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Athletics
By K.P. Mohan
His timing bettered the 3:36.39 he had set in Munich last year. German Skurygin of Russia clocked a National record of 3:36:42 for the silver while Andreas Erm of Germany bettered his National mark with a 3:37:46 for the bronze. Jesus Angel Garcia of Spain, expected to be Korzeniowski's main challenger finished sixth, while all the three Chinese in the fray, Bian Aiguo, Wang Yinghang and Yu Chaohong were disqualified. You Chaohong clung onto the leaders for quite a while after an early warning. Only 19 of 39 starters finished the event and there were 15 disqualifications. Qatar won its first ever World championships medal, a gold, on Tuesday, courtesy an imported Kenyan. In a memorable battle down the home straight, Saaeed Saif Shaheen, nee Stephen Cherono, had the better of his erstwhile Kenyan colleague, Ezekiel Kemboi in the 3,000m steeplechase final. As he finished, blowing kisses, and went into the arms of Mohamed Suleiman, Qatar's best finisher till Tuesday evening at the Worlds (fourth in 1,500m back in 1993), the Kenyans were hardly amused. Elder brother Abraham Cherono, who ended up fifth, would not shake hands with the new champion. After all, Shaheen had ended a Kenyan monopoly and till the other week he was running in Kenyan colours. Now, he was off with a Qatar flag. No wonder, Abraham was upset. So were perhaps thousands of his countrymen, but Shaheen said that half his family was happy for him and the other half not. Kemboi, who was so critical of Shaheen's switch till the other day, took it philosophically. "For me it was a Kenyan gold medal. He is a Kenyan, till the other day he ran for Kenya,'' said Kemboi. He had so gallantly taken on the man who was everyone's favourite in this race, weeks before the meet started, but found that the 21-year-old Qatari had one last ounce of energy left in him to carry him through the final 10 metres when the Kenyan was ready to collapse. This was a race worth waiting for, reminiscent of the great duel between Haile Gebrselassie and Kenyan Paul Tergat on the finishing straight in the 10,000 metres at the Sydney Olympics. The 8:04.39 to 8::05.11 timings might give a slightly misleading picture, but that was only because Kemboi could not have drawn from his lungs any more after having put everything he had over the last water jump to the last hurdle to be a fraction ahead, though momentarily. From 1991 onwards, when Moses Kiptanui won the first of his three world titles, Kenya had won every steeplechase title there was to take, including at the Worlds and the Olympics. Quite often it would be a sweep or else at least two medals. On Tuesday there was only one medal, as Spaniard Elesio Martin ran a personal best 8:09.09 for the bronze. Olympic champion Reuben Kosgei did not finish. Shaheen, who has been promised $1,000 per month for life by Qatar, apart from fees and bonuses, now wants to run the 5,000m, though Qatar's entry is that of Abdullah Ahmad Hassan, another Kenyan import who set an Asian record in the 10,000m while coming fourth. Shaheen heads the 5,000m world lists for the season, with a 12:48.81, clocked in Ostrava, ahead of Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco. Maria Mutola's third 800m title in the World championships came without much fight. The Mozambique woman had to just outkick Briton Kelly Holmes on the home straight for what was forecast as a one-horse race weeks before this meet. Whatever little challenge there could have been for Mutola was ruled out even before the race started with Austrian Stephanie Graf pulling out because of an injury suffered in her hotel bathroom. Another contender, Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia withdrew before the heats. A slow 1:01.20, with the runners being led by Mutola on the opening lap itself, suggested that it would be easy for the Mozambique woman in the end. It was an attempt to provide training partner Holmes a better chance than in a fast race. Holmes put up a fight as the runners took the penultimate bend. The Briton took off early, with Mutola in pursuit and into the straight, when Holmes threatened to speed away, Mutola came around and easily outpaced her. As she neared the end, she turned to her left three times to see where Russian Natalya Khrushchelyova was placed and then eased towards the finish. Mutola clocked 1:59.89, ordinary by her standards, Holmes 2:00.18 and Russian Khrushchelyova 2:00.29. Lithuanian Virgilijus Alekna, the Olympic champion, won the men's discus title with a throw of 69.69m, his season best. Hungary's Robert Fazekas, the favourite was second at 69.01, while Belarus's Vasily Kaptyukh claimed the bronze with 66.51. German Lars Riedel, looking for his sixth world title, was fourth, with 66.23m. Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia, coming back after motherhood, took the women's triple jump gold for the second time on the trot, edging Cameroon's Francoise Mbango Etone in the fifth round, 15.18 to 15.05. It was Lebedeva's season best while Mbango, who settled for the silver a second time in succession, bettered the African record of 15.03 she had set at Lappenranta, Finland, 23 days earlier. Italy's Magdeline Martinez set a National record of 14.90m for the bronze. The contest lacked some of its class since Cuban Yamile Aldama, the season leader (15.29m), was not entered by her country because of the athlete's intentions to change nationality. Jerome Young won the battle of the Americans in the men's 400 metres. Marc Raquil squeezed out a bronze to whet the appetite of the French who shouted hoarse but there was no stopping the Americans. Young came in front onto the straight and held firm, while Tyree Washington, the pre-race favourite seemed to have left too much to do towards the end. As is his wont, Raquil deliberately kept himself behind entering the straight and then made the dash. He had threatened to run down the Americans if given a four-metre leeway, but this was more. The bronze in a new National record time of 44.79s was a fine effort in the end. Young clocked 44.50, his season's best while Washington was on 44.77. Three-time champion 37-year-old American Gail Devers failed to progress to the women's 100m hurdles final, finishing third in her semifinal heat. Nine women will contest the final as Vonette Dixon of Jamaica and Patricia Girard of France could not be separated with their identical timing of 12.85s. The results: Men: 50km walk: 1. Robert Korzeniowski (Pol) 3:36:03 (World best performance, old 3:36:39), 2. German Skurygin (Rus) 3:36:42, 3. Andreas Erm (Ger) 3:37:46. Tuesday's results: Men: 400m: 1. Jerome Young (USA) 44.50s, 2. Tyree Washington (USA) 44.77, 3. Marc Raquil (Fra) 44.79; 3,000m steeplechase: 1. Saaeed Saif Shaheen (Qat) 8:04.39, 2. Ezekiel Kemboi (Ken) 8:05.11, 3. Eliseo Martin (Esp) 8:09.09; Discus: 1. Virgilijus Alekna (Ltu) 69.69m, 2. Robert Fazekas (Hun) 69.01, 3. Vasily Kaptyukh (Blr) 66.51. Women: 800m: 1. Maria Mutola (Moz) 1:59.89, 2. Kelly Holmes (Gbr) 2:00.18, 3. Natalya Khrushelyova (Rus) 2:00.29; triple jump: 1. Tatyana Lebedeva (Rus) 15.18m, 2. Francoise Mbango Etone (Cmr) 15.05, 3. Magdeline Martinez (Ita) 14.90.
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