0
MONACO, July 20: Romanian Gabriela Szabo set a European women’s 3,000 metres record on Friday when she clocked eight minutes 21.42 seconds at the Monaco Golden League meeting.
The Olympic and world champion sliced 0.22 seconds off the previous mark set eight years ago by Irishwoman Sonia O’Sullivan.
“When I ran 8:24 last season and broke the Romanian record, I thought that was the fastest I could run,” said Szabo. “I was not expecting to run a European record here tonight.
“I had not planned a record at all. I could feel something but I wasn’t expecting anything that fast. I can now say that I feel ready to compete. My body felt well.”
Four other athletes; Benjamin Limo, Wilson Kipketer, Hicham El Guerrouj and Ana Guevara set year’s world bests during the meeting.
Guevara sliced 0.26 seconds off her own year’s best with 49.25 seconds to defeat Lorraine Fenton of Jamaica and Jearl Miles-Clark of the United States in the 400 metres. She had set her previous best of 49.51 seconds in Rome just seven days ago.
Denmark’s Wilson Kipketer cruised to victory in the 800 metres, 1.49 seconds faster than Russian Yuri Borzakovski in Turin on June 6.
In the 3,000 metres, Kenyan Benjamin Limo outclassed a strong field to slice 1.30 seconds off his own best performance of the year in the 3.000 metres.
Moroccan Olympic and world champion Hicham El Guerrouj recorded three minutes 27.34 seconds in the 1,500 metres. His previous best was 3:29.87 at the Paris Saint-Denis Golden League meeting.
Marion Jones equalled Ukranian Zhanna Pintusevich-Block’s world best of the year in 10.84 seconds with a convincing win in the women’s 100 metres.
Another American Olympic and world champion Maurice Greene confirmed he was back in top form after being defeated twice by Briton Dwain Chambers at the beginning of the European season by running his second 100 metres in a week in 9.97 seconds.
The results meant Jones, Guevara and El Guerrouj are still on course for a share of the 50 kilograms of gold offered to athletes who win all seven of their disciplines in the Golden League meetings.
After four meetings, in Oslo, Paris and Rome, American Gail Devers and Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic are also unbeaten.
Results:
WOMEN
400m: 1. Ana Guevara (Mexico) 49.25 seconds; 2. Lorraine Fenton (Jamaica) 49.30; 3. Jearl Miles-Clark (U.S.) 50.37; 4. Ami Mbacke Thiam (Senegal) 50.96; 5. Monique Hennagan (U.S.) 51.07.
800m: 1. Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) 1 minute 56.09 seconds; 2. Maria De Lourdes Mutola (Mozambique) 1:56.16; 3. Brigita Langerholc (Slovenia) 1:58.97; 4. Ludmila Formanova (Czech Republic) 1:59.09; 5. Diane Cummins (Canada) 1:59.47.
100m hurdles: 1. Gail Devers (U.S.) 12.42; 2. Brigitte Foster (Jamaica) 12.57; 3. Glory Alozie (Spain) 12.60; 4. Lacena Golding-Clarke (Jamaica) 12.81; 5. Jenny Adams (U.S.) 12.85.
1,500m: 1. Alesya Turova (Belarus) 4:01.01; 2. Regina Jacobs (U.S.) 4:01.02; 3. Helen Pattinson (Britain) 4:01.10; 4. Judit Varga (Hungary) 4:01.38; 5. Natalya Gorelova (Russia) 4:02.33.
100m: 1. Mario Jones (U.S.) 10.84; 2. Tayna Lawrence (Jamaica) 10.95; 3. Chryste Gaines (U.S.) 11.00; 4. Muriel Hurtis (France) 11.03; 5. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 11.08.
3,000m: 1. Gabriela Szabo (Romania) 8:21.42; 2. Paula Radcliffe (Britain) 8:22.20; 3. Edith Masai (Kenya) 8:23.23; 4. Berhane Adere (Ethiopia) 8:34.65; 5. Lidia Chojecka (Poland) 8:35.26.
MEN
400m hurdles: 1. Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) 47.86; 2. Stephane Diagana (France) 48.11; 3. Eric Thomas (U.S.) 48.32; 4. Hadi Soua’an Al-Somaily (Saudi Arabia) 48.43; 5. James Carter (U.S.) 48.65.
800m: 1. Wilson Kipketer (Denmark) 1:43.76; 2. David Krummenacker (U.S.) 1:43.95; 3. Hezekiel Sepeng (South Africa) 1:44.39; 4. Pawel Czapiewski (Poland) 1:44.56; 5. Japheth Kimutai (Kenya) 1:45.12.
110m hurdles: 1. Larry Wade (U.S.) 13.19; 2. Anier Garcia (Cuba) 13.22; 3. Andrea Giaconi (Italy) 13.38; 4. Shaun Bownes (South Africa) 13.43; 5. Terrence Trammell (U.S.) 13.50.
1,500m: 1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 3:27.34; 2. Bernard Lagat (Kenya) 3:27.91; 3. Rui Silva (Portugal) 3:30.07; 4. Cornelius (Kenya) 3:30.24; 5. William Chirchir (Kenya) 3:30.88.
100m: 1. Maurice Greene (U.S.) 9.97; 2. Bernard Willias (U.S.) 9.99; 3. Kim Collins (St Kitts and Nevis) 10.13; 4. Abdul Aziz Zakari (Ghana) 10.15; 5. Coby Miller (U.S.) 10.22.
3,000m steeplechase: 1. Brahim Boulami (Morocco) 7:58.09; 2. Stephen Cherono (Kenya) 7:58.10; 3. Simon Vroemen (Netherlands) 8:06.91; 4. Wilson Kipketer Boit (Kenya) 8:12.23; 5. Paul Koech (Kenya) 8:15.60.—Reuters
