot of pressure,” he added. In Monaco last July 19, Sanchez had caught France’s Stéphane Diagana in the last 25 metres and that was the nearest he had come to be being threatened all season until tonight in Crystal Palace.

A few hours after the win, Sanchez was back on the track to face Germany’s Ingo Schultz, the 400m European champion. Never minding the opposition, Sanchez produced a stunning lap, overtaking his opponents in the last 30 metres to claim the race in 45.14, his season’s best.

In the last event of the evening, the mile, Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj appeared as imperial as always but with a time of 3.50.86, fell almost five seconds outside the stadium mark he set two years ago.

“The race was very tactical tonight,” he admitted, “I am very happy and I want to thank the crowd for their support.”
El Guerrouj accelerated at the bell but didn’t managed to open as wide of a gap as he traditionally does, and Kenya’s William Chirchir, still only 18, almost seemed about to catch him up even in the final sprint to the line.

In the women’s 5000m, many spectators had expected to cheer Paula Radcliffe, who was on the cover of the official poster of the event. But with their heroine absent because she is concentrating on her Chicago marathon bid, they instead witnessed another duel between Romania’s Gabriela Szabo and Ethiopia’s Berhane Adere. 

The Ethiopian, the winner in Zurich last week, surprised the Romanian Olympic champion in the final lap, by launching her attack 250 away from the finish line. Aderer who is the world indoor record holder for 3000m, and had been breathing down Szabo’s neck for most of the final 1200 meters, crossed the line in 14.33.65, setting a new meet record by more than seven seconds. The previous best of 14.41.23 had been established by her teammate Ayelech Worku in 2000.

“I knew I had strength in my legs in the last 200m and I was a little surprised when I opened the gap,” Adere admitted. Only Paula Radcliffe has run faster this season when she stopped the clock at 14.31.42 in Manchester for gold at the Commonwealth Games.

Szabo, whose trademark is her finishing might looked a bit tired by her illustrious standards and may be starting to pay for her very extensive racing programme since Monaco last month. “I am sorry to lose today but I simply didn’t have enough speed at the end,” she explained.

By contrast the men’s 3000m was run far away from the meet record of 7.29.69 set by Gebrselassie back in 1999. Kenya’s Benjamin Limo was victorious in the modest time of 7.50.29. Limo out-sprinted his teammates Paul Bitok and Luke Kipkosgei in the final 100 meters. France’s Driss El Himer, who launched his attack 300m away from the line, ended up as first European.

“It was like a championship race tonight as we didn’t have any pacemakers. I would have liked to run faster but you can only run the race that’s there,” Limo confirmed.

In the women’s 800 event, Mozambique’s Maria Mutola took another win over Slovenia's  European indoor and outdoor champion Jolanda Ceplak. Mutola, the world and Olympic champion, romped home 150 metres away from the finish to cross the line in 1.59.06 minute, less than two seconds outside the stadium record that she had established back in 1993.

In the men’s two lapper, Russia’s world indoor champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy surprised the likes of America’s David Krummenacker, Kenya’s Joseph Mutua and Switzerland’s world champion André Bucher, claiming the race in 1.44.78.

The Russian who traditionally runs at the back of the race until the last 300 m, this time took an early lead, running the first 400 in 50.89 behind the pacesetter, and held off all his rival’s assaults down the home straight.

“I knew I had won the race at the bell,“ he confessed after his race. “My extra strength was always here if I needed it. I felt very well, especially coming down the final 100m”, he concluded.

Borzakovskiy had surprisingly focused on the 400m flat at the European championships in Munich, where he helped the Russian quartet to win silver behind Great-Britain in the 4x400m.

In the women’s 100m hurdles, America’s Gail Devers, the world’s fastest this season, having recently lost her bid for Golden League Jackpot glory in Zurich was defeated again this time by Jamaica’s Bridgette Foster. The 27-year-old sprinter took an early advantage thanks to a blistering start and held onto her lead to break the line in 12.65 seconds, 0.6 clear of Devers.

“I am in great shape and I expected to run well here where there is a large Jamaican contingent,” she said after her victory. The Nigerian-born Spanish, Glory Alozie, European champion and recent winner in Zurich, completed the podium in this event.

On what was generally a poor night of results in the in-field there were a few highlights to mention.

The women's pole vault was won of course by Russia's European record holder Svetlana Feofanova with 4.62m, but it turned out to be as closer duel than expected with Poland's world bronze medallist Monica Pyrek, breaking her own national record at the same height but losing the overall competition on count back.

In the men’s javelin throw, Steve Backley, who like Colin Jackson had captured his fourth consecutive European title in Munich two weeks ago, failed to shine tonight. The British thrower, finished sixth with 82.49m, far down on the 86.70 recorded by Russia’s Sergey Makarov.

“In Munich I felt like 23 years of age, when I am in fact 33. Here I felt like 43,” Backley said with a smile.

World record holder Jonathan Edwards (17.21m) was also defeated in the triple jump competition. The victory went to America’s Walter Davis who flew 11 centimeters further than the Briton, when he pulled out a 17.33m surprise in the sixth, his previous best in the competition being just 16.66 from the previous round.

The women's long jump and high jump were won by Brazil's Maureen Maggi (6.78) and world champion Hestrie Cloete (1.97) respectively.

The majority of athletes are now heading to Belgium where they will compete in the 6th leg of the IAAF Golden League.