The Hindu : Cloete, El-Guerrouj are best

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2003

Sport

Sport - Athletics

Cloete, El-Guerrouj are best

MONTE CARLO SEPT. 15. American sprinter Kelli White failed in her bid to overtake South Africa's Hestrie Cloete and become World Athlete of the Year, slumping to fourth in Sunday's 100 metres at the inaugural World Athletics Finals.

White, competing under a cloud of controversy since testing positive for a stimulant at the worlds, needed to smash her personal best of 10.85 seconds and clock 10.77 to pass high jump world champion Cloete's total of 1,441 points in the women's overall rankings. However, her time of 11.08 was insufficient to move her up from third overall.

Meanwhile, Morocco's Hicham El-Guerrouj took the men's World Athlete of the Year award with 1,450, despite pulling out of Sunday's 1500m race due to fatigue.

``I'm really happy to be Athlete of the Year for the third time. I'll try to keep going like this, especially as the next year will be very important for me,'' El-Guerrouj said, who will be seeking to add a first Olympic title to his resume at the 2004 Athens Games.

``A 1500m race without Hicham is like a painting without colour,'' he added. ``I came here to Monaco with the intention of having a good performance, but you can't plan certain things. I didn't want to risk my health.''

White started slowly and seemed to have no power in the final stretch, as compatriot Chryste Gaines won with a personal best of 10.86. Gaines crossed .18 ahead of France's Christine Arron and .20 clear of American Torri Edwards.

White only just withstood Bahamas runner Chandra Sturrup's late surge to hold fourth spot.

The crowd at the Stade Louis II stadium heavily booed White — who won the 200 on Saturday — when the stadium announcer introduced the runners. She looked strained and affected by the hostile reception — staring at the ground and grimacing.

White's below-par performance means she stayed third in the overall rankings on 1,429 points, behind Sweden's world heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft — who skipped the meet — on 1,436.

White quickly left the track and did not speak to reporters after the race. Cloete wins prize money of $100,000. Kluft gets $50,000 for second place overall, with White receiving $25,000 only if she is cleared of doping charges.

World champion Saif Saeed Shaheen of Qatar took second overall in the men's rankings with 1,448. He needed a world record of 7:54.49 in the 3000m steeplechase to overtake El-Guerrouj, but won in 7:57.38 — the best time in the world this year.

Ethiopia's 10,000m World champion Kenenisa Bekele took overall third with 1,441 — edging American 110m hurdle World champion Allen Johnson by just a point.

Equal prize money is awarded to male and female athletes.

Earlier, three-time World champion Gail Devers put the disappointment at the Paris World championships behind her, blasting ahead of the field to take Sunday's 100m hurdles.

Devers, who failed to make the final at the World championships last month, clocked 12.45 seconds — the fastest this year in the event.

``I wouldn't call it revenge,'' she said, referring to her run in Paris when her trailing leg hit a hurdle. ``I just didn't want to hit a hurdle again. To run a world fastest time in the last race of the year made me happy.''

Devers, 36, led from the start and crossed the line a clear distance ahead of Spain's Glory Alozie, who placed second in 12.66. American Miesha McKelvy was third in 12.69.

In the men's 200m, American Joshua J. Johnson came first in 20.35, just .02 ahead of compatriot Shaun Crawford, with Mauritius runner Stephane Buckland .09 behind in third.

Mozambique's Maria Mutola continued her excellent form this year, taking the women's 800 in 1:59.59; finishing .43 ahead of Britain's Kelly Holmes. Morocco's Amina Ait Hammou placed third .48 adrift.

Mutola's win was her 18th straight of a fruitful season in which she became the first winner of the $1 million IAAF Golden League Jackpot — awarded to athletes winning every Golden League track meet of the season in a single category.

She also clinched both the world indoor and outdoor titles. Her unbroken 2003 Golden League triumphs came in Oslo, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Zurich and Brussels.

``It's a great feeling to come here and finish my season with another win,'' Mutola said shortly after the race. ``My goal is now next year's Olympics.''

The results:

Men: 3,000m steeplechase: 1. Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Qat, 7:57.38s); 2. Paul Koech (Ken, 7:57.42).

5,000m: 1. Eliud Kipchoge (Ken, 13:23.34s); 2. Richard Limo (Ken, 13:23.95s); 3. Gebre-egziabher Gebremariam (Eth, 13:24.13s).

High jump: 1. Yaroslav Rybakov (Rus, 2.3m); 2. Stefan Holm (Swe, 2.3m); 3. Jamie Nieto (U.S., 2.3m).

Javelin: 1. Sergey Makarov (Rus, 85.66m); 2. Jan Zelezny (Czech, 84.33m); 3. Boris Henry (Ger, 81m).

Women: 100m: 1. Chryste Gaines (U.S., 10.86s); 2. Christine Arron (Fra, 11.04s); 3. Torri Edwards (U.S., 11.06s).

400m: 1. Ana Guevara (Mex, 49.34s); 2. Lorraine Fenton (Jam, 50.29s); 3. Tonique Williams (Bah, 50.87s).

Pole vault: 1. Tatyana Polnova (Rus, 4.68m); 2. Svetlana Feofanova (Rus, 4.6m); 3. Stacy Dragila (U.S., 4.5m).

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