Track Profile Report: Day 5

August 20, 2008 by Bob Ramsak (Track Profile Reports #811, #812, #813) UPSETS, VINDICATION, HIGHLIGHT DAY FIVE Upsets, hard luck and vindication were the order of the evening on Day five competition on the track in Bejing. Nearly across the board,
pre-Olympic momentum, conjecture and conventional wisdom took a back seat to the action on the field.

On another night when the National Stadium was filled to capacity, two events in particular stood out: Christine Ohuruogus sensational victory in the 400m, and Dawn Harpers unlikely triumph in the 100m hurdles.

A year ago, Ohuruogu won the world title in Osaka, but without the events undisputed No. 1 American Sanya Richards in the race, the victory seemed to lack some luster. But her triumph in Beijing will go a long way to assuage any doubts about the Britons ability to come ogus case was an exception, and that the Londoner is indeed clean.

HARPER SHOCKER IN WOMENS 100m HURDLES

Less than 20 minutes later, the upsets continued in the womens 100m hurdles. Why the term is often used to describe obstacles we encounter in everyday life has already been sufficiently addressed in Beijing over the past few days. After Liu Xiang, two-time silver medallist Terrence Trammell, and European champion Susana Kallur, World leader and pre-meet favorite Lolo Jones provided yet another example.

With a clear lead heading towards hurdle nine, the U.S. champion hit the barrier hard. While she stayed on her feet, her late race mishap swiftly knocked her out of contention for a medal of any color.

That opened the door for Dawn Harper, whose late race charge had already guaranteed her a medal. That it would be gold caught the entire world by surprise.

I knew I needed to react to the gun, just focus on me and be quick and attack each hurdle," said Harper, whose 12.54 victory, a career best, will be one of the most memorable of the Games.

With Jones out, the battle for second was nearly too close to call. After a nerve-racking pause to read the photo, the bronze went to 21-year-old Australian Sally McLellan who edged Canadian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. Bother were credited with 12.64, with American Damu Cherry and Jamiacan Delloreen Ennis-London just a tick behind in fourth and fifth, both clocking 12.65.

Said Jones, "You hit a hurdle about twice a year where it affects your race. It's just a shame that it happened on the biggest race of my life.

While Harpers victory will go into the record books as a surprise, it wasnt to the former U.S. junior champion. I felt I was always capable if I focused on myself, said Harper, whose previous best was 12.58.

McLellans post race assessment: I cant believe this is even happening.

RAMZI BECOMING MAN OF CHAMPIONSHIPS

When he emerged as a middle distance power at the world championships in Helsinki three years ago, Rashid Ramzi said his childhood idol was Hicham El Guerrouj. On Tuesday, the 28-year-old succeeded the all-time great as the Olympic 1500m champion.

Biding his time in the middle of the pack for more than half the race, the enigmatic Bahraini wormed his way through the pack to join the leaders at the bell before making his break with 200 metres to go to. The gap of some two meters he carried through the final bend proved to be decisive as he crossed the line in 3:32.94.

But he wasnt alone when he unleashed his fearsome trademark kick. Kenyan teenager Asbel Kiprop, who shared the early race pacing chores with his teammate Augustine Choge, matched Ramzis move, and although he wasnt able to catch him, he didnt allow the gap to grow either. The 19-year-old finished just a step behind in 3:33.11 to take the silver, the eighth medal overall in the event for Kenya in Olympic competition.

Im not disappointed, said Kiprop, who was fourth at the World championships last year. Not at all.

In the fast and furious charge over the final 150 metres, New Zealander Nick Willis produced the race of his life. Sixth entering the homestretch, the 25-year-old national record holder forged on to claim the bronze in 3:34.16, holding off Frenchman Mehdi Baala, who was running on the inside, by just 0.05 seconds.

I wasnt able to get the gold, said Willis, but to get a bronze means just as much.

Just over half a second separated finishers four through seven, with Spaniard Juan Carlos Higuero taking fifth (3:34.44) to give Europe two
top-five finishers for the second straight Games.

Kiprop said that he and Choge made the decision last night to assume the pacing chores. A brisk pace from the outset, they reasoned, would be the only way to work the kick out of Ramzis legs. But that game plan quite come to pass.

Kiprop assumed the immediate lead, bringing the tightly-knit pack through the first lap in 56.48, but Choge then slowed the tempo significantly, reaching the 800m in 1:56.06. The next lap was quicker, but the 2:53 split at 1200m wasnt quite according to plan either.

We were hoping for 2:50, Kiprop confirmed. Choge later wasnt a factor in the homestretch battle, fading to 10th in 3:35.50.

On Wednesday, Ramzi said, hell decide whether to emulate his idols Athens Olympic achievement, and contest the 5000m as well.

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TRACK PROFILE Report #812: STAGE SET FOR WARINER-MERRITT, DIBABA-DEFAR CLASHES

BEIJING -- Tuesday evenings semi-final competition set the stage for two of the most eagerly anticipated showdowns of the Games: Wariner v Merritt in the mens 400 and Dibaba v. Defar in the womens 5000.

Even before events took a dramatic turn in the mens 100 meters, the Jeremy Wariner LaShawn Merritt clash over the full lap was billed as the showdown of the Games. And both looked extremely well prepared after their convincing and dominating victories in the semi-finals.

In the first of three heats, defending Olympic and two-time World champion Wariner wasted little time to stamp his authority. On fire out of the blocks, the 24-year-old Texan made up the stagger on the field by midway, and once through the turn, gradually shut it down, looking to his outside some 40 meters from the finish before cruising through the line in 44.15. This season, only he and Merritt have run faster.

And Merritt was even faster. Out quickly but more patiently than Wariner, the 22-year-old U.S. champion gradually built a comfortable lead with what appeared to a very evenly run race. He was unchallenged over the final 100 meters, stopping the clock in 44.12.

Im excited for the finals, said Wariner, who leads the world this year at 43.86. I knew where I was at. I did everything I wanted to.

Said Merritt, whos run 44.00 this year: Anything can happen on any day. Im in the best shape of my life. Im ready to show the world what I can
do.

In 2008, the two have split their four meetings. The lane draw may be critical; both of Wariners victories came when Merritt ran to his outside. In Thursdays final, Merritt will line up in lane four, and Wariner in seven.

Behind Merritt, Briton Martyn Rooney improved yet again, making up two spots over the final 50 meters to finish second in a personal best 44.60, just ahead of Swedish record holder Johan Wissman, who advanced easily on time. Renny Quow of Trinidad, moved on as well after his 44.82, also a career best.

The last 100 meters were hard, said Rooney, who as each race passes, looks more and more a medal contender. I had to run a personal best to get through.

Meanwhile, Bahamian Chris Brown, this seasons third fastest, was the only other runner remotely close to Wariner and advanced easily with his runner-up finish in 44.59.

RARE DEFAR-DIBABA FACE-OFF SET

A day later on Friday, another of the fiercest rivalries in the sport will take centre stage: Tirunesh Dibaba, the recently minted Olympic 10,000m champion will square off against Meseret Defar, the reigning 5000m champion.

Since the 2002 World junior championships, when Defar took the title over Dibaba, the Ethiopian duo have met 22 times in the 5000m, with Defar holding a narrow 12-10 lead while building up her resume as arguably the worlds finest 5000m runner. But in June, Defar, who has dominated the 10,000 in recent years, took the World record from Defar in Oslo clocking 14:11.15. Defar tried to reclaim it in Stockholm a month later, but came up just a few meters short, clocking 14:12.88. The two are that close.

For whatever reasons, they havent met since the World Athletics Final nearly two years ago won by Defar - but their paths will finally, and dramatically cross here as Dibaba aims to win her second medal of the Games while Defar hopes to hold on to a title she considers hers.

Each won their respective heats tonight with relative ease, Dibaba the slower first in 15:09.89 and Defar the faster second in 14:56.32. Their victories were remarkably similar as both were content to sit back in the pack and let others do the leading. Dibaba moved the front just beyond the bell and held on, while Defar chose to wait until about 200 meters remained.

If either can be considered to have a slight edge, it would be Defar, who raced for the first time in these Games. The biggest question mark hanging over Dibaba will be how shell recover from her phenomenal victory in the 10,000m, where her stunning 29:54.66 performance was the second fastest in history.

Neither of the first round heats produced much drama for the remaining five automatic spots behind the Ethiopian pair, with the slots already more or less determined as the fields approached their respective bell laps.

Just a little more than a second separated spots two through five in the first race, with Kenyan Sylvia Kibet (15:10.37), Alemitu Bekele (15:10.92) of Turkey, Ethiopias African Champion Meselech Melkamu (15:11.21) and Gulnara Galkina-Samitova (15:11.46) of Russia moving on easily. Behind them, American Jenn Rhines, who ran with the leaders through much of the race, nabbed the sixth automatic spot, clocking 15:15.12.

The significantly quicker pace over the final kilometer in the second race would guarantee that the next three over the line behind the top six automatic qualifiers would also advance.

With Vivian Cheruiyot (14:57.27) and Priscah Jepleting (14:58.07) advancing, Kenya will have three women in the final, as will the United States, led by Shalane Flanagan, the 10,000m bronze medallist, and Kara Goucher.

Also advancing were Russian Liliya Shobukhova (14:57.77), who broke the European record last month, and former 5000m World record holder Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey.

While the Defar-Dibaba show will take the spotlight, behind them several other notable double attempts will be undertaken. Galkina-Samitova won the first Olympic gold medal in the 3000m Steeplechase on Sunday, clocking a World record of 8:58.81. Abeylegesse won silver in the 10,000m on Friday with a European record 29:56.34 (the third fastest performance in history) in what very well might have been the finest ever womens contest over the distance.

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TRACK PROFILE Report #813: BOLT TO CHASE HISTORY TONIGHT

BEIJING -- When the subject of tonights 200m final comes up -and it has quite often over the past several days- one general theme emerges: How fast will Usain Bolt run’

After his 9.69 world record in the 100m on Saturday --a performance thats still extremely difficult to fully grasp-- attention has fallen on the 22-year-old Jamaican who, until this year, was considered a better 200m runner. According to him, it remains his favorite. That hes in the shape of his life was vividly illustrated time and time again since the opening, most recently in the early rounds of the 200 when he redefined the discipline by adding the term jog to sprinting parlance.

His 20.09 win in the second semi was just that, a jog down the home straight. At least in comparison to how those who followed him appeared. American Shawn Crawford, the 2004 champion, worked hard to reach the line in 20.12. His teammate Wallace Spearmon worked even harder to finish third in 20.14.

That Bolt can be beaten hasnt really been open to debate. Even among some of the runners who will line up against him.

Im not going to beat him, said Zimbabwes Brian Dingzai, the runner-up in the first semi in 20.17. Ill just do my best.

While not taking on that sort of defeatist attitude, even Spearmon paid him a further, if light-hearted, tribute. He might be a 400 runner as well, but hes lazy.

A mark once considered untouchable, Michael Johnsons 19.32 world record is the target pundits think Bolt should be aiming for. Both records have been broke in the same Olympics twice, but not by the same person. The records fell to Jim Hines and Tommie Smith in 1968, and to Donovan Bailey and Johnson in 1996.

But on the record, records arent crossing the Jamaicans mind. Hes apparently too busy just having a good time.

Im just enjoying myself, Bolt said after the semis. You cant be too serious, youve just got to enjoy it.

He did make one promise though.

Im going to run my heart out.

Others finals on Day 6 include the womens 400m hurdles and womens hammer throw.

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