ZURICH, Aug 17: Moroccan Brahim Boulami stole the glory from America’s sprinters when he smashed his own 3,000 metres steeplechase world record on an evening of top performances at the Zurich Golden League meeting Friday.
American Tim Montgomery upset pre-race predictions of a high-speed showdown between Olympic and world champion compatriot Maurice Greene and newly-crowned European champion Dwain Chambers of Britain to win the men’s 100 metres.
Another American Marion Jones maintained her personal chase for gold when she won the women’s 100 metres for the fifth time in the five Golden League meetings of the season so far.
But it was the stunning performances of Boulami, 30, who broke his own record and left the steeplechase field trailing behind him, that captured the hearts of a capacity crowd at the Letzigrund Stadium.
Boulami’s winning run in seven minutes and 53.17 seconds shattered his own year-old world record set in Brussels and confirmed his status as the first non-Kenyan since 1976 to be the unrivalled record-holder for the event.
Boulami’s previous record was set in Brussels on Aug 24 last year when he clocked 7:55.28.
Maria Mutola of Mozambique was another who endeared herself to the knowledgeable crowd after winning the women’s 800 metres in the Swiss city for the 10th consecutive year.
Mexican runner Ana Guevara maintained her hopes of a share of the promised 50 kilos of gold to be split among those athletes who win all of their Golden League events this summer, with her triumph in the women’s 400 metres.
The 25-year-old, in flawless form, delivered her fifth successive Golden League win of the year after triumphs in Oslo, Paris, Rome and Monte Carlo to stay on course for a share of the jackpot.
She beat second-placed Russian Olesjha Zykina by more than a second as she clocked her year’s best time of 49.16 seconds.
On an evening of perfect conditions and excellent performances, Romanian Gabriela Szabo also shone with a spirited and fast last-gasp victory in the women’s 1,500 metres.
Her time of three minutes and 58.78 seconds was her best of the year and faster than that set by Turkey’s Sureyya Ayhan, who beat her in a major upset to win the European Championship gold in Munich last week.
Szabo came home just ahead of American Suzy Favor Hamilton to confirm her return to top form following a dip after winning the world championship last year.
Montgomery’s win in the men’s 100 metres was the surprise result of the meeting.
The American crossed the line in a time of 9.98 seconds, beating compatriot Coby Miller on 10.0 into second place. Britain’s Chambers finished third in 10.05 while Greene came home fifth in 10.10 behind Commonwealth Games champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis who clocked 10.06.
In the men’s triple jump Briton Jonathan Edwards, the Olympic and world champion, resumed winning ways by finishing ahead of Cuban Alexander Martinez and Sweden’s Christian Olsson, gaining some satisfaction after his defeat by the Swede at last week’s European Championships where he was third.
American Gail Devers’s attempt to reel off her fifth Golden League win of the year failed in the women’s 100 metres hurdles in which she was outpaced by Spaniard Glory Alozie and Jamaican Brigitte Foster.
Results:
WOMEN’S:
1,500 metres: 1. Gabriela Szabo (Romania) 3 minutes 58.78 seconds; 2. Suzy Favor-Hamilton (US) 3:59.10; 3. Alesya Turova (Belarus) 3:59.89; 4. Yelena Zadorozhnaya (Russia) 3:59.94; 5. Daniela Yordanova (Bulgaria) 4:00.65; 6. Judit Varga Judit (Hungary) 4:01.26; 7. Natalya Gorelova (Russia) 4:02.47; 8. Jackline Maranga (Kenya) 4:03.43.
100 metres — race 1: 1. Marion Jones (US) 10.88 seconds; 2. Chryste Gaines (US) 10.95; 3. Tanya Lawrence (Jamaica) 11.10; 4. Torri Edwards (US) 11.13; 5. Muriel Hurtis (France) 11.14; 6. Debbie Ferguson (Bahamas) 11.16; 7. Natasha Mayers (St Vincent) 11.25; 8. Angela Williams (US) 11.37.
100 metres — race 2: 1. Juliet Campbell (Jamaica) 11.15; 2. Endurance Ojokolo (Nigeria) 11.23; 3. Beverly McDonald (Jamaica) 11.24; 4. Karin Mayr (Austria) 11.32; 5. Martina Feusi (Switzerland) 11.36; 6. Alenka Bikar (Slovenia) 11.39; 7. Lauren Hewitt (Australia) 11.43; 8. Myriam Mani (Cameroon) 11.51.
800 metres: 1. Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 1:57.24; 2. Jolanda Ceplak (Slovenia) 1:57.78; 3. Mayte Martinez (Spain) 1:58.29; 4. Jearl Miles-Clark (US) 1:58.41; 5. Diane Cummins (Canada) 1:58.79; 6. Ivonne Teichmann (Germany) 1:59.06; 7. Zulia Calatayud (Cuba) 1:59.33; 8. Ludmila Formanova (Czech Republic) 1:59.92.
3,000 metres: 1. Berhane Adere (Ethiopia) 8:32.76; 2. Tatyana Tomashova (Russia) 8:33.40; 3. Sonia O’Sullivan (Ireland) 8:33.62; 4. Edith Masai (Kenya) 8:33.83; 5. Elvan Abeylegesse (Turkey) 8:36.56; 6. Ines Chenonge (Kenya) 8:40.02; 7. Sentayehu Ejigu (Ethiopa) 8:48.30; 8. Ebru Kavaklioglu (Turkey) 8:48.71.
Long jump: 1. Maurren Higa Maggi (Brazil) 6.84 metres; 2. Tunde Vaszi (Hungary) 6.69; 3. Olga Rublyova (Russia) 6.51; 4. Jade Johnson (Britain) 6.48; 5. Heike Drechsler (Germany) 6.48; 6. Jackie Edwards (Bahamas) 6.37; 7. Concepcion Montaner (Spain) 6.35; 8. Bronwyn Thompson (Australia) 6.33.
100 metres hurdles: 1. Glory Alozie (Spain) 12.63 seconds; 2. Bridgette Foster (Jamaica) 12.71; 3. Gail Devers (US) 12.73; 4. Jenny Adams (US) 12.80; 5. Anjanette Kirkland (US) 12.89; 6. Lacena Golding-Clarke (Jamaica) 12.93; 7. Melissa Morrison (US) 13.23.
400 metres: 1. Ana Guevara (Mexico) 49.16 seconds; 2. Olesja Zykina (Russia) 50.44; 3 Michelle Collins (US) 50.75; 4. Grit Breuer (Germany) 50.91; 5. Kaltouma Nadjina (Chad) 51.17; 6. Lee McConnell (Britain) 51.29; 7. Sandie Richards (Jamaica) 52.21; 8. Suziann Reid (US) 52.96.
Javelin: 1. Tatyana Shikolenko (Russia) 64.72 metres; 2. Felicia Tilea-Moldovan (Romania) 63.89; 3. Steffi Nerius (Germany) 61.55; 4. Sonia Bicet (Cuba) 61.05; 5. Mikaela Ingberg (Finland) 61.02; 6. Taina Kolkkala (Finland) 60.50; 7. Osleidys Menendez (Cuba) 59.98; 8. Paula Huhtaniemi (Finland) 56.83.
MEN’S:
3,000 metres steeplechase: 1. Brahim Boulami (Morocco) 7:53.17 (world record); 2. Stephen Cherono (Kenya) 8:05.14; 3. Paul Koech (Kenya) 8:05.44; 4. Saad Shaddad Al-Asmari (Saudi Arabia) 8:12.51; 5. Wilson Boit Kipketer (Kenya) 8:13.07; 6. Bob Tahri (France) 8:13.61; 7. Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya) 8:18.30; 8. Simon Vroemen (Netherlands) 8:18.94.
100 metres: 1. Tim Montgomery (US) 9.98 seconds; 2. Coby Miller (US) 10.00; 3. Dwain Chambers (Britain) 10.05; 4. Kim Collins (St Kitts) 10.06; 5. Maurice Greene (US) 10.10; 6. Uchenna Emedolu (Nigeria) 10.16; 7. Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) 10.19; 8. Frankie Fredericks (Namibia) 10.39.
400 metres hurdles — race 1: 1. Felix Sanchez (Dominican Republic) 47.35 seconds; 2. James Carter (US) 47.57; 3. Hadi Sou’an Al-Somaily (Saudi Arabia) 48.11; 4. Stephane Diagana (France) 48.21; 5. Fabrizio Mori (Italy) 48.49; 6. Eric Thomas (US) 48.83; 7. Jiri Muzik (Czech Republic) 48.87; 8. Llewellyn Herbert (South Africa) 48.97.
400 metres hurdles — race 2: 1. Pawel Januszewski (Poland) 48.65; 2. Matthew Elias (Britain) 49.18; 3. Anthony Borsumato (Britain) 49.42; 4. Marek Plawgo (Poland) 49.54; 5. Stepan Tesarik (Czech Republic) 49.54; 6. Ruslan Mashchenko (Russia) 50.21; 7. Cedric El-Idrissi (Switzerland) 52.18; 8. Joey Woody (US) 58.84.
Discus: 1. Robert Fazekas (Hunary) 66.81 metres; 2. Mario Pestano (Spain) 65.37; 3. Frantz Kruger (South Africa) 64.98; 4. Virgilijus Alekna (Lithuania) 64.83; 5. Michael Mollenbeck (Germany) 64.60; 6. Dmitriy Shevchenko (Russia) 63.29; 7. Roland Varga (Hungary) 62.88; 8. Zoltan Kovago (Hungary) 62.27.
1,500 metres: 1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) 3:26.89; 2. Cornelius Chirchir (Kenya) 3:30.88; 3. Rui Silva (Portugal) 3:31.22; 4. Bernard Lagat (Kenya) 3:31.52; 5. William Chirchir (Kenya) 3:32.76; 6. Reyes Estevez (Spain) 3:33.08; 7. Robert Rono (Kenya) 3:33.10; 8. Abdelkader Hachlaf (Morocco) 3:33.78.
800 metres: 1. Joseph Mutua (Kenya) 1:43.33; 2. Wilson Kipketer (Denmark) 1:43.59; 3. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (South Africa) 1:43.81; 4. Andre Bucher (Switzerland) 1:44.30; 5. Pawel Czapiewski (Poland) 1:44.35; 6. David Krummenacker (US) 1:44.74; 7. Djabir Said-Guerni (Algeria) 1:45.54; 8. Khadevis Robinson (US) 1:45.91.
Triple jump: 1. Jonathan Edwards (Britain) 17.63 metres; 2. Alexander Martinez (Cuba) 17.19; 3. Christian Olsson (Sweden) 17.18; 4. Frabrizio Donato (Italy) 16.92; 5. Walter Davis (US) 16.91; 6. Charles Friedek (Germany) 16.83; 7. Kenta Bell (US) 16.80; 8. Aleksandr Glavatskiy (Belarus) 16.70.
High jump: 1. Stefan Holm (Sweden) 2.35 metres; 2. Mark Boswell (Canada) 2.33; 3. Yaroslav Rybakov (Russia) 2.31; 4. Staffan Strand (Sweden) 2.28; 5. Abderrahmane Hammad (Algeria) 2.28; 6. Andrey Chubsa (Belarus) 2.28; 7 equal. Matt Hemingway (US) 2.20, 7 equal. Nathan Leeper (US) 2.20, 7 equal. Martin Stauffer (Switzerland) 2.20.
Pole vault: 1 equal. Lars Borgeling (Germany) 5.80, 1 equal. Tim Lobinger (Germany) 5.80; 3 equal. Nick Hysong (US) 5.70, 3 equal. Timothy Mack (US) 5.70; 5. Vasiliy Gorshkov (Russia) 5.70; 6. Patrik Kristiansson (Sweden) 5.70; 7 equal. Aleksandr Averbukh (Israel) 5.60, 7 equal. Stepan Janacek (Czech Republic) 5.60.
5,000 metres: 1. Sammy Kipketer (Kenya) 12:56.99; 2. Richard Limo (Kenya) 12:57.86; 3. Abraham Chebii (Kenya) 12:58.98; 4. Benjamin Limo (Kenya) 13:01.31; 5. Salah Hissou (Morocco) 13:01.50; 6. Charles Kamathi (Kenya) 13:02.51; 7. Ismail Sghyr (France) 13:05.80; 8. Paul Bitok (Kenya) 13:06.39.—Reuters
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