March 11, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

VALENCIA (Spain), March 10: Russian middle distance runner Yelena Soboleva stole the show on the final day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships when she smashed her own indoor world record to take gold in the 1,500 metres.

The 25-year-old Russian left the rest of the field trailing in her wake as she crossed the line in a time of three minutes 57.71 seconds, 0.34 quicker than the record she set in Moscow last month.

Fellow Russian Yuliya Fomenko was second in 3:59.41, while Gelete Burka of Ethiopia grabbed the bronze.

United States heptathlete Bryan Clay, Australian 800-metre runner Tamsyn Lewis, African runners Tariku Bekele and Abubaker Kaki Khamis and British triple jumper Phillips Idowu also shone on the final day in which 14 titles were decided.

Clay, world decathlon champion in 2005 and twice runner-up in the world indoors, claimed gold in the multi-event competition with an outstanding set of performances over the two days.

The American amassed a personal best total of 6,371 points, just 105 short of Dan O’Brien’s 1993 world record, as he won four of the seven events to finish ahead of Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus and Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Karpov.

Lewis spoiled Maria Mutola’s hopes of winning an eighth indoor world title when she produced an impressive last-lap burst to hurtle past the 35-year-old from Mozambique and Tetiana Petlyuk to take gold.

The Australian crossed the line in two minutes 2.57, with Petlyuk taking the silver and Mutola the bronze.

Bekele took advantage of older brother Kenenisa’s absence to storm his way to victory in the men’s 3,000m in a time of seven minutes 48.23.

The 21-year-old set a scorching pace on the final two laps to give Kenyan steeplechase specialist Paul Kipsiele Koech and fellow Ethiopian Abreham Cherkos no chance of victory.

Kaki Khamis became Sudan’s first world indoor gold medallist at the age of 18 as he held off South African Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Yusuf Saad Kamel of Bahrain in the 800 metres.

Triple jumper Idowu won Britain’s first gold of the championships with a massive leap of 17.75 metres, just eight centimetres off Aliecer Urrutia’s 11-year-old world record and more than half a metre better than his previous best mark of the season.Silver medalllist Arnie David Girat of Cuba was way back on 17.47, while world outdoor champion Nelson Evora took the bronze with a leap of 17.27.

Blanka Vlasic deprived Olympic champion Elena Slesarenko of a hat-trick of indoor titles when she won the high jump.

The Croatian cleared 2.03 metres, while the Russian could only manage 2.01, the same height as bronze medallist Vita Palamar.

Canada’s Tyler Christopher found an extra a gear in the final straight of the men’s 400m to snatch the gold from Johan Wissman of Sweden in a time of 45.67, the fastest mark in the world this year.

As expected the women’s 400m was an all-Russian affair with Olesya Zykina equalling her world leading time of the year of 51.09 as she managed to hold off Natalya Nazarova by one hundredth of a second in the lunge for the finishing line.

Portugal’s Naide Gomes, the world pentathlon champion in 2004, took the honours in the long jump with a leap of seven metres exactly, with Brazilian Maurren Maggi taking silver ahead of Russian favourite Irina Simagina.

New Zealander Valerie Vili added the world indoor crown to her outdoor title with victory in the women’s shot with a new area record of 20.19 metres.

In the pole vault Evgeniy Lukyanenko beat defending champion Brad Walker with a clearance of 5.90 metres while the American had to settle for a new personal best of 5.85 ahead of Steven Hooker of Australia.

Russia won their eighth consecutive gold in the women’s 4x400 metres relay ahead of Belarus and the United States won their seventh title in the men’s race.

The US ended up top of the pile in the medals table with five goals, five silver and three bronze, one silver better than the Russian haul.

Results of finals on Sunday:

Men’s:

3,000 metres: 1. Tariku Bekele (Ethiopia) seven minutes 48.23 seconds; 2. Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) 7:49.05; 3. Abreham Feleke (Ethiopia) 7:49.96; 4. Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (Kenya) 7:51.60; 5. Craig Mottram (Australia) 7:52.42; 6. Mo Farah (Britain) 7:55.08; 7. Ali Maataoui (Morocco) 7:58.93; 8. Sergio Sanchez (Spain) 7:59.74; 9. James Kwalia (Qatar) 8:00.44; 10. Kamel Boulahfane (Algeria) 8:04.73; 11. Jonathan Riley (US) 8:05.59; 12. Arne Gabius (Germany) 8:11.21.

4x400 metres relay: 1. United States (J. Davis/J. Torrance/G. Nixon/K. Willie) three minutes 06.79 seconds; 2. Jamaica (M. Blackwood/E. Steele/A. Findlay/D. Barrett) 3:07.69; 3. Dominican Republic (A. Peguero/C. Santa/P. Meija/Y. Tapia) 3:07.77; 4. Poland (P. Kedzia/P. Klimczak/W. Chybinski/G. Sobinski) 3:08.76; 5. Britain (S. Green/R. Buck/D. Garland/R. Tobin) 3:09.21; 6. Russia (D. Alekseyev/A. Kokorin/M. Dyldin/Y. Borzakovskiy) 3:15.38.

400 metres: 1. Tyler Christopher (Canada) 45.67 seconds; 2. Johan Wissman (Sweden) 46.04; 3. Chris Brown (Bahamas) 46.26; 4. Nery Brenes (Costa Rica) 46.65; 5. Maksim Dyldin (Russia) 46.79; 6. Sean Wroe (Australia) 46.93.

800 metres: 1. Abubaker Kaki Khamis (Sudan) one minute 44.81 seconds; 2. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa) 1:44.91; 3. Youssef Saad Kamel (Bahrain) 1:45.26; 4. Dmitrijs Milkevics (Latvia) 1:45.72; 5. Dmitriy Bogdanov (Russia) 1:45.76; 6. Nick Symmonds (US) 1:46.48.

Triple jump: 1. Phillips Idowu (Britain) 17.75 metres; 2. David Giralt (Cuba) 17.47; 3. Nelson Evora (Portugal) 17.27; 4. Fabrizio Donato (Italy) 17.27; 5. Dmitrij Valukevic (Slovakia) 17.14; 6. Osniel Tosca (Cuba) 17.13; 7. Aarik Wilson (US) 16.88; 8. Danila Burkenya (Russia) 16.84.

Pole vault: 1. Yevgeniy Lukyanenko (Russia) 5.90 metres; 2. Brad Walker (US) 5.85; 3. Steven Hooker (Australia) 5.80; 4. Jerome Clavier (France) 5.75; 5. Tim Lobinger (Germany) 5.70; 6. Maksym Mazuryk (Ukraine) 5.70; 7. Alhaji Jeng (Sweden) 5.70; 8. Derek Miles (US) 5.60.

Heptathlon: 1. Bryan Clay (US) 6,371 points; 2. Andrei Krauchanka (Belarus) 6,234; 3. Dmitriy Karpov (Kazakhstan) 6,131; 4. Mikhail Logvinenko (Russia) 5,984; 5. Donovan Kilmartin (US) 5,951; 6. Andres Raja (Estonia) 5,894.

Women’s:

400 metres: 1. Olesya Zykina (Russia) 51.09 seconds; 2. Natalya Nazarova (Russia) 51.10; 3. Shareese Woods (US) 51.41; 4. Antonina Yefremova (Ukraine) 51.53; 5. Angela Morosanu (Romania) 53.07; 6. Moushaumi Robinson (US) 53.10.

800 metres: 1. Tamsyn Lewis (Australia) two minutes 02.57 seconds; 2. Tatyana Petlyuk (Ukraine) 2:02.66; 3. Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 2:02.97; 4. Maite Martinez (Spain) 2:03.15; 5. Jenny Meadows (Britain) 2:03.51; 6. Elisa Cusma Piccione (Italy) 2:03.76.1,500 metres: 1. Yelena Soboleva (Russia) three minutes 57.71 seconds (world record); 2. Yuliya Fomenko (Russia) 3:59.41; 3. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) 3:59.75; 4. Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Bahrain) 3:59.79; 5. Daniela Yordanova (Bulgaria) 4:04.19; 6. Liliana Popescu (Romania) 4:07.61; 7. Bouchra Ghezielle (France) 4:08.66; 8. Siham Hilali (Morocco) 4:15.54.

4x400 metres relay: 1. Russia (Y. Gushchina/T. Levina/N. Nazarova/O. Zykina) three minutes 28.17 seconds; 2. Belarus (A. Kozak/I. Khlyustova/S. Usovich/I. Usovich) 3:28.90; 3. United States (A. Perkins/M. Barnes/S. Woods/M. Robinson) 3:29.30; 4. Czech Republic (Z. Bergrova/D. Scerbova/J. Bartonickova/Z. Hejnova) 3:34.53; 5. Romania (A. Ionita/I. Popescu/E. Lavric/A. Morosanu) 3:36.79; 6. Poland (A. Karpiesiuk/E. Setowska/J. Wojcik/B. Lukasik) 3:36.97.

Shot put: 1. Valerie Vili (New Zealand) 20 metres 19 centimetres; 2. Nadezhda Ostapchuk (Belarus) 19.74; 3. Li Meiju (China) 19.09; 4. Misleydis Gonzalez (Cuba) 18.75; 5. Chiara Rosa (Italy) 18.68; 6. Christina Schwanitz (Germany) 18.55; 7. Cleopatra Borel (Trinidad and Tobago) 18.47; 8. Anna Omarova (Russia) 17.75.

High jump: 1. Blanka Vlasic (Croatia) 2.03 metres; 2. Yelena Slesarenko (Russia) 2.01; 3. Vita Palamar (Ukraine) 2.01; 4. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.99; 5. Marina Aitova (Kazakhstan) 1.95; 6. Amy Acuff (US) 1.95; 7. Yekaterina Savchenko (Russia) 1.93; 8 equal. Ariane Friedrich (Germany) 1.93, 8 equal. Iva Strakova (Czech Republic) 1.93.

Long jump: 1. Naide Gomes (Portugal) seven metres; 2. Maurren Maggi (Brazil) 6.89; 3. Irina Simagina (Russia) 6.88; 4. Eloyse Lesueur (France) 6.60; 5. Concepcion Montaner (Spain) 6.57; 6. Ineta Radevica (Latvia) 6.54; 7. Keila Costa (Brazil) 6.48; 8. Janice Josephs (South Africa) 6.39.—Reuters

Final medals table

(Tabulated under gold, silver, bronze, total):

United States 5 5 3 13

Russia 5 4 3 12

Ethiopia 3 1 2 6

Great Britain 1 4 0 5

Cuba 1 1 1 3

South Africa 1 1 0 2

Sweden 1 1 0 2

Portugal 1 0 1 2

Australia 1 0 1 2

China 1 0 1 2

Croatia 1 0 0 1Belgium 1 0 0 1Canada 1 0 0 1Sudan 1 0 0 1Nigeria 1 0 0 1New Zealand 1 0 0 1Belarus 0 3 0 3Kenya 0 2 0 2Ukraine 0 1 1 2Brazil 0 1 1 2Greece 0 1 0 1

St Kitts & Nevis 0 1 0 1Jamaica 0 1 0 1Poland 0 0 2 2Kazakhstan 0 0 1 1

Saudi Arabia 0 0 1 1

Latvia 0 0 1 1

Morocco 0 0 1 1Mozambique 0 0 1 1Slovenia 0 0 1 1

British Virgin Isles 0 0 1 1Cyprus 0 0 1 1Dominican Republic 0 0 1 1Spain 0 0 1 1Bahrain 0 0 1 1Bahamas 0 0 1 1