Hicham El Guerrouj in action in the men's 1500m final (© Getty Images)
Morocco’s quadruple 1500m World champion Hicham El Guerrouj started off his 2004 outdoor season with a tight victory over World Junior Mile record holder Kenya’s Alex Kipchirchir yesterday. Their respective times were 3:36.46 and 3:36.49, accordingly one of El Guerrouj’s narrowest ever winning margins.
The king of the 1500m had been scheduled to open his summer season in Hengelo last 31 May but finally changed his plans and decided to make his debut at the Reunión Gobierno de Aragón held yesterday.
When the Moroccan star arrived on Sunday afternoon in Zaragoza he was confident of running “under 3:31 as the track seems fast, but it won’t be easy since it’s my first competition this year.”
As for Kipchirchir, whose PB stands at 3:31.42, he had placed fifth last Saturday in Seville GP in 3.35.93.
Paced by brothers Juan Carlos (1:47.05/800m) and Pedro Esteso (3:36.71/1500) the first lap was covered in 55.98 but the pace decreased in the next 400m to reach 800m in 1:55.9.
By the 1200m mark El Guerrouj was already in charge of the race but World 800m Junior champion Kipchirchir remained effortlessly on his heels.
In the home straight El Guerrouj managed to hold off Kipchirchir’s assault and took the win in 3.36.46, while Kipchirchir, still 19, crossed the finish line only three hundredths of a second adrift.
France’s Under-23 1500m European Champion Mounir Yemmouni came third in 3:37.94 and Kenya’s David Kiplak was fourth with a 3:38.24 clocking.
Before the race El Guerrouj had declared: “I’m ready to win the 1500m at the Olympics. This time I won’t fail. I’ll probably try the double 1500m and 5000m in Athens. If Bekele will also run the 5000m, that will be fantastic for the crowd. This year is all about titles for me, I’ll assault the 5000m World record next year.”
Antonio Reina runs 1:44.30 in the 800m
Spain’s Antonio Reina set a new World season's leading mark in the men’s 800m with an 1:44.30 performance. After a 50.17 first lap paced by Youssef Kamel (BAH), Reina fought hard with a powerful Kenyan contingent.
The Spaniard entered the home straight in the lead but it seemed Justus Koech was about to pip him in the closing stages. However, in the end Reina prevailed clocking 1:44.30 while Koech was timed at 1:44.37, with countryman Michael Rotich third in a PB of 1:44.63 and Nicholas Wachira, also of Kenya placed fourth in 1:45.13.
Reina and Koech came third and fourth respectively last Saturday in Seville with only one hundredth of a second separating them at the tape (1:44.90/1:44.91).
An elated Reina said: “It’s an excellent win against a top-class field. I thought that the Kenyans were going to beat me in the last metres but I managed to resist. This victory is an enormous boost looking forward to the Olympics where I don’t rule out anything.”
National Discus record
Spain’s Mario Pestano beat his own national record in the men’s discus with a 68.00m release in round 6; his series was: 64.97, foul, 64.60, 65.84, 67.33, 68.00.
Behind Pestano there were some good performances in the guise of Hungary’s Zoltan Kovago, 65.36m, Belarus’ World bronze medallist Vasiliy Kaptyukh, 65.14m, and Estonia’s Gerd Kanter 65.13m.
Rahouli triple jumps 14.67
In other events Algeria’s Baya Rahouli won the women’s Triple Jump with an outstanding 14.67m effort (+1.5), the second furthest jump so far this season behind Magdelin Martinez’s 14.73 and a new PB for her.
Fifth at the Sydney Olympics, Rahouli’s complete series was impressive: 14.42 (+3.1), 14.39 (+2.1), 14.30 (+2.4), 14.67 (+1.5), foul, 14.45 (+1.8).
Cuba’s Yusmay Bicet was runner-up with a wind-assisted (+3.0) mark of 14.67m too, and Russia’s Yelena Oleynikova was third in 14.63 (+2.7).
3000m races taken by Kenyans
Kenyan athletes dominated the 3000m events. In the men’s race Paul Bitok was the victor in 7:39.96 (splits of 2:34.70/1000m and 5:08.77/2000) ahead of his compatriots Joseph Kosgei, 7:40.68 and steeplechaser David Chemweno with a PB of 7:41.35.
On the women’s side Leah Malot clocked 8:56.37 for the win almost a full second (8:57.27) clear of Ethiopia’s Teyiba Erkesso while Australia’s Emily Morris came third in 8:59.19.
The women’s 1500m witnessed the success of Russia’s Natalya Sidorenko in 4:08.50 with Poland’s Wioletta Janowska in runner-up position (4:09.22), and the young Ethiopian Gelete Burika coming third in 4:09.67.
The women’s 800m went to Morocco’s Hasna Benhassi (2:01.00) ahead of Seville winner Belgium’s Sandra Stals in 2:01.19 while Russia’s Svetlana Klyuka was third, 2:01.55.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
