by Larry EderIn pouring rain, with wind in his face, Usain Bolt overcame a mediocre start, and by thirty meters, took the lead. By ninety meters, Bolt was floating and his finish time of 9.79, into a headwind, gives just a minor indication of his level of fitness. Daniel Bailey of Antigua ran 9.91 for a personal best and a national record. In third, Yohan Blake, the young Jamaican junior who has so impressed, ran a personal best of 9.93.
Usain Bolt, August 2008, Beijing Olympics, photo courtesy of Photorun.net.
In the 400 meters, Jeremy Wariner won in a pedestrian (for him), 45.28, with Chris Brown of the Bahamas in 45.44 and Leslie Djhone of France in 45.47.
Ismail Ahmed Ismail of the Sudan won the 800 meters in 1:45.85, with Nadjim Manseur in second, and Khadevis Robinson nipping Michael Rimmer of Great Britian for third, in 1:46.47-1:46.73.
In a tactic similar to what he will probably use in Berlin to take the 5,000 meters, Kenenisa Bekele used a stiff pace to put five seconds between himself and Bernard Lagat, the Osaka champion at 5,000 meters and 1,500 meters. Lagat is in shape. He has run 1:46 for 800 meters, 3:32.5 for 1,500 meters and 13:02 for 5,000 meters. Bekele took off in 57 seconds and did not look back, giving himself twenty five meters of safety at one time. Bekele knew that to defeat Lagat, he needed to thwart Lagat’s prodigious kick. Using a last lap of 59.36 and a final kilometer of 2:30.25, Kenenisa Bekele took the win, and kept his hope for the golden prize alive, with 4 of 4 wins on the GL circuit. Running a very smart race, and in his first European event of the season, Chris Solinksy ran an excellent race, finishing fourth in 7:37.12, a near personal best!
Dexter Faulk, using a superb start, won the 110m hurdles in 13.14, taking some notable hurdlers with his victory.
The French crowd was treated to wins in the men’s steeplechase, with Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, new French record holder, winning in 8:13.23 over Ezekial Kemboi of Kenia’s 8:15.27 and Jukka Keskisalo’s 8:15.59. Running a steeple in the cold rain is not fun, and this race looked like a cross country race combined with
a swim meet.
Renaud Lavillenie of France showed his stuff tonight as only two vaulters cleared 5.60m and both were francais! Lavillenie, the pride of a proud French vaulting tradition, cleared 5.70m, with Damiel Dossevi clearing 5.60m for second.
Tero Pitkamaki of Finland hurled a nice 86.68m for the javelin in round two, but Andreas Thorkildsen dropped a 88.03 massive throw and ended the discussion there.
On the women’s side, Kerron Stewart ran 10.99 over Chandra Sturrup and Aleen Bailey to show who is tough over the 100 meters. Sanya Richards won by seven meters with her 49.34. She moved from two hundred to three hundred meters and won by over a second from Novlene Williams-Mills, who ran 50.39.
In one of the most exciting races of the night, Anna Willard won the women’s 800 meters in 1:58.80, moving over the last forty meters, tot ake the win from Italy’s Elisa Cusma Piccione, who ran 1:58.99. Oksana Zbrozhek, who had gone out in 56.88 for 400 meters, settled for third in 1:59.13, with seven under two minues and Shannon Rowbury, in her first race of the European season, in eighth in 2:00.94.
Dawn Harper won the 100 meter hurdles in 12.68. Michelle Perry was second in 12.75 and Virginia Powell was third in 12.81. LoLo Jones was fifth in 12.91. Anna Jesien of Poland won the 400 meter hurdles in 54.37 over Olympic champ Melanie Walker of Jamaica in 54.47, and Tiffany Williams in 54.72.
Blanka Vlasic won the high jump in 1.99 over Anna Chicherova’s 1.97 in a long, long high jump competition. Elena Isinbayeva won the pole vault on her first attempt at 4.65-Svetlana Feofanova was out at 4.55m and had second place sewn up.
Next big one is next weekend, Aviva London, July 25-26.
17/07/2009
Meeting Areva
Paris Saint-Denis, 17/07/2009
Men’ results
100 Metres – Men Wind: -0.2 m/s
Pts
1 Bolt , Usain JAM 9.79 20
2 Bailey , Daniel ANT 9.91 16
3 Blake , Yohan JAM 9.93 14
4 Thompson , Richard TRI 10.04 12
5 Williams , Ivory USA 10.07 10
6 Williamson , Simeon GBR 10.14 8
7 Martina , Churandy AHO 10.17 6
8 Collins , Kim SKN 10.22 4
9 Mbandjock , Martial FRA 10.30
400 Metres – Men
Pts
1 Wariner , Jeremy USA 45.28 20
2 Brown , Chris BAH 45.44 16
3 Djhone , Leslie FRA 45.47 14
4 Neville , David USA 45.49 12
5 Wissman , Johan SWE 45.86 10
6 Chambers , Ricardo JAM 45.87 8
7 Benjamin , Timothy GBR 46.32 6
8 Steffensen , John AUS 48.32 4
800 Metres – Men
Pts
1 Ismail , Ismail Ahmed SUD 1:45.85 20
2 Manseur , Nadjim ALG 1:46.31 16
3 Robinson , Khadevis USA 1:46.47 14
4 Rimmer , Michael GBR 1:46.73 12
5 Lacasse , Florent FRA 1:47.39 10
6 Williams , Karjuan USA 1:47.51 8
7 Campbell , David IRL 1:47.54 6
8 Battani , Mohammed MAR 1:48.88 4
9 Hautcoeur , Kevin FRA 1:49.45
Abdelgadir , Abdalla SUD DNF
3000 Metres – Men
Pts
1 Bekele , Kenenisa ETH 7:28.64 20
2 Lagat , Bernard USA 7:33.15 16
3 Amdouni , Morhad FRA 7:37.50 14
4 Solinsky , Chris USA 7:37.72 12
5 Higuero , Juan Carlos ESP 7:38.71 10
6 Komon , Leonard Patrick KEN 7:38.98 8
7 Biwott , Yusuf Kibet KEN 7:40.96 6
8 C’Kurui , James Kwalia QAT 7:44.02 4
9 Salel , Daniel Lemashon KEN 7:44.39 3
10 Marofit , Mourad MAR 7:44.67 3
11 Yator , Vincent Kipsegechi KEN 7:46.34 3
12 Warga , Sahle ETH 7:46.40 3
13 Ndiwa , Cornelius KEN 7:52.94
14 Cragg , Alistair Ian IRL 8:00.77
Cherkos , Abreham ETH DNF
Esho , Benson Marrianyi KEN DNF
Polonet , Vickson Naran KEN DNF
3000 Metres Steeplechase – Men
Pts
1 Mekhissi-Benabbad , Mahiedine FRA 8:13.23 20
2 Kemboi , Ezekiel KEN 8:15.27 16
3 Keskisalo , Jukka FIN 8:15.59 14
4 Mutai , Abel Kiprop KEN 8:16.42 12
5 Kiprotich , Wesley KEN 8:16.44 10
6 Mohamed , Mustafa SWE 8:18.44 8
7 Kiplagat , Benjamin UGA 8:19.70 6
8 Kosgei , Collins KEN 8:19.81 4
9 Gary , Roba ETH 8:20.30 3
10 Ramolefi , Ruben RSA 8:26.54 3
11 Lamiso , Legese ETH 8:29.90 3
12 Zouaoui Dandrieaux , Vincent FRA 8:31.44 3
13 Le Dauphin , Vincent FRA 8:38.36
14 Ayeko , Simon UGA 8:39.11
15 Zerrifi , Abdelhamid ALG 8:53.36
Kipterege , Elijah Chelimo KEN DNF
Langat , David Kiprono KEN DNF
110 Metres Hurdles – Men Wind: -0.2 m/s
Pts
1 Faulk , Dexter USA 13.14 20
2 Thomas , Dwight JAM 13.30 16
3 Darien , Garfield FRA 13.39 14
4 Merritt , Aries USA 13.42 12
5 Turner , Andrew GBR 13.44 10
6 Hicks , Antwon USA 13.49 8
7 Johnson , Allen USA 13.67 6
8 Doucouré , Ladji FRA 13.68 4
9 Wilson , Ryan USA 14.03
Pole Vault – Men
Pts
1 Lavillenie , Renaud FRA 5.70 20
2 Dossévi , Damiel FRA 5.60 16
3 Mohr , Malte GER 5.45 14
4 Miles , Derek USA 5.45 12
5 Mesnil , Romain FRA 5.45 10
6 Burgess , Paul AUS 5.30 7
6 Stevenson , Toby USA 5.30 7
8 Otto , Björn GER 5.30 4
Clavier , Jérôme FRA NM
Gerasimov , Pavel RUS NM
Ecker , Danny GER DNS
Triple Jump – Men
Pts Wind
1 Idowu , Phillips GBR 17.17 20 +0.9
2 Gregório , Jadel BRA 17.12 16 +1.3
3 Girat , Arnie David CUB 17.07 14 +0.8
4 Copello , Alexis CUB 17.00 12 +0.2
5 Tamgho , Teddy FRA 16.97 10 +0.4
6 Sands , Leevan BAH 16.78 8 -0.2
7 Roulhac , Brandon USA 16.74 6 -0.4
8 Taillepierre , Karl FRA 16.30 4 +0.6
9 Kapek , Julien FRA 16.21 +1.2
Betanzos , Yoandris CUB NM
Compaoré , Benjamin FRA NM
Javelin Throw – Men
Pts
1 Thorkildsen , Andreas NOR 88.03 20
2 Pitkämäki , Tero FIN 86.68 16
3 Vasilevskis , Vadims LAT 82.82 14
4 Wirkkala , Teemu FIN 82.49 12
5 Pyatnytsya , Oleksandr UKR 81.96 10
6 Frank , Mark GER 81.73 8
7 Rags , Eriks LAT 80.48 6
8 Hill , Chris USA 77.01 4
Women’ results
100 Metres – Women Wind: +0.2 m/s
Pts
1 Stewart , Kerron JAM 10.99 20
2 Sturrup , Chandra BAH 11.15 16
3 Bailey , Aleen JAM 11.26 14
4 Anderson , Alexandria USA 11.27 12
5 Moore , LaShauntea USA 11.31 10
6 Williams , Lauryn USA 11.31 8
7 Baptiste , Kelly-Ann TRI 11.34 6
8 Felix , Allyson USA 11.49 4
9 Soumaré , Myriam FRA 11.51
400 Metres – Women
Pts
1 Richards , Sanya USA 49.34 20
2 Williams-Mills , Novlene JAM 50.39 16
3 Montsho , Amantle BOT 50.61 14
4 Dunn , Debbie USA 50.66 12
5 Thiam , Amy Mbacke SEN 50.93 10
6 Hargrove , Monica USA 51.02 8
7 Hastings , Natasha USA 51.53 6
8 Désert-Mariller , Solen FRA 52.33 4
800 Metres – Women
Pts
1 Willard , Anna USA 1:58.80 20
2 Cusma Piccione , Elisa ITA 1:58.99 16
3 Zbrozhek , Oksana RUS 1:59.13 14
4 Okoro , Marilyn GBR 1:59.56 12
5 Guégan , Élodie FRA 1:59.57 10
6 Rostkowska , Anna POL 1:59.77 8
7 Klocov√° , Lucia SVK 1:59.79 6
8 Rowbury , Shannon USA 2:00.94 4
9 Clark , Hazel USA 2:03.13
Tsyganova , Natalya RUS DNF
Vessey , Maggie USA DNS
100 Metres Hurdles – Women Wind: -0.3 m/s
Pts
1 Harper , Dawn USA 12.68 20
2 Perry , Michelle USA 12.75 16
3 Powell , Virginia USA 12.81 14
4 Ennis-London , Delloreen JAM 12.81 12
5 Jones , LoLo USA 12.91 10
6 Cherry , Damu USA 13.01 8
7 Golding-Clarke , Lacena JAM 13.14 6
8 Gomis , Sandra FRA 13.17 4
9 Billaud , Cindy FRA 13.18
400 Metres Hurdles – Women
Pts
1 Jesien , Anna POL 54.37 20
2 Walker , Melaine JAM 54.47 16
3 Williams , Tiffany USA 54.72 14
4 Lucas , Josanne TRI 54.88 12
5 Morosanu , Angela ROU 56.16 10
6 Wilson , Nickiesha JAM 56.42 8
7 Kassambara , Aurore FRA 57.48 6
8 Anacharsis , Phara FRA 57.77 4
High Jump – Women
Pts
1 Vlašic , Blanka CRO 1.99 20
2 Chicherova , Anna RUS 1.97 16
3 Di Martino , Antonietta ITA 1.97 14
4 Aitova , Marina KAZ 1.92 12
5 Klyugina , Viktoriya RUS 1.92 10
6 Howard , Chaunté USA 1.89 8
7 Acuff , Amy USA 1.89 6
8 Forrester , Nicole CAN 1.85 4
Pole Vault – Women
Pts
1 Isinbaeva , Elena RUS 4.65 20
2 Feofanova , Svetlana RUS 4.55 15
2 Rogowska , Anna POL 4.55 15
4 Johnson , Chelsea USA 4.45 12
5 Murer , Fabiana BRA 4.45 9
5 Pyrek , Monika POL 4.45 9
7 Golubchikova , Yuliya RUS 4.35 6
8 Dragila , Stacy USA 4.35 4
Battke , Anna GER NM
Spiegelburg , Silke GER NM
Special thanks to IAAF Communications Dept. , http://www.iaaf.org
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