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Athletics
By K.P. Mohan
It was a masterly display at the Stade de France by the king of the metric mile, seemingly untroubled even when being chased furiously down the finishing straight. El Guerrouj made light of Baala's challenge on the straight, looking up just once onto the giant scoreboard to see where his rivals were and then taking his index finger to his lips to suggest that he had silenced everyone, if that was needed at all. Then, with the Moroccan officials starting to make a beeline to shower kisses, El Guerrouj started strumming an imaginary guitar in celebration. El Guerrouj clocked 3:31.77, Bala 3:32.31 and surprise bronze medallist Ivan Heshko of Ukraine 3:33.17. El Guerrouj joins Michael Johnson and Haile Gebrselassie as the only athletes to win four gold medals in an individual track event at the Worlds. Overall, pole vaulter Sergey Bubka has six from one individual event, with German discus thrower Lars Riedel at five. For someone who had won three World titles before Wednesday night, the boisterous celebration might have looked out of character. But El Guerrouj later explained how he had spent five sleepless nights thinking over this race and how much pressure he had endured since experts had started doubting his ability and his speed and since his main challenger was going to be a Frenchman. "I rang up my mother and said, mamma all the French are against me. And she said, son, Allah will be with you.'' But Baala knew that it was pointless chasing this smooth-striding Moroccan in a 1,500. He said as much in the interview room. Not that the Frenchman did not want to try. That has been his dream, he said, of winning the world title in front of his home fans. "But you have to be a lot better if you have to beat Hicham,'' said the 25-year-old European champion. Spaniard Reyez Estevez led the first 400. "Eh, what is he doing out there in front?'' That was how El Guerrouj thought about that initial lap, he would say later. "I took over control from there.'' That is the way El Guerrouj runs most of the time, in front. "You have to really accelerate the last 1,000 metres,'' he said. It is no longer the last 400 or the last 800 metres.
This was only his third best winning time in the Worlds finals, having clocked better both in 2001 and in 1999 when, pushed by Kenyan Noah Ngeny, he had posted a championship record of 3:27.65. Ngeny had stunned the world and dashed El Guerrouj's Olympic dream in Sydney. That happened to be one of the three defeats the Moroccan has suffered in 1,500m or the mile since the 1996 Olympics when he fell just before the `bell'. Here, at the Stade, when the `bell' chimed, the master was right in front and he stayed there. On the final back straight, when El Gurreouj started lengthening his strides, Baala gallantly hung on. Onto the straight, the galleries virtually erupting, Baala made one last ditch attempt, but his `prey' was far too ahead. There was another outstanding victory, but this one happened to be the first title for someone who was the favourite all the same. Ana Guevara of Mexico ran away from the women's 400m field to clock a career-best world-leading time of 48.89s that was also a Central American and Caribbean record. Second-placed Lorraine Fenton of Jamaica (49.43) and defending champion Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal (49.95) also posted their season bests. Only six other women have cracked 49.00s with GDR's Marita Koch heading the list with her 47.60s at the Canberra World Cup in 1985. Since Frenchwoman Marie-Jose Perec and Australian Cathy Freeman came under 49.00 at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, there has not been a similar effort till Wednesday. Freeman retired earlier this year while Perec was expected, by Parisians at least, to make a grand comeback in these championships. That did not happen, though the advance sale of tickets made sure that the Stade would be almost packed to the brim. Since Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova clocked a World record 47.99s in winning the inaugural Helsinki meet in 1983, no one has come below 49.00s in the World championships. "The World record (Koch's 47.60s) is difficult to break, but that was not my main aim,'' said Guevara, who had finished third last time and fifth at the Sydney Olympics. "But I have not forgotten about it (WR). I am still thinking of it,'' said the 26-year-old muscular Mexican. The little-known Perdita Felicien brought off the surprise of the evening by outclassing the women's 100m hurdles field. Two days away from her 23rd birthday, the Canadian, surprised herself and a horde of others with a fluent victory. A student at the University of Illinois, US, and a two-time US Collegiate champion was ahead throughout the race and clocked a National record of 12.53s. Felicien had made the semifinals of the last Worlds in Edmonton while she could not go beyond the heats at the Sydney Olympics. The favourite, Bridgette Foster of Jamaica who had scored over Felicien at the recent Pan-American Games, could not match the fluency of her rival and trailed throughout in a slow final. Eventually, Foster who had lost only to American Gail Devers this season, made a desperate lunge at the finish, lost balance and fell heavily. Foster clocked 12.57, and was followed by American Meisha McKelvy at 12.67. French hope Patricia Girard finished seventh in 12.83 in a nine-woman field, a first for World championships final. Three-time champion Devers had crashed out of the semifinals on Tuesday night. American Tom Pappas took the decathlon crown, upstaging, not unexpectedly, World record holder Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic. Kazakhstan's Dmitry Karpov provided quite a surprise by leading on the first day and then maintaining it up to the eighth event. Thereafter he slumped allowing Pappas and Sebrle to forge ahead. Going into the final event, 1,500m, Pappas had a 179-point lead and he could relax a little and come in 11th in the last race to romp home with 8750 points. Sebrle was second at 8634, while Karpov had a National mark at 8364 for the bronze. Former World record holder Tomas Dvorak of the Czech Republic was fourth with 8242 while Chinese Qi Haifeng, seventh, had a National mark of 8126. Four-time World long jump champion Ivan Pedroso of Cuba limped off the pit after aggravating an ankle injury during qualification. His opening jump was a foul and the 31-year-old Cuban decided not to take any more jumps. He indicated that he might have to consider retirement. Pedroso had not been in the best of form this season, though he had an 8.31 in Padua, Italy, in July. He was expected to figure in the medal hunt, if only for his experience. One of the favourites for the title, American Savante Stringfellow crashed out in the qualification with a 7.83. The results: Men: 1,500m: 1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Mar) 3:31.77, 2. Mehdi Baala (Fra) 3:32.31, 3. Ivan Heshko (Ukr) 3:33.17; decathlon: 1. Tom Pappas (USA) 8750 pts, 2. Roman Sebrle (Cze) 8634, 3. Dmitry Karpov (Kaz) 8374. Women: 400m: 1. Ana Guevara (Mex) 48.89s, 2. Lorraine Fenton (Jam) 49.43, 3. Amy Mbacke Thiam (Sen) 49.95; 100m hurdles: 1. Perdita Felicien (Can) 12.53, 2. Bridgette Foster (Jam) 12.57, 3. Miesha McKelvy (USA) 12.67; Shot put: 1. Svetlana Krivelyova (Rus) 20.63m, 2. Nadezhda Ostapchuk (Blr) 20.12, 3. Vita Pavlysh (Ukr) 20.08.
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