TDK Golden League Jackpot – Four reach penultimate hurdle in Brussels

CarloThe Memorial Van Damme, the fifth of this summer’s six TDK Golden League meetings takes place in the Stade Roi Baudouin this Friday 3 September.

Four athletes remain in contention for the TDK Golden League Jackpot of one million dollars - Tonique Williams-Darling (400m) and Hestrie Cloete (High Jump) in the women’s events, and in the men’s competitions, Christian Olsson (Triple Jump), and Felix Sanchez (400m Hurdles). 

Three of this fabulous quartet came away from Athens as newly crowned Olympic champions, with only Cloete missing out on gold, frustratingly having to settle for the second Olympic silver of her career.

Here is a summary of their TDK Golden League campaigns so far and what they have been up to in Athens -

WOMEN

400m – Tonique Williams-Darling (BAH), Olympic champion

Then ‘merely’ the World Indoor bronze medallist, Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas flew to a 49.78 personal best in the first TDK Golden League meeting of 2004 in Bergen on 11 June, continued to improve in Rome (2 July) beating World champion Ana Guevara in a time of 49.25 (national record) to the Mexican’s 49.74.
 
In Paris, Williams-Darling faced no serious opposition, as she blasted out and improved her national record and World season lead again with a 49.15 clocking.

In Zurich, Williams-Darling took the race to her opponents with a devastatingly quick first 200m, and prevailed over World champion Ana Guevara with an excellent 49.73, but no one else could manage to struggle under 50 seconds.

Again in Athens, the two roared off in the first 200m. Guevara in lane three, with Williams-Darling in lane four, was making an all out effort to close down on her rival. Off the last bend, and Guevara moved right to Williams-Darling’s shoulder but eventually the latter got the upper hand. Williams-Darling won gold clocking 49.41 to Guevara’s 49.56, a season’s best. 

High Jump - Hestrie Cloete (RSA), Olympic silver medallist

Cloete, the double World champion who was Athlete of the Year in 2003, has continued in a good vein of form this summer. She won in Bergen with 1.98 and then with 2.03 when winning in Rome. Outside the TDK Golden League she took an unexpected defeat in Lausanne (IAAF SGP) on 6 July (1.95 – 3rd=) but bounced back with an African Championships win (1.95), and then to a 2 metres victory in Madrid (IAAF SGP).

The Paris Golden League meeting brought her to the brink of defeat, as tied on 1.99 with Ukraine’s Viktoriya Styopina, it took a descending jump-off battle down to 1.95 before she was finally declared the winner.

A 1.97 win in hardly ideal weather conditions in Stockholm, and then a 2.03 victory in London last Friday brought Cloete some reassurance.

In Zurich, the double World champion’s clean, crisp style took six successive first time clearances (starting at 1.85m) topped by her winning 2.04 jump (meet record). That performance was then a world season lead, equalling the mark that Russia’s Yelena Slesarenko had set earlier this summer, and was enough to defeat Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic (2.00m) who had three failures at 2.04.

Once the competition was won, Cloete had three failures at 2.06, which would have equalled her African record.

But in Athens it was Slesarenko who tried and took 2.06m, and the Olympic gold. Cloete was as immaculate as ever in her jumping up to and past 2.02 but lost the Olympic title at 2.04, a height which the Russian World Indoor champion cleared first time. The South African with a 2.02 best had to be content with silver.

MEN

400m Hurdles – Felix Sanchez (DOM), Olympic champion

Sanchez, the double World Hurdles champion has been untouchable in all his races. He clocked 48.54 to win in the first TDK Golden League meeting and then a 48.43 to take the tape in Rome. Following on from that victory he blasted to 47.86 in Lausanne.

Sanchez’s victory in Paris was assured as soon as he entered the back straight, as he was able to power away from his challengers James Carter (USA) and Dai Tamesue (JPN) to take a 47.99 win, well clear of a fast finishing Naman Keita of France (second, 48.17).

In Zurich, Sanchez’s run convincingly put to bed the hopes of the then world season’s lead James Carter of the USA. The hurdling maestro from the Dominican Republic won with 47.92, ahead of another American Bershawn Jackson (48.08 – PB), with Carter, the US champion, third with 48.21.

In Athens, with 150 metres to go to the line, four hurdles away from the title and Sanchez made his move, one which would prove decisive. Although Sanchez and Carter came into the home stretch and cleared the ninth hurdle virtually simultaneously, one could tell that the American would not have the energy to chase Sanchez to the tape.

Sanchez powered home for Olympic gold in a world season’s best time of 47.63, Carter was left without gas and couldn’t but watch while Jamaica’s Danny McFarlane took silver in 48.11 and Naman Keita of France who had been trailing back in seventh coming into the final straight took bronze in 48.26.

Triple Jump - Christian Olsson (SWE), Olympic Champion

Sweden’s World and European outdoor and indoor champion jumped 17.58 and 17.50 to take victory at his first two TDK Golden League outings this summer. They were dominant performances as usual but one felt that Olsson’s season had yet to come to the boil.

Olsson took a comfortable win in Paris with a second round 17.41, though it was seriously challenged by the last round 17.37 leap of Brazil’s Jadel Gregorio.

It was an omen of the misfortune that awaited the Swede on home territory in Stockholm, where he succumbed to a rare defeat. Jumping 17.28, it was not quite enough for Olsson to beat Marian Oprea of Romania (17.30).

This was the wake up call that Olsson needed just prior to the Olympics, and in Zurich, Olsson saw off Oprea (third 17.27) comfortably with a 17.46 sixth round leap this time. His third (17.40) and fifth round (17.39) attempts were also comfortably ahead of the next best man who was USA’s Kenta Bell (17.38).

At the Olympics, Olsson drew the leadoff spot in the competition, and quick as a flash, he issued a challenge to the others in the form of a 17.69 leap. 

A second-round World-leading 17.79, Olsson’s best-ever outdoor jump and a Swedish national record, stretched his advantage out to a conservatively safe position. Oprea was the nearest with his opening 17.55 leap.

IAAF

** NB. all the winners of the six TDK Golden League meetings have to take part in the IAAF World Athletics Final to be eligible for the Jackpot prize.