Kim Gevaert (BEL) in action in the women's 100m (© Getty Images)
Zolder, BelgiumOn 2 August 2004 Paul Eerdekens was immensely happy. 25 years before he had organised the very first 'Night of Athletics' and his event developed beyond any expectation, thanks to the commitment of this special man. In 2003 the KBC Night of Athletics became an IAAF Grand Prix meeting and in 2004 it ranked as the best Grand Prix II meeting and 15th meeting overall of 2004. Yet, last August Eerdekens was also aware that it was the last time he would attend his meeting, since he was struggling in vain against cancer. He passed away in January 2005 at the age of 61.
1500m national recordholder Christophe Impens is now fully in charge as the event coordinator and is backed by a strong and experienced organising committee. The 2005 KBC Night of Athletics which takes place tomorrow, Saturday 23 July, has moved into a new era, but its reputation will continue to grow, that’s the promise they made to Paul.
‘Would-be-Kenyan’ from Norway faces Africans in 5000m
If you’re a fan of distance running, there is little doubt that you’re familiar with the famous website www.mariusbakken.com. What you should definitely know is that its webmaster is the Norwegian 5000m recordholder. Marius Bakken ran 13:06.39 in Rome last year and already has 13:11.70 in Paris to his credit for 2005. He is fascinated by Kenyan training methods and strongly believes that he can run the 5000m inside 13 minutes if only he continues to train like the Kenyans do.
Bakken arrived in Belgium on Tuesday and is really focused to make a great thing happen in Saturday’s race. Kenyans Shadrack Kosgei and Hillary Chenonge are the likely ones to challenge and to help the Norwegian in his bid to finish below 13:00.
Do not discount Moukheld Al-Outaibi (KSA) who ran 13:08.64 in Paris and Hicham Bellani (MAR) who has a personal best of 13:05.72 who are also entered.
Susanne Wigene is another surprising Norvegian distance runner who broke the 15 minutes barrier recently in Rome. She faces Margaret Maury (FRA), evergreen Gete Wami (ETH) and the young Portugese talent Ines Monteiro in the women’s 5000m.
Kenyan steeple festival could be spoiled by Vroemen
About 25 athletes are due to start in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. “Too many indeed”, admits Christophe Impens, “but we hope that in the large train of athletes on the track some athletes will be carried to personal best performances.”
Julius Nyamu, Kipkurui Misoi, Wesley Kiprotich, Linus Chumba and David Chemweno can make it a Kenyan festival unless European record holder Simon Vroemen (NED) or Martin Proll (AUT) can reach their best form and spoil the Kenyan party.
in the flat middle distances, “I expect Joeri Jansen to finally to break my national 1500m record next Saturday”, said Impens. “He has the ability to do so and he will be pushed by Johan Cronje (RSA), Elkanah Angwenyi (KEN) and good old Driss Maazouzi (FRA) and by his compatriot Tim Clerbout”.
In the 800m Kenyans John Litei and Joseph Mutua line up against their compatriot Edwin Letting, the impressive winner in Liège on Wednesday. Florent Lacasse (FRA) and Arnout Okken (NED) are the outsiders in this race. The women’s 800m is expected to be won by Kenia Sinclair (JAM) who finished as a surprise third in the Rome Golden League meeting in 1’58”88.
Test-out for local hero Gevaert
She opted for intensive hamstring treatment instead of running in Liège on Wednesday. Kim Gevaert doesn’t take any risk as time is shorten now before the opening ceremony of the World Championships in Helsinki.
Gevaert requires individual competitions now and will run the 100m and 200m in Heusden-Zolder. “Physically Kim is fine”, confirms her coach Rudi Diels, “and she completed a maximum speed training session this Thursday without any problem. She has been reliable and consistent all season long and we expect her to make it a confident piece of sprinting again tomorrow night.”
Beverly McDonald (JAM) in the 100m and LaShauntea Moore (USA) and Stephanie Durst (USA) in the 200m will provide tough opposition for the Belgian sprinting pride.
The women’s sprint relay belgium takes on a Swedish quartet which includes the Kallur sisters and Carolina Klüft in their line up.
In the men’s 100m sprint, Bernard Williams will want to take revenge for his below par performance in Liège.
The 400m favourites are Brandon Simpson (JAM) and Leonard Byrd (USA), with Gary Kikaya (COD) and Ato Modibo (TRI) as serious challengers.
American High Jump battle
Amy Acuff became the American High Jump champion when she beat Chaunte Howard last June in Carson,CA. But Howard the 9 years younger athlete who finished runner-up cleared a 2.00m bar for the first time in her life in Liège this week.
“And there is more to come”, said Howard affirmatively after Wednesday’s competition. “I was barely hitting the bar on my attempts at 2.02m”. Both Americans are competing for the title of the current best American high jumper. Viktoriya Seryogina (RUS) and local Tia Hellebaut will try to take advantage of the tense competitive atmosphere on the infield.
Olympic champions clash in vault
The men’s Pole Vault is also one of the most eagerly awaited events. 2004 and 2000 Olympic champions Timothy Mack (USA) and Nick Hysong (USA) have the difficult task to withstand the opposition of experienced vaulters such as Miles (USA), Mesnil (FRA), Stolle (GER) and Galfione (FRA), another former Olympic champion, who looks rejuvenated as he cleared 5.75m in St-Etienne recently.
Cuban hammer throwers to dominate
Walter Davis (USA) and Melvin Lister (USA) are preparing to hold off the Brasilian challenge of Jadel Gregorio and Rodrigo Mendes in the men’s Triple Jump. Young Belgian Michael Velter made a convincing comeback in Liège after severe injury problems and seems capable of attacking the 17m mark in Heusden-Zolder.
Germans Michael Möllenbeck and Robert Harting are the strongest entries in the Discus Throw.
However, “for safety reasons the women’s Hammer Throw is scheduled on Friday (22) in the nearby stadium of Kiewit,” announces Christophe Impens, “it was a dreadful decision to make with two Cuban Olympic medallists Yipsi Moreno and Yunaika Crawford on the start list. It surely is a spectacular event, but too dangerous to be held in the main stadium.”
Moreno may well be inspired by the World record set by Russian Tatyana Lysenko in Moscow only one week ago. Recently the Cuban produced a season’s best of 73.88m in Zagreb.
Good to know: you don’t have to be a die hard athletics fan to enjoy the happenings in Heusden-Zolder. The venue and the atmosphere are so special that every year it is again the place to be for thousands of enthusiastic spectators. The Night of Athletics owes that to Paul Eerdekens.
Ivo Hendrix for the IAAF
