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| July 3, 2005 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 25, 1426 |
Doucoure registers unexpected success in high hurdles
PARIS, July 2: Frenchman Ladji Doucoure, denied an Olympic high hurdles silver medal last year when he smashed into the final barrier, recorded an unexpected victory at the Paris Golden League meeting on Friday.
In a field worthy of next month’s Helsinki world championships final, the European indoor 60 hurdles champion recovered from a sluggish start to win in a French record of 13.02 seconds.
Two other members of the American team for Helsinki, Dominique Arnold and twice Olympic silver medallist Terrence Trammell, were fourth and sixth respectively.
Doucoure improved steadily through the rounds at the Athens Olympics last year, winning his semi-final in 13.06, a metre clear of Trammell. In the final, however, he ran into the 10th flight and limped eighth and last across the line.
The women’s 100 hurdles was won by American Olympic gold medallist Joanna Hayes ahead of Canada’s world champion Perdita Felicien in a time of 12.60 seconds.
Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele failed in a gallant attempt on his own world 5,000 metres record after he was forced to run solo for the last four laps.
The four-time double world cross country champion still clocked the fourth fastest time ever of 12 minutes 40.18 seconds and finished more than 15 seconds ahead of second-placed compatriot Abebe Dinkesa.
After a false start, a rarity in distance events, Kenyan pacemaker Shadrack Korir kept the field on schedule through 2,000 metres on an overcast but warm evening at the Stade de France.
At the 3,000 mark Bekele and Dinkesa were out on their own and when Dinkesa fell off the pace the task became too much.
Bekele set his record of 12:37.35 in the Dutch town of Hengelo on May 31 last year at the start of a golden summer in which he also broke the world 10,000 record and went on to win the Olympic title over the same distance.
World leader Daniel Kipchircir Komen of Kenya bettered his own year’s 1,500 best with a time of 3:30.01 ahead of Olympic silver medallist and former compatriot Bernard Lagat who has now taken up US citizenship.
Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling of the Bahamas won the women’s 400 metres in 49.69 ahead of compatriot Christine Amertil. Mexico’s world champion Ana Guevara, who dominated the event before Williams-Darling’s spectacular 2004 season, was third.
Kenyan Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi repulsed the challenge of team mate Wesley Kiprotich to win the 3,000 metres steeplechase in 8:09.14.
Leading results:
MEN’S:
100 metres: 1. Aziz Zakari (Ghana) 10.04 seconds; 2. Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) 10.05; 3. Dwight Thomas (Jamaica) 10.11.
400 metres: 1. Tyler Christopher (Canada) 44.69 seconds; 2. Derrick Brew (US) 45.30; 3. Chris Brown (Bahamas) 45.31
800 metres: 1. William Yiampoy (Kenya) one minute 45.98 seconds; 2. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa) 1:46.00; 3. Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 1:46.25.
1500 metres: 1. Daniel Komen (Kenya) three minutes 30.01 seconds; 2. Bernard Lagat (US) 3:30.64; 3. Mehdi Baala (France) 3:30.80.
5000 metres: 1. Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) 12 minutes 40.18 seconds; 2. Abebe Negera Dinkesa (Ethiopia) 12:55.58; 3. Gebre-Egziabher Gebremariam (Ethiopia) 12:58.60.
110-metre hurdles: 1. Ladji Doucoure (France) 13.02 seconds; 2. Allen Johnson (US) 13.04; 3. Xiang Liu (China) 13.06.
400-metre hurdles: 1. James Carter (US) 48.05 seconds; 2. Naman Keita (France) 48.27; 3. Periklis Iakovakis (Greece) 48.71.
3000 metres steeplechase: 1. Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) eight minutes 09.14 seconds; 2. Wesley Kiprotich (Kenya) 8:09.46; 3. Kipkurui Misoi (Kenya) 8:10.02.
High jump: 1. Stefan Holm (Sweden) 2.32 metres; 2. Jaroslav Baba (Czech Republic) 2.30; 3. Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia) 2.30.
Pole vault: 1. Brad Walker (US) 5.80 metres; 2. Rens Blom (Netherlands) 5.70; 3. Toby Stevenson (US) 5.50.
Javelin: 1. Tero Pitkaemaeki (Finland) 85.95 metres; 2. Andreas Thorkildssen (Norway) 85.29; 3. Aleksandr Ivanov (Russia) 84.24.
WOMEN’S:
100 metres: 1. Christine Arron (France) 11.03 seconds; 2. Chandra Sturrup (Bahamas) 11.05; 3. Lauryn Williams (US) 11.16.
400 metres: 1. Tonique Darling (Bahamas) 49.69 seconds; 2. Christine Amertil (Bahamas) 50.32; 3. Ana Guevara (Mexico) 50.44.
800 metres: 1. Svetlana Cherkasova (Russia) one minute 57.52 seconds; 2. Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) 1:58.37; 3. Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 1:58.96.
1500 metres: 1. Olga Yegorova (Russia) four minutes 01.85 seconds; 2. Hind Dehiba (France) 4:03.05; 3. Natalya Yevdokimova (Russia) 4:03.59.
3000 metres: 1. Edith Masai (Kenya) eight minutes 31.27 seconds; 2. Isabella Ochichi (Kenya) 8:33.59; 3. Joanne Pavey (Britain) 8:34.66.
100-metre hurdles: 1. Joanna Hayes (US) 12.60 seconds; 2. Perdita Felicien (Canada) 12.66; 3. Linda Ferga-Khodadin (France) 12.78.
400-metre hurdles: 1. Lashinda Demus (US) 53.85 seconds; 2. Anna Jesien (Poland) 53.96; 3. Jana Pittman (Australia) 54.15.
Triple jump: 1. Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia) 15.11 metres; 2. Anna Pyatykh (Russia) 14.70; 3. Yamile Aldama (Sudan) 14.44.—Reuters
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