At the third Golden League Meeting in Oslo's New Bislett stadium, Norway Britain’s Jo Pavey was the
one pushing the pace in the women’s 3000m with two laps to go, leading a trio
of Africans – Maryam Yusuf Jamal, now of Bahrain but formerly an Ethiopian,
Gete Wami (ETH) and Isabella Ochichi (KEN). The Briton had taken over from the
Russian pace maker Olga Komyagina who led through the earlier rounds (1000m
<st1:time hour="2" minute="48">2:48</st1:time>; 2000m
<st1:time hour="5" minute="38">5:38</st1:time>), and Pavey’s decision to keep the
race lively was eventually to be rewarded with third place and a European
season’s lead of 8:33.79.
<o:p></o:p>
Just after the bell it was
Jamal, one of only three women this year to have gone under 4mins for the
1500m, who used her speed to break from her three opponents. Ochichi, the
Olympic 5000m silver medallist tried to respond, and also easily slipped past
Pavey but she never made any impact on the Bahraini.
<o:p></o:p>
Jamal crossed the line for
an emphatic victory, a world season’s lead of 8:28.87, which was also a
Bahraini national record. Ochichi was second in her summer’s best (8:31.42),
and after Pavey came home, Gete Wami crossed in 8:36.22. Notable in fifth was a
personal best by
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Susanne Wigene (8:41.34).
<o:p></o:p>
Fast men’s Mile
<o:p></o:p>
It was to be the
<st1:place>Arabian Gulf</st1:place>’s night in the middle distances, as
the final event of the evening, the ExxonMobil Dream Mile, also went to an Arab
state, this time
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Qatar</st1:place></st1:country-region>, with Najem Dahame Bashir, the
former Kenyan David Nyaga, winning in a world leading time of 3:47.97, which
was also an Area record.
<o:p></o:p>
In a fast race there was a
season’s best for Bernard Lagat (second 3:48.38), PB’s for Daniel Kipchirchir
Komen (third 3:48.49) and
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Alan Webb (fourth 3:48.92). Area
records also fell to Craig Mottram of
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> with 3:48.98 (fifth) and Hudson de
Souza of
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Brazil</st1:place></st1:country-region> (eighth 3:51.05). Sixth place, and
the last man under
<st1:time hour="3" minute="50">3:50</st1:time> this evening, went to Tarek Boukensa (3:49.95
PB).
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Nick McCormick with 3:52.05 established a
European 2005 lead.
<o:p></o:p>
Earlier in the evening both
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Norway</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Marius Bakken and
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Tim Broe had tried similar
tactics in the men’s 5000m, to those which Pavey later employed in the women's
3000m, by doing their best to resist the inevitable African onslaught. They led
with two laps to go but were eventually swallowed up, with John Kibowen the
winner in 13:07.74, squeezing out Moses Mosop on the line (13:07.81). Commonwealth
champion Sammy Kipketer was third (13:09.16).
<o:p></o:p>
Andrianova continues in
role as World title favourite
<o:p></o:p>
Tatyana Andrianova proved
again that she is currently the strongest and most intelligent racer in the
women’s 800m. Already the world season leader (1:56.07) she came close to that
mark with a well timed win in 1:56.91, after staying distant from the opening
pace (55.43 – 400m). In a similar manner to her win on Tuesday in
<st1:city>
<st1:place>Stockholm</st1:place></st1:city>, when she unleashed her final kick
there was no one with the pick-up to answer. Also impressive was Olga
Kotlyarova who until this summer had been better known as a 400m runner, as an
Olympic and World finalist, but who can now consider herself fully established
as a racer at 800m thanks to her second place, 1:57.55 PB, which improved on
her 1:57.98 from last season. In third was Svetlana Cherkasova (1:57.86), with
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Hazel Clark also under
<st1:time hour="1" minute="58">1:58</st1:time> with a PB of 1:57.99. Another
Russian Svetlana Klyuka was also under 2 minutes (1:58.44).
<o:p></o:p>
Mulaudzi reverses Athens fortunes
<o:p></o:p>
The men’s 800m was not the
speed display of the women’s two laps. As throughout the rest of this summer,
the men are just not flying. In the end it came down to a fine sprint duel
between the Olympic gold and silver medallists from last summer, respectively
Yuriy Borzakovskiy and Mbulaena Mulaudzi. This time the victory was reversed,
as the Russian was caught on the line by a lower dipping South African, but it
was a very close to call – 1:44.15 to 1:44.18.
<o:p></o:p>
Emphasising the low state
of the event this year, Borzakovskiy’s time in second was a European lead. Alfred
Kirwa Yego was third in a personal best of 1:44.45.
<st1:country-region>
<st1:place>Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s Gary Reed in fourth improved the
national record with 1:44.54. Mulaudzi had also won in
<st1:city>
<st1:place>Helsinki</st1:place></st1:city> last Monday (25) with what remains
the current world’s fastest of 2005 – 1:44.08.
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p>