Despite few appearances this season, Maria Mutola showed that a time-tested race style is something that simply doesn’t go away after her 2:02.33 win, the quickest performance from the opening rounds four heats.
The six-time World Indoor champion who has won the last three, controlled much of the latter half of the race until she was overtaken by Ukraine’s Tetyana Petlyuk heading into the final turn. Refusing to settle for second - as runner-up she would have advanced automatically - the 33-year-old Mozambican powered back over the homestretch to regain the psychological edge the 24-year-old Petlyuk tried to gain. The Ukrainian, the bronze medallist at the European Junior championships in 2001, held on for second (2:02.40), just ahead of Briton Jennifer Meadows (2:02.75).
"Indoors you need to run with open eyes, anything can happen," said Mutola. "It will be difficult to win against the Russian runners. But I want to fight and see what I can do."
The remaining three heats were slower with no surprises emerging.
World and Olympic silver medallist Hasna Benhassi of Morocco, also the World champion indoors at 1500m, controlled the proceedings in heat 2, winning in 2:03.63 ahead of Pole Ewaline Setowska who produced a season’s best 2:03.71. Mihaela Stancescu-Neacsu also advanced.
World leader Olga Kotlyarova made her 2:03.75 win in the third heat look remarkably easy, as her path to what would be the first ever Russian victory in the event began. Jamaican Kenia Sinclair, who emerged last season as a solid middle distance threat, was second (2:03.94). American Frances Santin was third, and advance as well.
"I wanted to have it easier, but the other runner was pushing me so it was harder than expected," said Kotlyarova.
Natalya Tsyganova, the second Russian entrant, looked to be in control of the final heat until being overtaken by France’s Elisabeth Grousselle in the waning meters. Grousselle, who clocked 2:04.74 to the Russian’s 2:04.82, was the surprise silver medallist at the 2002 European championships, finishing behind Jolanda Ceplak and Stephanie Graf’s monumental world record battle.
BR
