Asbel Kiprop (18) sprints to victory in Mauritius (© Reynolds Quirin)
The 2007 World Junior Cross Country champion, Kenya’s Asbel Kiprop, who was fourth in the Osaka 1500m final last summer was back in the Maryse Justin Stadium’s track yesterday for the 15th edition of the Mauritius International meet.
In a 3000m, the IAAF HPTC Eldoret trained athlete, beat compatriot Isaac Sang, in the last 50 metres to grab his second consecutive win in Mauritius, clocking 8:21.24.
“This is my first race of the season. I’m quite satisfied with it. Actually, I had no specific objectives in terms of performance. I just wanted to run a good race,” said Kiprop.
As last year, Kiprop chose Mauritius to start his track season. But this year, things were a little bit different as Kiprop skipped the World Cross Country Championships to concentrate on his track preparations for the Olympics Games.
“It was important to be there. Last year I won my first track race here in Mauritius, and I wanted to be back, not for performance, but just to start soothingly my season where I will be totally focussed on the Olympics Games,” said Asbel Kiprop.
But for Sang, things did not go as expected. “Everything was good, here in Mauritius, however my only regret is that there was no pacemaker in the race. For us, professional athletes, it was important to get a pacemaker so as to reach our goals. That was the only thing missing in that race. I’m a little bit disappointed concerning my time”, explained Sang who finished second with 8:21.46.
The beginning of 2008 was tragic for the whole of Kenya. The unrest and violence in the Rift Valley and Eldoret made training conditions very tough for them to train in really good conditions.
“It was not very easy to continue training in those conditions which prevailed in Kenya during the beginning of the year. So I had to move to Nairobi to train in better conditions. That was very tough although as I had to leave my family behind me. Fortunately, the situation in Kenya is much better now, so we can now focussed on our goals,” said Sang.
Buckland, back to business
2007 was definitely a year to forget for Stéphan Buckland who had to cancel his season because of a severe back injury, thus missing the World Championships in Osaka.
After spending one year off the track, the Mauritian sprinter who did race three consecutive World Championships finals on 200 metres (2001 / 03 / 05), was back to business yesterday, clocking an impressive 20.73 seconds to achieve the entry standards (B) for the Olympics Games in Beijing this summer. It was his first appearance in an official competition since last year.
“In fact, my aim was to get the entry standards (A) but with the ‘B’ one, I cannot really complain. This just gives me more motivation to pursue the work and to try to reach the ‘A’ entry standard. I feel very much more at ease than a month ago. I just hope that everything will continue that way until the Olympics Games in Beijing,” said Buckland.
1st African combined event meeting
During last weekend, Mauritius also welcomed the first edition of the African Combined Events Meeting which saw the participation of twelve athletes (four women and eight men). Florence Wasike, form Kenya, won the women’s Heptathlon with a performance of 4715 points, as Tsoali Sellagone (Lesotho) came second (4 688) and while Bianca Erwe from South Africa completed the podium.
In the men’s Decathlon, Williem Coertzen from South Africa finished first with 7301 preceding Egyptian Ahmed M. Saad (7301) and Madagascar’s Ali Kame (7013) both from the IAAF HPTC of Mauritius.
Reynolds Quirin for the IAAF
RESULTS
WOMEN
100m (wind: 0,7 m/s)
1. Françoise Dedy MAD 12.14
2. Elodie Vanessa MAD 12.37
3. Elodie Pierre-Louis MRI 12.84
4. Alice Khan SEY 13.00
5. Aurélie Thésée MRI 13.82
Elodie Jean-François MRI DNF
200m INTERNATIONAL (wind: 0,9 m/s)
1. Nirina Ramilijaoina MAD 24.85
2. Sandrine Thiebaud TOG 24.92
3. Sonyatseng Nthompe BOT 25.07
4. Mary Jane Vincent MRI 25.17
5. Daniela Stéphan MRI 25.56
6. Jessica Kelavan REU 26.00
400m INTERNATIONAL
1. Elizabeth Muthuka KEN 54.02
2. Kgalalelo Sefu BOT 57.15
3. Olga Razanamalala MAD 57.95
4. Amuchilani Tumelano BOT 58.69
5. Goitsemodim Dikinya BOT 59.46
Sandrine Thiebaud TOG DNS
400m
1. Annabelle Lascar MRI 57.00
2. Daniela Stéphan MRI 58.34
3. Sarah Jane Gujdahur MRI 59.71
4. Elvira Russie MRI 61.50
5. Stéphanie Guillaume MRI 63.36
6. Emilie Tambanivoule MRI 65.96
800m INTERNATIONAL
1. Leonor Piuza MOZ 2:06.35
2. Winnie Chebet KEN 2:07.23
3. Lebogang Phalula RSA 2:07.70
4. Lebo Phalula RSA 2:08.29
5. Elizet Banda ZAM 2:08.87
6. Annabelle Lascar MRI 2:10.23
7. Shura Hotesa MRI 2:10.51
Long Jump
1. Doyana Jolicoeur MRI 5,71m (+0,5)
2. Daniella Stéphan MRI 5,00m (+0,5)
Shaimaa M. Thimar EGY DNS
Javelin Throw
1. Jessica Rosun MRI 41,51m
2. Mary Jane Joseph MRI 39,73m
3. Vanessa Colin MRI 35,57m
4. Marwa Ahmed Naim EGY 32,26m
5. Aurélie Thésée MR 18,93m
Bernadette Ravina MRI DNS
MEN
100m INTERNATIONAL (wind: -0,5 m/s)
1. Stéphan Buckland MRI 10.40
2. Fabrice Coiffic MRI 10.53
3. Tom Musinde KEN 10.63
4. Jonathan Chimier MRI 10.69
5. Onyeaku Chukwuma NGR 10.74
6. Ahmed Bongo MRI 10.86
100m (wind: -0,7 m/s)
1. Henrico Louis MRI 10.76
2. Sheldon Edwards MRI 10.85
3. Danny D’Souza SEY 10.91
4. Fabrice Simon MRI 11.23
5. Mervin Buckland MRI 11.25
6. Youssouf Bongo MRI 11.26
200m (wind: 0,3 m/s)
1. Stéphan Buckland MRI 20.73
2. Henrico Louis MRI 21.86
3. Christopher Laurencine SEY 22.70
4. Sheldon Edwards MRI 22.71
Fabrice Coiffic MRI DNF
Fanuel Kenosi BOT DNS
400m A INTERNATIONAL
1. Fanuel Kenosi BOT 47.09
2. Sibushiso Shisi RSA 47.30
3. Eric Milazar MRI 47.59
4. Thapelo Ketlogetswe BOT 47.93
5. George Kwoba KEN 49.24
6. Pako Seribe BOT 50.62
400m B INTERNATIONAL
1. Jean-François Degrâce MRI 47.95
2. Omphemete Mokgadi BOT 48.72
3. Samuel Sagor MRI 51.49
4. David Henry MRI 52.09
Lensley Juhel MRI DNF
800m INTERNATIONAL
1. Oualenna Baloyi BOT 1:49.06
2. Silas Birech KEN 1:50.86
3. Master Chauncy MAW 1:52.10
4. Peter Biwott KEN 1:52.78
5. Julius Muchoki KEN 1:53.53
6. Kersley Bru MRI 1:56.60
7. Bruno Borneuf MRI 1:56.93
8. Olivier Baptiste MRI 1:58.74
3000m INTERNATIONAL
1. Asbel Kiprop KEN 8:21.24
2. Issaac Sang KEN 8:21.46
3. Andrew Lesuudu KEN 8:22.09
4. Birhan Getahun ETH 8:22.30
5. Bernard Rotich KEN 8:23.31
3000m
1. Dharamjai Jeetun MRI 8:53.02
2. Paramasiven Samynaden MRI 8:59.89
3. Pascal Benier MRI 8:59.95
4. Bruno Belombre MRI 9:05.05
5. Christophe Marena MRI 9:24.30
400m Hurdles
1. Julius Bungei KEN 51.88
2. Philippe Djaovazana MAD 53.20
3. Dan Kotonon KEN 53.82
4. Lensley Juhel MRI 53.92
5. David Henry MRI 56.09
Antonio Vieillesse MRI DNS
Long Jump INTERNATIONAL
1. Arnaud Casquette MRI 7,71m (+2,2)
2. Jonathan Chimier MRI 7,48m (+0,8)
3. Al Amin MD MAS 7,30m (+0,5)
4. Doni Susanto MAS 7,24m (+1,0)
5. Paul Koech KEN 7,13m (+0,7)
6. Darison Emilien MRI 6,64m (-0,6)
COMBINED EVENTS
Women
Heptathlon
1. Florence Wasike KEN 4 715
2. Tsoali Sellagone LES 4 688
3. Bianca Erwee RSA 4 611
4. Shaima M. Thimar EGY 3 143
Men
Decathlon
1. Williem Coertzen RSA 7 721
2. Ahmed M. Saad EGY 7 301
3. Ali Kame MAD 7 013
4. Guillaume Thierry MRI 6 463
5. Amon Chepsongol KEN 6 282
6. Nicolas Castor MRI 6 223
7. Washington Nyakundi KEN 5 560
8. Eslam Mahmood Shaap EGY 5 056
