What
to look out for on Day 5
Nick Davies
for the IAAF
7 August 2001
- Edmonton - After his disappointment in last year’s Olympics, Switzerland’s
Andre Bucher set himself a lofty aim for this season – to win every race. But
although the former school teacher has been invincible to date on the European
circuit, including a world leading 1:42.90 in Monaco, he will need to avoid the
rough and tumble of the pack in tonight’s 800m final, if he is to claim the
gold.
Bucher is likely to try and set a fast pace, since once he is out in front and running freely, he is a tough nut to crack. The toughest competition is likely to come from the two Kenyan representatives William Yiampoy and Wilfred Bungei, as well as the consistent South African Hezekiel Sepeng, who almost won two years ago in Seville. Germany’s Olympic champion Nils Schumann is coming back from injury and may struggle if the pace is really quick. But if he is in contention with 100 metres to go, don’t be surprised if he adds another title to his already impressive CV.
The women’s 10,000 metres will be an intriguing race as it is a straight final, and few of the participants have shown much pre-season form. Britain’s Paula Radcliffe – so often the gallant runner up – is in the form of her life, and would dearly love to add a track gold to the World Half Marathon Championship and World Cross Country titles she has won in the last 12 months. Radcliffe ran an impressive 30:55.80 in very windy conditions at the European Challenge event, leaving one of her main challengers Irina Mikitenko of Germany almost half a lap adrift. She has also been working on her finishing sprint – her main weakness – as can be seen from the 3000 Commonwealth record of 8:26.97 she clocked in Rome. As usual though, Radcliffe will have to draw the sting from her Ethiopian rivals Gete Wami and Derartu Tulu – but the form of the latter is a mystery as she has not been seen on the circuit this summer after impressively winning the London Marathon. Since Edmonton, at 700 metres, is slightly at altitude, it will be a race where the strongest will thrive, so expect a duel between Radcliffe and Tulu.
Having recently been embroiled in an unseemly spat in the courts, Romanians Gabriela Szabo and Violetta Szekely take their rivalry to the track tonight for a 1500m final that should be explosive. Both semi-finals were scrappy affairs, with a number of fallers, but the final should see Russia’s Natalya Gorelova taking up the pace, with the Romanians poised behind to pounce. Szabo has looked more comfortable in Edmonton than in early races on the circuit and it is likely to end in a tussle between her and Szekely around the last 200 metres.
Like the men’s race, the women’s 400m final seems wide open. Amy Thiam Mbacke of Senegal ran 50.21 to lead the qualifiers. Germany’s vastly experienced Grit Breuer (who was challenging for honours a decade ago now) will be in contention, as well as Mexico's Ana Guevara.
The women’s long jump may give Italy’s Fiona May the opportunity to regain a title she first won in 1995, and controversially lost in 1999, when she was narrowly beaten by Spain’s Niurka Montalvo. May claimed that Montalvo’s jump was a foul, but here she can let her feet do the talking by winning what has been a very low key contest to date. The qualifying round was remarkable only for the poor standard of marks achieved (Jenny Adams was able to qualify for the final with 6.48) and for the demise of Olympic champion Heike Dreschler, who injured herself when warming up. Russia’s Tatyana Kotova – who has a best of 7.12 this season - only scraped into the final with 6.54. Brazil’s Maurren Maggi – a world finalist in 1999 – has been jumping well and with 6.74, was one of the few to impress so far.
In the women’s hammer, the favourite will be Olga Kuzenkova, the silver medallist from Sydney, who achieved the best qualifying mark of 70.43. Other contenders will be France’s Manuela Montebrun, who managed 67.92 yesterday, the Olympic bronze medallist Kirsten Munchow and the 21 year-old American Melissa Price, who threw 65.65 in her debut appearance at the World Championships.
The Decathlon, which ends this evening, has settled into a duel between Tomas Dvorak of the Czech Republic and Britain’s Dean Macey, just as occurred two years ago in Seville. Dvorak, who lost his world record to countryman Roman Sebrle earlier this year, was in great form yesterday, ending the day with 4638 points, just one point behind the giant Briton. Olympic champion Erki Nool was third going into the discus throw with 4531 points.
