Bolt sets record to win 100m gold

ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Berlin Date: 15-23 August

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt set a new world record as he stormed to a stunning victory in the 100m at the World Championships in Berlin.

The 22-year-old Jamaican recorded a time of 9.58 seconds to shave 0.11 off the mark he set last year when winning gold at the Beijing Olympics.

American Tyson Gay was second in a time of 9.71, with Jamaica's Asafa Powell claiming bronze in 9.84.

Britain's Dwain Chambers came sixth in a season's best time of 10.00.

Bolt, who set three world records when winning his Olympic golds in Beijing last summer, served up another superlative display to enhance his reputation as the best sprinter of all time.

In the final, he powered out of the blocks at the first time of asking and took control of the race within the first 30m, the crowd going wild as he streaked across the line.

Bolt's time represents the biggest increase in the record since electronic timing was introduced in 1968.

"I was ready, I was feeling good after the semi-finals," Bolt told BBC Sport.

"I knew it was going to be a great race and I came out and executed it. It's a great time. I did well and I feel good in myself."

Former world record holder Powell paid tribute to his compatriot, saying: "When I saw the time I had to try and catch him, but I couldn't."

Gay, who went into the final as the reigning world champion, has been troubled by a nagging groin pain and had to cut practice on his start.

"I ran the best I could but it was not enough," he said. "I believe I put in a championship performance and I am very pleased with the national record.

"I'm happy he ran 9.5 because I knew he could do it. I'm happy for him."

Chambers, back competing at

the top level after serving a two-year ban for taking the designer steroid THG in 2003, said the final was a "great experience".

"It is hard to explain what it is like to go out there and stand on the line to compete with the best in the world," said the 31-year-old. "It does not get easier as you get older but it is worth it."

Earlier, there was controversy as Britain's Tyrone Edgar was disqualified from the semi-finals.

After Bolt made the opening false start, Edgar was ruled to have transgressed the second time, although initial reaction times seemed to suggest that decision was harsh.

"I don't think it was a false start," said the 27-year-old Edgar, who was also disqualified at the London Grand Prix last month.

"To me it looked pretty good but there is nothing I can do. I am not going to argue the point. I am disappointed right now because I reckon I would have made the final."

After round two, 100m momentum with Bolt and Bailey

Berlin, Germany - Both literally and figuratively, the quarter-finals of the men’s 100m managed to separate the dash’s boys from the main event’s men. And the big men at the moment are Usain Bolt and Daniel Bailey.

It may not have been the fastest, but Heat five, featuring the World record holder and his Antiguan training partner, was certainly the most entertaining, and arguably the toughest.

Not that Bolt and Bailey had a particularly difficult time breezing through to tomorrow evening’s semi-finals. With the best starts in the field, the pair, running side-by-side, ran virtually stride-for-stride through the finish, sharing glances and trading smiles back and forth over the final 30 metres. Nor did it matter that the comparably diminutive Bailey, who barely reaches the Jamaican’s broad shoulders, crossed the line first in 10.02 to Bolt’s 10.03. The ease with which Bolt ran suggested a far different result when he’ll be seriously tested. Not to be outdone, the relaxed 22-year-old Bailey played the part of a medallist in waiting quite admirably.

The race claimed a pair of strong names, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles (10.19) and British champion Simeon Williamson (10.23).

Also running well was former World record holder Asafa Powell who breezed onward with a strong victory in Heat Three. Second or third out of the blocks, Powell got into gear quickly and gradually pulled away from American Darvis Patton. Easing up some 15 metres from the line, Powell clocked 9.95, the evening’s first sub-10 and fastest of the round, ahead of Patton (10.05) who finished runner-up. Trinidad’s Marc Burns was third in 10.12 to move on as well. 2001 World champion Kim Collins, fourth in 10.20, did not. The race also saw the departure of African record holder Olu Fasuba (10.25) and Frenchman Ronald Pognon (10.27).

After a somewhat sluggish start, defending champion Tyson Gay was forced to work harder than he would have liked through the midway point of Heat Four before he finally took control. He won handily in 9.98, ahead of Jamaican Michael Frater (10.09), the 2005 silver medallist, and lanky Norwegian Jaysuma Ndure (10.16).

After a pair of false starts, it was U.S. champion Michael Rodgers from gun-to-tape in Heat Two. Unfazed by the delay and running relaxed, the 24-year-old cruised to a 10.01 win. Briton Tyrone Edgar was next in 10.12, with Naoki Tsukahara (10.15) of Japan. Gerard Phiri needed a Zambian national record of 10.16 to advance on time. Guilty of the false start was French teenager Christophe Lemaitre’s whose season, which has included a 10.04 European junior record, ended on a down note with his unceremonious departure.

From the gun, Heat One was dominated by Briton Dwain Chambers and Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson of Trinidad. Chambers got out well and maintained his lead, stopping the clock in 10.04, a season’s best. Thompson was never far behind, reaching the line second in 10.08. Further back, Frenchman Martial Mbandjock (10.22) advanced by right

After thriling title run, Masai no longer the bridesmaid

Berlin, Germany – When Kenyan distance runner Moses Masai was asked yesterday morning how his younger sister Linet would fare in the women’s 10,000m he said he thought she’d do well. “But whatever she does,” he added. “I’ll do better.”

After his 19-year-old sibling’s sensational victory over the mighty Ethiopians in last night’s final he’ll have to produce one hell of a stunning performance in the men’s race on Monday to outdo her now. Not that the softly-spoken shy girl of Kenyan distance running is worried about that. Indeed, she believes her gold medal is a good omen for the Masai family.

Like sister, like brother?

“In Beijing both of us were fourth,” she says, referring to last year’s Olympic Games when she and her brother came agonisingly close to medals. “This year I am the champion and I believe he will be the same.”

Of course, Moses will have to overcome the triple champion and World record holder, Kenenisa Bekele, to match his sister’s achievement. And, no doubt, some will claim Linet’s win was devalued by the absence of Tirunesh Dibaba, the reigning champion and double Olympic gold medallist, who pulled out of the event a few days ago with a leg injury.

'It doesn't matter that Dibaba wasn't here'

Not surprisingly, Masai doesn’t see it that way. After all, she destroyed the Ethiopian in New York earlier this summer over 5000m, a performance that gave her the belief she could win again in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, even though the Ethiopian great was below her best at the time.

“It doesn’t matter that Dibaba wasn’t there tonight,” she says. “This year I have beaten Dibaba already so I don’t think it would have made any difference.”

In fact, Masai’s victory over the remaining Ethiopians – Meselech Melkamu, the world number one and second fastest all-time, Meseret Defar, the reigning 5000m champion, and Wude Ayalew, who took the bronze medal – was no matter of chance or luck.

The Kenyan team devised a plan to end Ethiopia’s decade-long dominance of this event, and Masai made it work to perfection.

Initially, she was the only Kenyan runner named for the event but the federation later granted the World Cross Country champion, Florence Kiplagat, and African 5000m bronze medallist, Grace Momanyi, wildcard places in the team.

“We saw it would be unfair for Linet to compete against the Ethiopians alone at the World Championships, and coaches recommended to Athletics Kenya that they include Grace and Florence,” new national head coach, Peter Mathu, explained at the time. “I believe now we have a strong team to take on our rivals since Linet has runners she can work with.”

With her heartbreaking Beijing experience still fresh in her mind, Masai was right behind the plan. “You have to start pushing early and run strong since they can finish you with their kick and that requires serious training,” she said after the decision was made. “I will try to handle them in Berlin. I’m more experienced now.”

That extra experience certainly came to the fore as Masai executed the plan superbly. “We knew we’d have to run the last eight laps fast to run the finish out them,” she explains. “I was expecting the race to be harder and so with 3k to go I decided to push the pace higher because this way I could win.”

Indeed, it was only when the young Kenyan stretched her long, elegant legs to move from the back of the field to the front that the race raised itself above the pedestrian. With Momanyi for support she proceeded to run smoothly but swiftly, raising the pace from 3:09-3:10 per km to around 2:56-2:58. It was enough to burn the blistering finishing kicks out of Defar and Melkamu’s legs, and give herself a chance when it came to the final lap.

It was this move, says Masai, that meant she had strength to fight back from a boxed position 200m from home, and from fourth place with 100m to go, to outsprint her rivals on the line. “In the last 100m I saw that I was still strong and so I decided to push it,” she says. “I am so happy I was strong enough to win.”

Although Masai tries to play down talk of rivalry between Kenya and Ethiopia, her manager Ricky Simms explains that she was well aware of the history of the event, and in particular that the last non-Ethiopian gold medallist was Sally Barsosio in 1997, another member of his management group and of Masai’s training group.

“She knew that the last person to win apart from Ethiopians was Sally and that was important to her,” he says.

But there were other reasons, too, for her determination to win here, Simms explains. She was hurt after the Olympic final when she was in third place close to the end but just didn’t have enough strength to take a medal. And then she led the World Cross Country Championships this year until right at the death when passed by Kiplagat.

“She was worried that she was always going to be the bridesmaid and never the bride,” he says. “Well, now she’s the bride.

“I call her the Queen, and now she’s the Queen of Berlin,” he added when asked to reveal more about his latest champion’s character. “She appears shy but when you get to know her she has a lot of confidence. She’s very popular with her teammates.”

Her mental strength also comes from her background in a land of hardship, he says. She comes from the Mount Elgon area in Kenya where 600 people were killed last year in an internal conflict involving a guerrilla movement from the Sabaot tribe that she belongs too. She missed a flight to Belfast for a cross country race because of roadblocks and reports suggested her training was badly disrupted.

But she shakes her head at the memory, and backs away from the question with the lowered smile of a teenager still not quite used to the attention that comes with being a world champion.

At that point she escapes the prying microphones as Simms passes her the phone. “It’s Moses,” he says, ushering her away.

What’s the bet she put the handset to her mouth and raised her voice above its customary whisper to say, “Beat that, older brother.”

Radcliffe to test Berlin fitness in New York Half Marathon

New York, USA - Paula Radcliffe, the World record holder in the Marathon, will test her Berlin preparedness over the Half Marathon distance in New York on Sunday (16).

The Briton will use her first start of the year at the fourth annual NYC Half-Marathon to gauge whether she will be ready to regain the World title she won in Helsinki in 2005. Radcliffe last competed nearly 10 months ago when she won her third ING New York City Marathon title. She had bunion surgery on her right foot in March.

"Recently, my training has started to go very well. I’m definitely ready to run a half-marathon, and the NYC Half-Marathon will give me important feedback about where I am,” said Radcliffe. “After the race in New York, I will consult with my coaching and medical teams and we will make the final determination as to whether I am ready to run the marathon in Berlin. It is certainly my hope to compete there.”
Radcliffe is on the Great Britain team for the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which starts in Berlin on Saturday, 15 August. The women’s Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 23 August.

Radcliffe is a late entry to the NYC Half-Marathon field that features top Americans including 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Deena Kastor, Olympic marathoner Ryan Hall, and three-time 10,000m Olympian Abdi Abdirahman. Also in the field are defending champion Tadese Tola of Ethiopia, defending champion and two-time Olympic medalist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, and ING New York City Marathon 2004 winner Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa.

“Paula’s late entry adds more suspense, glamour, and intrigue to an already exciting race,” said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “Winning the NYC Half-Marathon women’s crown has now just gotten that much harder.”

Radcliffe, 35, is only the second woman to win the New York City Marathon three times, claiming her most recent victory last year in 2:23:56. Radcliffe captured her first crown in 2004 in dramatic fashion when she out-dueled Kenyan Susan Chepkemei by three seconds in the closest women’s finish in race history.

Also accomplished at the 13.1-mile Half Marathon distance, Radcliffe has a career best of 1:05:40, which she ran at the Great North Run in 2003, the fastest ever by a woman, and she won the World Half Marathon title in 2000 and 2001. However, Radcliffe has not run a Half Marathon since her second-place finish at the Great North Run in 2007.

Radcliffe owns the women’s Marathon World record of 2:15:25, which she set in 2003 at the London Marathon. She also holds four of the five fastest women’s marathon times in history.

Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, the 2008 Olympic marathon silver medallist and two-time World Marathon champion, withdrew from the race at the insistence of his national federation that he attend the World Championships.

"Although Jaouad is not able to compete at his normal level at the marathon distance, he has been called up, not only by his federation, but by the general public in Morocco, to represent his country and to keep the team’s morale high,” said Eric Lilot, a member of Gharib’s management team.

Bolt ready for showdown with Gay

ATHLETICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Venue: Olympic Stadium, Berlin Date: 15-23 August

Triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt is relishing the prospect of a 100m showdown with American Tyson Gay at the World Championships in Berlin.

World record holder Bolt and Gay, who has set 2009's fastest 100m time, have not faced each other yet this season.

"I wouldn't say I've followed him, but he's hard to ignore as he keeps telling me how fast he runs," said Bolt.

"It's not a fight for me, it's a race. I am just competing. Who is faster? I am going to say me."

Gay, meanwhile, has said he is "preparing for battle" ahead of the pair's expected mouth-watering clash in Sunday's 100m final.

The defending world champion endured a miserable Olympics in 2008 after rushing back to competition from a debilitating hamstring injury, but he is now back to form and aiming to break Bolt's world record of time of 9.69 seconds en route to claiming gold in Berlin.

"If breaking the world record is what it takes to win the 100m, that is what I will have to do and he will try to do the same," said the 27-year-old.

"The world record is the only number I have in mind, I want to win more than anything, but I want to run fast.

"I don't want to run 9.99 and people say it wasn't fast. I believe 9.60 is obtainable - that is my goal."

After taking the Beijing Olympics by storm last year, winning the 100m and 200m in world record times and also claiming victory as part of Jamaica's 4x100m relay team, Bolt has continued his impressive form in 2009.

The burden of expectation will be firmly on Bolt's shoulders, but the sprinter says he will be attempting to better his Beijing performances.

"Expectations are going to be higher here than Beijing, but I am ready to go and do my best," he said. I know what I did there and I know the high responsibility which comes with it, I am working hard to do better than last year.

"I would love to do better than the Olympics, just going out there and winning is enough for me.

"These championships are very important for me as I haven't got a world gold medal and it's something I want.

"I'm itching to run right now. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait.

"I'm always ready to go out there and do my best."

Bolt and Gay may be separated by just two-hundredths of a second in terms of their fastest times this season, but they could hardly be more different in their approach to the sport.

"I would love to do better than the Olympics, just going out there and winning is enough for me.

"These championships are very important for me as I haven't got a world gold medal and it's something I want.

"I'm itching to run right now. I'm looking forward to it and I can't wait.

"I'm always ready to go out there and do my best."

Bolt and Gay may be separated by just two-hundredths of a second in terms of their fastest times this season, but they could hardly be more different in their approach to the sport.

"He's exciting and we both bring our own styles to the race."

Also competing in the 100m will be Bolt's fello Jamaican Asafa Powell - beaten comprehensively by his compatriot at the London Grand Prix last month - and Brit Simeon Williamson.

Williamson, 23, crushed Dwain Chambers in the UK trials, running

For Ethiopian Marathon hope Tune, third time lucky in Berlin?

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Nearly two weeks before she lines up at the start of the women’s marathon at the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, Germany, Ethiopian runner Dire Tune greets teammates, guests, and fans at the national team hotel on the outskirts of Addis Ababa with an unmistakable grin.

What is the cause of this seemingly-perpetual happiness?

“Confidence and peace,” says Tune. “I have been involved with the national team for the last four or five years and never have I seen such a healthy atmosphere in the team. The spirit has been fantastic and we can achieve big things in Berlin.”

The 24-year old has so far represented Ethiopia in two World championships (Helsinki and Osaka) and one Olympic Games (Beijing), but failed to even finish in the top 10 of all three races.

“We used to have a lot of selection problems in previous years,” says Tune. “The environment around the team used to be very tense and everyone in the team used to look at each other with suspicion. This year, there are a lot of changes. I am confident of my training and I also think that we can dominate in Berlin.”

2009 Consistency and improvement earns Berlin selection

Apart from predicting dominance by her teammates in the German capital, Tune will be satisfied by another improved year in the full Marathon and shorter events.

Her year began with a dominating victory in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates where she improved the national Half Marathon record to 1:07.18. In April, she fought a close battle with Salina Kosgei in the Boston Marathon and finished just behind the Kenyan.

“The race did not go as expected,” says Tune who had started the race as the defending champion. “I had expected to run faster than the previous year. But the pace was very slow and I fought hard. The Kenyan beat me at the finish and I was very disappointed.”

In June, she returned to Ostrava for a crack at the World 20,000m record at the Golden Spike, but fell short of the target.

“I tried to break the world record, but the pacemakers did not help me as well as I had wanted,” says Tune. “Running 50 laps on the track is a bit boring, but I had a good experience running around the track in Ostrava.”

Although Tune’s season best for the full Marathon is only 2:32.17, which was the 12th fastest in Ethiopia this year, her improved form on the roads and track convinced selectors to pick her ahead of faster runners for the team.

“It is always such an honour to represent your country in the big competitions,” she says. “Therefore, I am delighted that I have been selected to run for this team. If I and my teammates succeed, it would be great for women and the sport in Ethiopia.”

Early connection to Gebrselassie

Of course, things were quite different when Tune came to this world 24 years ago in Kulemsa, a small village in the Arsi zone which is home to many of Ethiopia’s top runners. Then, few schools across Ethiopia encouraged girls to practice sports, but Tune remembers a strong relationship with Ethiopian distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie even as a child.

“My family knew Haile Gebrselassie’s family very well,” she says. “I was born just one kilometre from where Haile was born and we always heard about his success as children.”

There is also much more than Gebrselassie’s influence on Tune’s career. She comes from a fast-developing running dynasty led by former national team athlete Hadji Adilo, who coaches Tune and works for American-based Jordanian agent Hussein Makke. Adilo is a relative of Marathon runner Leila Aman, who is a sister of Tune’s husband Kelil Aman. Adilo too has four world class Marathon siblings in Hussein, Kassim, Radiya, while his latest running protégé, Frehiwot Dado, won the Rome Marathon two weeks ago.

Initially, Tune started running in elementary school in the sprints. In one of her first competitive races, she competed over the 400m, but joined the Global club run by Gebrselassie a year later after showing promise in a string of regional races.

“I mainly ran the 3000m and 5000m,” she says. “It was difficult competing for Global because we did not have any salary and lived in a small rented house with other runners. I joined Omedla [police club] in 2003 because we wanted to earn a living and at sustain ourselves.

Gebrselassie’s Global club collapsed shortly after other runners left for greener pastures. And Tune continued her progress setting 3000m (9.01) and 5000m (15.48) in her first two races abroad. But after taking advice from coaches, she decided to switch to the Marathon and made her debut in the 2005 Los Angeles Marathon where she finished fourth in 2:30.04.

She has since run 10 marathons including successive victories in the 2007 and 2008 Chevron Houston Marathon, the latter where she set her personal best of 2:24.42.

Big ambitions in Berlin

Joining the national team’s training camp in Addis Ababa has meant that Tune had to abandon some of her established training schedules and train as a group with the other four members of the team.

“The coaches give us freedom to train on our own, but they design our training programme,” she says. “It is not like previous years. I feel more responsible for what I do in training because my body has gotten used to the marathon.”

And when asked what she expects in Berlin, Tune does not think even twice. “I think it will be one, two three for Ethiopia,” she says. “That is how confident I am about our chances.”

Elshadai Negash for the IAAF

Ndiku and Cherono prevail - African junior champs, Day 1

Thursday, 30 July 2009
Bambous, Mauritius - Emphatic wins by Kenya’s World junior champions Jonathan Ndiku and Mercy Cherono were the highlight on the opening day at the ninth Africa Junior Championships in Bambous, Mauritius on Thursday (30).

Their victories confirm Kenya’s intention to retain the team title earned in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, two years ago. 515 athletes from 31 countries have converged at the Germain Comaramond Stadium for the four day contest.

The famous adage ‘Tough times do not last but tough people do’ best describes Ndiku’s stoic performance in the 3000m Steeplechase. Barely 800 metres into the race, Ndiku’s spike flew off his right foot.

Undeterred by this setback, he maintained his challenge upfront. This even as the Ethiopia duo of Legesse Lemesso and Desta Alemi Mokona sought to work as a team to wear him down. Initially, Ndiku’s teammate Stephen Kiprotich held back.

With four laps to the finish, Ndiku made his move as first Mokona, then Lemesso fell off the pace. As the Ethiopian seemed to be struggling, Kiprotich who had held back for the first half of the race appeared rejuvenated.

Kiprotich caught up with the fizzling Ethiopian duo and then overtook them with 600m to the finish. Over the last lap the Kenyans coasted home in majestic style. Ndiku won the race in 8:28.83, and was followed by Kiprotich (8:35.97), Lemesso (8:39.53), and Mokona (8:44.40).

“I was initially ruffled by the incident of losing one shoe. But I was not going to let my country down,” Ndiku said. “I knew that the best out of this situation is to put pressure on the Ethiopians, thus preventing them from controlling the pace. Once I regained some balance I just went ahead and ran my own race,” Ndiku explained.

Cherono stamps her authority in women’s 3000m

Earlier Mercy Cherono set out to give a solid account of why she is the world’s best junior 3000m runner. Initially, Ethiopians Etenesh Diro Neda and especially Tsaga Gela Reta made the spirited challenge in the opening three laps.

When Cherono upped her pace, the contest for the gold medal effectively ended in the first half of the race. Cherono covered the distance in 8:54.96. Neda (9:09.22) followed ahead of Reta( 9:25.31).

“Today I was confident of victory as I have previously prevailed over my Ethiopian rivals,” says Cherono. Besides her 3000m world title in Bydgoszcz last year, she was a silver medallist in the junior women’s race at the World Cross country Championships in Amman in March.

“I think it is God’s blessing that I have done very well as a junior over the past two year. Winning accolades on the world stage is just as important as winning here at home in Africa. Now I am going to pay more attention to my school work,” Cherono revealed.

A third round 7.67m leap in the Long Lump, albeit wind assisted, was enough for Tunisia’s Alaeddine Ben Hassine to clinch the gold medal. A finalist at the recent Mediterranean Games in Pescara Italy, Hassine was pleased with his performance.

“It is Tunisia’s first medal at these championships and my first gold medal for my country. What more can my country ask from me at this event?” Hasssine asked with a broad smile.

The fourth gold medal of the day went to South Africa’s Lindie Liebenberg. She won the event courtesy of a modest 43.24m effort in the Discus Throw.

“We threw the implement against the wind. Therefore we did not expect a big throw today,” Liebenberg said.

Mark Ouma for the IAAF