The Hindu : Sport / Athletics : Madison takes gold; Anju finishes fifth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 12, 2005

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Sport - Athletics

Madison takes gold; Anju finishes fifth

HELSINKI: Anju Bobby George came up with yet another season best, of 6.66 metres, but had to settle for the fifth place in a dramatic, rain-ruined long jump competition won by American collegian Tianna Madison on the fifth day of the World championships here on Wednesday.

Madison, 20 days shy of her 20th birthday, produced a stunning 6.89m jump on her fifth attempt to wrest the gold that looked likely to go to Russian Tatyana Kotova who had opened with a 6.76 and gone up to 6.79 by the third round.

Defending champion Eunice Barber of France was third with a wind-aided 6.76 after having trailed well behind till the fourth round. Cuban Yargelis Savigne, silver winner earlier in triple jump here, edged Anju for the fourth place with a first-round 6.69m.

Promising start

Anju promised much the way she opened with a 6.66m, her best by a long way this season, bettering her 6.54m achieved in the qualifying round here. She and husband and coach Bobby George had promised that there would be a season best and that is the way it turned out. The disappointment was that there could be no medal for the Indian in a competition that though it failed to see a seven-metre jump was intense and exciting all the same.

For much of the time the jumpers battled it out in rain, accompanied by gushing winds, as had been the norm for three days. Anju, though she tried her best, watched by Bobby from the stands, could not improve upon her opening round effort as she reeled off a sequence of 6.59, 6.57, 6.51, foul and 6.56.

Season's best

Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas added the women's 400 metres title to her Olympic title.

The 29-year-old timed 49.55 seconds — season's best — ahead of America's Sanya Richards (49.74sec) while reigning champion Ana Guevara of Mexico took bronze in 49.81sec.

Williams-Darling produced a remarkable comeback down the finishing straight having entered it three metres behind Richards.

``Victory was due to my faith in God, he's been with me all my career,'' said Williams-Darling.

Olympic silver medallist Bryan Clay was crowned decathlon champion after an enthralling two-day competition that saw the American surge ahead of main rival Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic.

Clay, 25, finished on 8732 points after the 10 gruelling events, while Olympic champion Sebrle was on 8521.

The results:

Men's 1,500m: 1. Rashid Ramzi (Bah) 3:37.88; 2. Adil Kaouch (Mor) 3:38.00; 3. Rui Silva (Por) 3:38.02.

Men's javelin: 1. Andrus Varnik (Est) 87.17m; 2. Andreas Thorkildsen (Nor) 86.18; 3. Sergey Makarov (Rus) 83.54.

Men's decathlon: 1. Bryan Clay (U.S.) 8732.00 pts; 2. Roman Sebrle (Cze) 8521.00; 3. Attila Zsivoczky (Hun) 8385.00.

Women's 400m: 1. Tonique Williams-Darling (Bah) 49.55s; 2. Sanya Richards (U.S.) 49.74; 3. Ana Guevara (Mex) 49.81.

Women's long jump: 1. Tianna Madison (U.S.) 6.89m; 2. Tatyana Kotova (Rus) 6.79m; 3. Eunice Barber (Fra) 6.76. — Agencies

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