Brimin Kipruto takes 2004 Olympic Steeplechase silver (© Getty Images)
Seville, SpainThe meeting organisers have assembled no less than nine medallists from last summer’s Athens Olympics (6 men / 3 women) for the ‘Meeting de Atletismo Sevilla 2005’ – the fifth leg of the IAAF Grand Prix series - which will take place this Saturday in the stadium that hosted the 1999 World Championships.
Kipruto-Kipsiele Koech showdown in the steeplechase
The 3000m Steeplechase will easily be the event of the highest calibre as four athletes from the top five at last year’s Olympic Games will be in contention, the only exception being Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi. But his countrymen Brimin Kipruto (silver medallist) and Paul Kipsiele Koech (bronze) will be looking for a quick time after their convincing 1-2 last Sunday in Hengelo where they recorded 8:09.53 and 8:09.83 respectively. As a statistical note, Kipruto’s career best time is 8:05.52 over eight seconds slower than Koech’s, who holds an impressive 7:57.42 performance.
Trying to deny them top spot will be Qatar’s Obaid Musa Amer (4th in Athens) and his in-form compatriot Jamal Bilal Salem, holder of a notable 7:30.76 clocking in the 3000m flat set last 13 May in Doha. Morocco’s former World record holder Brahim Boulami and Ali Ezzine along with the Kenyan trio of Misoi Kipkurui, Wesley Kiprotich and Richard Matelong also belong to this Saturday’s quality field which comprises 11 men with a lifetime best under the 8:10 barrier.
The Spanish armada will try to answer that barrage of African talent with Athens fifth placer Luis Miguel Martín, the reigning European Champion Antonio Jiménez and the 2003 World bronze medallist Eliseo Martín among others.
First 1500m under 3:30 for Daniel Kipchirchir Komen?
Still 20, Kenya’s Daniel Kipchirchir Komen is a fast emerging star in the middle-distance events. Winner in the Grand Prix in Doha with a massive PB of 3:30.77, Komen last raced in Hengelo on Sunday and also lowered his 3000m best performance to 7:31.98 to place third. However, he will face stiff opposition from his compatriots Timothy Kiptanui (4th in Athens), Ben Kipkurui and 18-year-old Augustine Choge who is the World Junior and Youth 5000 metres champion and won the World Junior Cross Country title in France last March.
Choge had a fine victory in Hengelo over 5000 timed at 13:12.83 and had opened his track season with a startling 3:34.8 1500 metres at altitude in Nairobi. The European contingent includes Ukraine’s World bronze medallist and current European indoor champion Ivan Heshko, Gert-Jan Liefers of the Netherlands (7:37.48 at 3000m in Hengelo) and France’s European U-23 champion Mounir Yemmouni while the most remarkable Spaniards will also be in action headed by Juan Carlos Higuero, Reyes Estévez and Arturo Casado, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively at the last European indoors in Madrid.
Songok tackles 5000m
Despite holding a relatively poor performance of 13:37.3 back in 2000, Isaac Songok should be a factor in the 5000m after his stunning 3000m win from World 5000m champion fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge last Sunday in Hengelo, in 7:30.14. Songok clinched the bronze medal at the Worlds Cross Country championships in the short race last March.
One of his main opponents will be the Spain-based Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Zersenay Tadese, of Eritrea (7:39.93 3000 PB for sixth in Doha). Other classy performers are Kenya’s Richard and Benjamin Limo, Uganda’s Boniface Kiprop, Morocco’s Abderrahim Goumri, Bahrain’s Mushir Salem Jawher and Australia’s Craig Mottram but the surprise could well come from the in-form Spanish pair of Jesús España and Juan Carlos de la Ossa, following his runner-up position to Haile Gebrselassie on a 10km road race in Manchester two weeks ago.
Alekna to keep up winning streak
Lithuania’s Virgilijus Alekna, the World and Olympic Discus Throw champion will be another highlight of the show. The 33-year-old, who retained his Olympic title in Athens last August, has started is 2005 season in good shape and looks on the way to also successfully defend his World Championship this summer in Helsinki. He opened on 22 April with a 69.06 win, and has since had three more competitions and wins topped by his 69.57m effort in Hengelo.
Alekna will have his work cut out against Estonia’s Gerd Kanter who produced a 70.10m heave last 27 April in Chula Vista (California) to set a National record and lead this still young season. This top notch Discus pairing will be accompanied by other class acts: Hungary’s Olympic silver medallist Zoltan Kövago, Canada’s Jason Tunks and Spain’s Mario Pestano.
Another Olympic medallist (bronze) performing in Seville is Spain’s Joan Lino Martínez in the Long Jump. The 27-year-old Cuban-born (8.37 PB) will make his 2005 outdoor season debut and lines up against Panama’s Irving Saladino who will try to confirm in Europe the major breakthrough he produced in Santiago de Chile in early May when he leapt a massive PB of 8.26.
Other important entries are Ghana’s Ignisious Gaisah (8.11 last weekend in Germany),Ukraine’s Oleksey Lukashevich and Jamaica’s James Beckford, who missed the Olympic bronze medal in Athens to Lino Martínez by one centimetre (8.32 versus 8.31).
The 800m presages a clash between Kenya’s Wilfred Bungei, Bahrain Kamel Saad Yusuf, Spain’s Antonio Reina and the Moroccan pair of Amine Laalou and Mouhssin Chehibi, who is Hasna Benhassi’s husband and coach and came fourth at the Olympic Games in Athens last summer. Chehibi and Lalou made a 1-2 for Morocco in Milan with 1:45.31 and 1:45.62 clockings respectively.
There will be an exciting battle for the win in the Shot Put. Germany’s Ralf Bartles unleashed a 21m+ heave (21.36) for the first time in his career on German soil last weekend but will have to fight hard against America’s Reese Hoffa, Christian Cantwell and Jamie Beyer, South Africa’s Janus Robberts and Spain’s Manuel Martínez.
Other disciplines to take place include the 400m (Congo’s Gary Kikaya), and the 110m Hurdles (America’s Micah Harris and the current European 60m Hurdles silver medallist Spain’s Felipe Vivancos).
Benhassi and Burika to take centre stage
Olympic 800m silver medallist Morocco’s Hasna Benhassi is the star name in the 800m. Benhassi turned 27 on Wednesday and has already had a fine win this year from Jolanda Ceplak in Doha clocking 2:00.83. Benhassi’s compatriot Mina Ait Hammou, European indoor silver medallist Spain’s Maite Martínez and the Russian trio of Natalia Tsiganova, Irina Mistyukevich and Olga Kotlyarova complete a quality affair.
The 1500m will focus on Ethiopia’s World Junior cross country champion Gelete Burika, who is fresh from a clear victory in Hengelo on Sunday where she ran a PB of 4:04.97. Burika takes on Kenya’s Nancy Lagat who ran even faster in Milan with a 4:04.01 win. This event is shaping well also thanks to Poland’s Anna Jakubczak, Canada Carmen Douma-Hussar, Naomi Mugo of Kenya, European indoor champion Romania’s Elena Iagar plus Bouchra Ghezielle and Hind Dehiba, both of France.
The 3000m witnesses the comeback of World 5000 silver medallist Spain’s Marta Domínguez after a 15-month lay-off due to surgery on her left tendon. Still in her warm-up for Helsinki Worlds the 29-year-old Spaniard will not start as a favourite due to the presence to Kenyans Prisca Jepleting and World Cross Country silver medallist in the long race Alice Timbilil.
Ukrainian Olympic medallists to hold off local challenge
Ukraine’s Yelena Krasovska produced one of the major surprises at the Olympics last summer when she clinched the100m Hurdles silver medal in a PB of 12.45. The 28-year-old has not raced since but should stamp her authority over Spain’s Glory Alozie and Aliuska López. In the High Jump Vita Styopina leads a bunch of five women who have cleared 2.00 or higher in her careers with the European indoor silver medallist Spain’s Ruth Beitia among them.
Outstanding hammer line-up
The hammer will be the opener event and should provide good results thanks to the in-shape German trio of Susanne Kiel, Betty Heidler and Kathrin Klaas, whose efforts were measured in 72.32, 71.78 and 70.47 respectively last weekend in Germany.
Overall, no less than ten women have thrown 70m or further in a field which comprises Romania’s Mihaela Melinte, Belarus’ Olga Tsander, Russia’s Elena Konevtsova and Poland’s Kamila Skolimowska.
Other events to be contested will be the Pole Vault (Poland’s Monika Pyrek), the Triple Jump (Russia’s Yelena Oleynikova), and the 400m (Belarus’ Svetalana Usovich).
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF
