Kipchirchir upstages local star
MADRID, Feb 25: Kenya's Daniel Kipchirchir produced an authoritative piece of front-running to win the 1,500 metres ahead of local favourite Reyes Estevez in the Madrid indoor athletics meeting on Thursday.
Kipchirchir, who posted the season's leading mark of three minutes 33.08 seconds in Karlsruhe earlier this month, romped home ahead of the Spaniard in a time of 3:34.59 at the city's newly inaugurated indoor arena which will host next week's European championships.
In the women's events, former Olympic 800 champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique stepped up to compete in the 1,000 metres where she eased her way to victory over Maite Martinez.
LEADING RESULTS:
MEN'S:
60 METRES: 1. Dwight Phillips (US) 6.47 seconds; 2. Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) 6.54; 3. Uchenna Emedolu (Nigeria) 6.67.
400 METRES: 1. Davian Clarke (Jamaica) 45.94 seconds; 2. Carlos Santa (Dominican Republic) 45.96; 3. David Canal (Spain) 46.49.
800 METRES: 1. Dimitry Bogdanov (Russia) 1 minute 47.48 seconds; 2. Antonio Reina (Spain) 1:48.26; 3. Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 1:48.48.
1,500 METRES: 1. Daniel Kipchirchir (Kenya) 3 minutes 34.59 seconds; 2. Reyes Estevez (Spain) 3:36.51; 3. Joeri Jansen (Belgium) 3:40.59.
60 METRES HURDLES: 1. Felipe Vivancos (Spain) 7.60 seconds; 2. Robert Kronberg (Sweden) 7.62; 3. Dudley Dorival (Haiti) 7.63.
LONG JUMP: 1. Joan Lino Martinez (Spain) 8.01 metres; 2. Gaspar Araujo (Portugal) 8.00; 3. Olexey Lukashevich (Ukraine) 8.00.
SHOT PUT: 1. Manuel Martinez (Spain) 20.51 metres; 2. Christian Cantwell (US) 20.36; 3. Rutger Smith (Netherlands) 20.00.
WOMEN'S:
400 METRES: 1. Olesia Krasnomovets (Russia) 51.56 seconds; 2. Natalia Pyhyda (Ukraine) 52.46; 3. Mbacke Thian Ami (Hungary) 53.45.
1,000 METRES: 1. Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 2 minutes 38.07 seconds; 2. Maite Martinez (Spain) 2:38.80; 3. Agnes Samaria (Namibia) 2:40.16.
1,500 METRES: 1. Elena Iagar (Romania) 4 minutes 06.52 seconds; 2. Lidia Chojecka (Poland) 4:07.10; 3. Hind Dheiba (France) 4:10.52.
60 METRES HURDLES: 1. Glory Alozie (Spain) 7.92; 2. Michelle Freeman (Jamaica) 7.95; 3. Vonette Dixon (Jamaica) 7.98.
TRIPLE JUMP: 1. Anna Pyatykh (Russia) 14.56 metres; 2. Magdalin Martinez (Italy) 14.30; 3. Sarka Kasparkova (Czech Republic) 14.05.
HIGH JUMP: 1. Ruth Beitia (Spain) 1.96 metres; 2. Anna Chicherova (Russia) 1.96; 3. Viktoriya Seryogina (Russia) 1.94.
POLE VAULT: 1. Monika Pyrek (Poland) 4.70 metres; 2. Carolin Hingst (Germany) 4.60; 3. Zhao Yingying (China) 4.45. -Reuters