Merlene
Ottey wins 60 and 100 metres; looking for championship pace
AP
12 February 2001 – Tampere, Finland - Veteran sprinter Merlene Ottey of Jamaica won the 60 metres in 7.20 seconds and the 100 in 11.21 Monday night in a Finnish indoor meet at Tampere.
Ottey, 40, who equalled her best time of the year in the 60, is trying to get a hint of her shape with her mind on the World Indoor Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, March 9-11. Ottey's was the 10th fastest in the world indoors this season.
"The 100 was better than the 60 today,'' Ottey said. "With shorter reaction times at the start, the times would have been better. I was still in the blocks when the rest were on their way.
"When you can run the hundred during the indoor season you always see how you feel during the important last metres. That is important knowledge preparing for the outdoor events''.
She said that she will decide competing in the worlds after another event in France late this month.
At 100 metres, Ottey was only six hundredths of a second off the world record of 11.15, set by Marita Koch of the former East Germany in 1980, and .03 off Frenchwoman Christine Arron's meet record.
Leonard Myles-Mills of Ghana took the men's 60 in 6.64, but was well beaten in the 100 by Christopher Williams of Jamaica, who clocked 10.34 seconds.
The 100-metre races were the first in a major indoor meet this year, with the Pirkka arena one of the few to provide a full straight indoors. Namibia's Frankie Fredericks set the world record of 10.05 here five years ago.
Dimitri Bogdanov of Russia took the men's 800 in 1:46.45, the third fastest indoor time this year.
Jacques Freitag, a promising 18-year-old from South Africa, split the high jump victory with Finland's Oskari Frosen, both clearing 2,25 but not 2,31. Former Olympic gold medallist Charles Austin of the United States had only one jump for 2,31, but missed.
The best domestic draw, Olympic shot put champion Arsi Harju did not compete. He has decided to skip the entire indoor season for personal reasons. Harju's fiancee died recently after illness.
Miroslav Menc of the Czech Republic won the shot with 20,61 metres, the fourth best result this year.
Selected results c/o Tilastopaja, Finland and Chris Turner
Finnish unless stated
MEN
60 m: 1) Leonard Myles-Mills Ghana 6,64, 2) Patrik Lövgren
Sweden 6,74, 3) Christopher Williams Jamaica 6,76
100 m: 1) Christopher Williams 10,34, 2) Leonard Myles-Mills10,46, 3) Kostjantin Rurak
Ukraine 10,53
800 m: 1) Dmitri Bogdanov Venäjä 1.46,45
3000 m: 1) Kent Claesson Ruotsi 7.59,75.
110 m hurs: 1) Stanislavs Olijars Latvia 13,71 2) Andrei Kislyh Venäjä 13,81, 3) Jarno
Jokihaara 13,92
300 m hurs: 1) Kimmo Haapasalo 36,01 (kk), 2) Gennadi Gorbenko Ukraina 36,40
High Jump: 1) Oskari Frösén and Jacques Freitag South Africa 225m 3) Grzegorz Sposób
Poland 222, 4) Charles Austin USA 219, 5) Marko Aleksejev Russia 219
Pole Vault: 1) Ariel Mäki-Soini VammSV 520.
Long Jump: Aleksei Lukashevitsh Ukraine 800m, 2) Cheikh Tidiane Touré France 793
Shot: 1) Miroslav Menc Czech 20,61 (20,31 - 20,24 - 20,61 - 20,26 - x - x), 2) Timo
Aaltonen 19,75 3) Jummy Nordin Sweden 19,64, 4) Conny Karlsson 19,43, 5) Oliver-Sven Buder
Germany 19,32.
WOMEN
60 m: Merlene Ottey Jamaica 7,20 2) Natalia Belarus 7,31),
3) Johanna Manninen 7,33, 4) Heidi Hannula 7,35 100 m: 1) Merlene Ottey 11,21, 2) Natalia
Safronnikova11,34, 3) Johanna Manninen 11,54 Finnish indoor record, 4) Natalia Sologub
Belarus 11,75, 5) Donna Fraser GBR 12,12.
300 m: 1) Natalia Sologub 37,11, 2) Donna Fraser Britannia 37,56
800 m: 1) Johanna Risku 2.05,76
Long Jump: 1) Tatjana Ter-Mesrobjan Russia 649, 2) Valentina Gotovska Latvia 632, 3)
Johanna Halkoaho 617m
