World champion Lars Riedel throwing in Algers (© IAAF)
Germany’s 1996 Olympic and reigning 5 time World Champion Discus thrower, lived up to expectations and totally dominated the Sonatrach Meeting here in Alger on Thursday evening 17July, but the biggest thrill for the crowd was seeing Souad Ait Salem set a new Algerian national record in the women’s 5000 metres and achieve the qualifying standard for the World Championships in Paris.
The 5000 spectators attending the 2nd edition of the Sonatrach Meeting saw some excellent competition, even if the overall performances were modest by international standards.
With 142 athletes from over 40 countries competing, the crowd was able to see their national stars facing some stiff international competition, even if the outcome was not always what they might have wished. But this did not stop them applauding the visitors loudly, even when they defeated the local favourites in the events that have traditionally been a strongpoint of Algerian athletics.
There was little doubt as the competition started that Lars Riedel would make a good showing in the Discus Throw and so he did. Riedel followed an opening throw of 62.79 with a consistent series of throws over 64.00 metres. His winning throw came in the second round when he hurled the implement out to a comfortable 66.50 metres. Sergiu Ursu from Romania attempted to respond, but his best throw, at his third attempt was more than three metres short of the German’s at 63.21 metres. Cristiano Andrei of Italy took third place with his fourth round throw of 62.15 metres.
The other top level German thrower in this competition was Steffi Nerius in the women’s Javelin. The silver medallist from last year’s European championships produced her third best performance this season as she hurled her javelin out to 64.06 metres with her third attempt, although any of her legal throws would have sufficed to beat Bahamian Eve Lavergne who came second with her first round result of 62.57. The two were the only competitors to go over 60 metres, with third-placed Valeria Zubroskova (RUS) producing a best effort of 58.96.
Algeria’s Souad Ait Salem won herself a ticket to Paris for the World Championships, as she demolished the Algerian record in the 5000 metres. Ait Salem took over the race as the bell sounded and literally sprinted away from the rest of the field leaving the rest of the leaders to struggle home behind her. She had played a waiting game for most of the race, biding her time and then breaking away so powerfully in the back straight that the rest of the leaders were powerless. She came home in 15:18.76, followed across the line by Moroccans Malika Assahsah (15:23.55) and Chabi Bouchra (15:32.97).
Algeria’s Olympic 1500m champion Nouria Benida Merah was less convincing in the 800 metres. Coming back after maternity leave, Benida was clearly struggling to try to keep up with the leaders in the second lap and fell back as Morocco’s Selatanat Ait Hamou took over the race coming into the final bend, running away from Yulia Gourtavenko (UKR), Benida and Mozambican Tina Paulino. Ait Hamou finished in 1:59.74, with Gourtavenko second in 2:01.08 and Paulino winning the contest for third place from Benida and crossing the line in 2:01.22 to the Algerian’s 2:01.28.
In the men’s two lap race, local favourite Djabir Said Guerni the Olympic bronze medallist took the back seat too, as he had to settle for second place behind Morocco’s Amine Laalou. Despite the roars of encouragement from the crowd, Said Guerni was unable to resist the Moroccan’s kick down the finishing straight, as Laalou held of the challenge of the Algerian and of his own countryman Mohcene Chebibi. Laalou was timed at 1:45.20, Said Guerni 1:45.66 and Chebibi 1:45.73.
Russia’s Natalya Shekhodanova won the women’s 100 metres hurdles convincingly in a time of 12.97 seconds, with Danielle Caruthers (USA) second and Rosa Rakozafaty (MAD) third in 13.29.
The men’s High Hurdles was won by Redelen Melo dos Santos of Brazil in 13.64, ahead of Greg Richardson (USA) 13.73.
Mark Bronson of the USA won the men’s 100 metres in 10.37, beating Brazilian Claudio Souza (10.49).
With a best this season of 13:11.75, in Lausanne, Moses Mosop (KEN) ran an easy 13:39.63 to win the men’s 5000 metres. Tanzanian Fabiano Josep was second in 13:40.73, leaving the lowest step of the podium to Algeria’s Khadir Aggoune in 13:41.36.
Bogdan Tarus of Romanian clinched victory in the men’s Long Jump with the second of his two legal jumps, leaping out to 8.05 metres, well clear of second-place Nicolai Anastov from Bulgaria, who produced a best performance of 7.76 metres.
Algeria’s national champion in the High Jump, Abderahmane Hammad, the Olympic bronze medallist took the honours here with a clearance of 2.28 metres, after attempting just three heights. His closest competitor, Brazil’s Jesse Farias de Lima had cleared 2.25 at his third attempt, but was unsuccessful three times at 2.28. Abderahmane went on to make three unsuccessful tries at 2.35 in an attempt to better his national record height of 2.32.
The final success story of the evening for an Algerian competitor came for Triple Jumper Baya Rahouli, who carried off the competition by bounding to 14.20 metres (-1.5m/s) in the first round, a distance she was unable to improve during the rest of the competition.
The evening’s competition ended on the track with the 3000m Steeplechase. This was a purely Kenyan affair, as David Chemweno led his compatriots Linus Chumbai and Philip Maniym across the line in classic style. Chemweno led the platoon in 8:23.63, Chumbai second in 8:27.67 and Maniym in 8:31.47.
IAAF
