Posted: March 13, 2006

Athletics: World Indoor Championships Day 3 - Mutola Gets 8th World Title

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

MOSCOW (12-Mar) -- Maria Mutola captured an astounding eighth world title while perennial speedster Wilfred Bungei finally claimed his first to cap the final day of the competition at the 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships.

With a brilliant gun-to-tape performance, Mutola vividly displayed why she is still arguably the finest 800 meter runner in the world. Fittingly, her 1:58.90 clocking was her fastest time of the year.

Despite several challenges, particularly from previous world leader Olga Kotlyarova of Russia, no one could match the racing brilliance of the 33-year-old Mozambican. Surprisingly, it was Jamaican Kenia Sinclair who came closest. The 25-year-old former 400m sprinter, continued her coming out campaign with a runner-up finish, producing yet another national record of 1:59.54.

Hasna Benhassi, the reigning World and Olympic silver medallist, held on for third in 2:00.34, also a season's best.

Kotlyarova, who tried to get by Mutola just beyond the bell, faded to fifth to reach the line in 2:01.26, behind Elisbeth Grousselle of France (2:00.74).

Producing the biggest shock of the evening --at least to the enthusiastic crowd at the Olimpiyskiy arena-- Wilfred Bungei notched an upset in the men’s race over Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy.

The Kenyan, annually among the fastest runners in the world, reached the line in a modest 1:47.15, but the time didn’t reflect the tactical precision he finally produced to win the first major title of his career.

After sharing the lead with defending champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa, Bungei charged to the front at the midway point --reached in a sluggish 55.65-- and upped the tempo dramatically. Following his time-tested playbook, Borzakovskiy took his time catching up to the leaders, running third at the bell. But when he made his challenge for the lead, Bungei responded, injecting a surge that the Russian couldn't answer.

"It was unbelievable that after a 55.6 first half we could run the second half in 51.5," Bungei said. "I expected them to come close and push at the end, but I still had enough energy."

So thrilled was Bungei that an early celebration nearly allowed Mulaudzi to breeze by him on the inside, but the South African was a mere one one-hundredth of a second shy. Fading on the outside, Borzakovskiy reached the line in 1:47.38 to take the bronze.

Latvia's Dmitrijs Milkevics, whose initial intention this season was to spend this weekend at the NCAA championships in Fayetteville, came to Moscow instead and finished fourth in 1:48.01.

In the weekend’s "race of champions," it was the most highly decorated, Kenenisa Bekele, who emerged victorious in the eagerly-anticipated final of the 3000 meters, clocking 7:39.32. He is now the only athlete in history to win Olympic, World Championship, World Indoor Championship and World Cross Country Championship gold.

Alistair Cragg, Ireland’s European indoor champion, controlled the pace for the first seven laps, before Bekele forged ahead, followed by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and the world steeplechase champion, Said Saaeed Shaheen. Bekele unleashed a long sustained kick with 400 meters to go, creating a ten meter gap, a move that proved to make the difference in the race.

Shaheen powered past Kipchoge at the bell; for a moment it appeared that he might have the stamina to challenge Bekele. That appearance was a fleeting one as Bekele, who will chase his fifth double victory at the World Cross Country championships next month in Fukuoka, refused to allow the gap to shrink.

Shaheen reached the line in 7:41.28 to get the silver, his first global indoor medal, more than a full second clear of Kipchoge, who was third in 7:42.58. It was also the first indoor medal for the Kenyan, the 2003 World champion in the 5000 metres.

“That was not very intelligent of me,” said Shaheen. “I knew exactly when Kenenisa would start his kick and I planned to be close to him at that time. But I wasn’t.”

While he couldn't match the finish of the podium finishers, Cragg held on for fourth (7:46.43), with Kenyan Shadrack Korir fifth (7:47.11) and Tariku Bekele, Kenenisa's younger brother, who was sixth (7:47.67).

The Russian pair of Yelena Soboleva, the recently-minted world indoor record holder in the 1500 meters, and Yuliya Chizhenko, were expected to be in the hunt for top honors in their specialty. But it was Chizhenko who emerged as the winner from a delightfully tactical contest, reaching the line in 4:04.70.

The pair, with Soboleva in front, led the field through the first 1000 meters, before Maryam Yusef Jamal of Bahrain made her bid for the lead. But her challenge would be short-lived. Hind Dehiba of France made a surprise move for the lead at the bell, picking up the pace, and leaving Jamal a few steps behind. Almost immediately, Soboleva and Chizhenko passed the Frenchwoman to regain control. Soboleva powered on, only to be passed by Chizhenko as she headed off the final turn. The 26-year-old made up for her disqualification from last summer's World championships with her impressive win, well ahead of Soboleva's 4:05.21.

"We had a tactical plan that worked," Chizhenko revealed. "We wanted with Yelena to make the pace and not allow others to reach the front."

Dehiba's brave move for the lead nearly paid off; the European Indoor bronze medalist was on her way to a global bronze until she tripped just a few meters before the finish line, allowing Jamal to collect the bronze (4:05.53). Dehiba's 4:05.67 was nonetheless a French national record.

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