BEIJING — With her trademark blistering kick, Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia ran the second-fastest women’s 10,000 meters ever on Friday night to take the gold medal in
the opening track race of the Beijing Games.
After a punishing 60-second final lap, Dibaba crossed the line in 29 minutes 54.66 seconds, a time surpassed only by the 29:31.78 run by Wang Junxia of China in 1993.
Dibaba’s victory, run on a relatively cool and dry night, served as an early counterpoint to fears that smog and heat would disrupt distance performances at these
Olympics.
On the bell lap of the 25-lap race, Dibaba blew past the eventual silver medalist Elvan Abeylegesse, a native of Ethiopia who competes for Turkey and who delivered the
third-fastest time ever in 29:56.34. The two ran alone for the final five laps.
Shalane Flanagan of the United States took third in 30:22.22 with a surge over the final two laps, despite intestinal problems earlier in the week and confusion about her
placing as the lead runners began to lap stragglers.
“I had no idea what place it was,” Flanagan said. “My coach told just to remain as calm as possible. With two laps to go, I turned on the competitive
juices and let it go.”
Flanagan’s finish further established the American women as a resurgent force in international distance running, following a bronze in the marathon by Deena Kastor at
the 2004 Athens Games and a third-place finish by Kara Goucher in the 10,000 at the 2007 world championships.
“I hate the word fluke,” said Goucher, who finished 10th Friday in 30:55.16. “It’s been said about me. I think Shalane proved tonight U.S. running is
at the world level.”
Yet, it has yet to match the pre-eminence of the East Africans.
The 10,000 has come to represent the sporting ascendance of women from sub-Saharan Africa and of Ethiopia’s dominance over its fierce rival, Kenya, at major
international championships. Ethiopian women have won five Olympic gold medals in distance running, while Kenyan women have yet to win their first.
Ethiopia has taken first place in three of the last five women’s 10,000 meters at the Olympics. And it has kept it in the family.
Derartu Tulu, a cousin of Dibaba’s, became the first black African women to win an Olympic gold medal by taking first in the 10,000 at the 1992 Barcelona Games. She
won the event again at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Dibaba and Tulu come from the same high-altitude village, Bekoji, in Ethiopia’s southern highlands. So does Dibaba’s sister Ejegayehu, who finished 14th Friday after taking the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics. Also from this famed running center are Fatuma Roba, the 1996 women’s Olympic marathon champion, and Kenenisa Bekele, the 2004 Olympic champion at 10,000 meters and silver medalist in the 5,000.
Dibaba could become the first woman to win both events in the same Olympics if she runs the 5,000 here, an event at which she holds the world record of 14:11.15. At this
point, she is uncertain about doubling. But there was never any doubt that Dibaba would prevail with her searing kick in the 10,000 final.
“My expectation was to get gold,” Dibaba said, “beautiful, everlasting gold.”
Dibaba the bronze medallist over 5000m four years ago, produced a storming last lap of under 60 seconds to smash the previous mark set by her cousin Derartu Tulu in the 2000 Sydney Games with a time of 29minutes 54.66seconds.
The latest success by the 22-year-old two-time world 10000m and cross country champion, added the missing gold medal from her collection which on this display will definitely be added to in future major championships.
Dibaba’s 25 lap head-to-head battle with Turkey’s Abeylegesse, erupted five-and-a-half laps from home and continued to the bell before she produced her astonishing finish and despite the heat and humidity run the second quickest time ever.
Abeylegesse born in Ethiopia didn’t make it easy for the two-times world champion over the distance, battling gallantly on the final circuit and smashing Paula Radcliffe’s European record with a time of 29min 54.66sec.
The pair’s domination saw them pull well clear of the field although full credit to the chasing pack and particualarly Shalane Flanagan who lowered her US record to 30min 22.22sec.
“It was a terrible race, the time was very fast, but thank God I did it, said Dibaba, who felt threatened as Abeylegesse ground out a pace which hurt.
She added: “I was expecting something from the race and I got it. It was really very tough, but I am not afraid of any race.”
Dibaba now plans becoming the first woman to claim a 5000m and 10000m when competing over the shorter distance at the Bird Nest’s venue next week.
Tomasz Majewski had an early birthday celebration when unexpectedly winning the shot put title an event which was expected to a produce an American clean sweep of the medals.
The Pole who will be 27 in a fortnight’s time, showed his personal best in the morning’s qualifying round of 21.04metres was no fluke when raising it to 21.51m to cause a huge upset.
Majeweski who first displayed his global potential when third in this year’s World Indoor Championships, tamed the US trio of strongmen, Christian Cantwell, Reese Hoffa and Adam Nelson.
“I want to say I made it, just beast everyone and I made it,” said the ecstatic east european star.
Cantwell although not at his best did rally in the last round to steal the silver medal by four centimetres with a throw of 21.09m ahead of Belarusia’s Andrei Mikhnevich.
But overall as Polish supporters despite their small numbers in the crowd celebrated vocally, there was an unbelievable quietness amongst the shocked US fans.
The build-up to the 100 metres final gathered massive momemtum when world record holder Usain Bolt despite easing down halfway through his second round heat, ran a superb time of 9.92seconds.
The 6 feet 5inch giant sprinter quickly into his stride pattern, flew through 50 metres before shutting off the his pace monitor and jogging across the line well clear of his rivals.
The display will have sent a clear message to his gold medal rivals that Bolt is ready to complete the first leg of a 100m and 200m double last achieved by Carl Lewis 24 years ago.
“I just ran the first 50 metres then I looked around to make sure I was safe and I shut it off,” said the 21-year-old Jamaican, barely out of breath.
“Yes I’m ready for my best, “I think I did well – I got my stride back.” insisted Bolt whose message of intent will not have been overlooked by main rivals Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell.
Gay last year’s world champion and running at the Games for the first time in six weeks after recovering from a hamstring injury, definitely lacked sharpness when finishing behind Richard Thompson in a time of 10.09sec.
“I felt pretty good, pretty relaxed and I just wanted to make it through,” insisted Gay, but his display lacked the speedy bite which is one of his trademarks and he could be under pressure in tomorrow’s semi finals.
Powell who lost his world record to his his fellow countryman at te end of May, looked comfortable when coasting to victory in a time of 10.02sec.
Hyleas Fountain after an almost rock solid display on the opening day finished leading the heptathlon with a score of 4068 points ahead of Nataliia Dobrynska and Kelly Sotherton who had tallies of 3996 and 3938pts.
The US champion didn’t flinch when after leading for the first two rounds, she was overtaken for top position by Dobrynska after the shot discipline.
The 26-year-old Ukrainian lifted herself from 10th overall with a mighty throw of 17.29m – the furthest distance ever achieved in a women’s heptathlon shot competition.
Fountain herself was more than happy to approach her personal best – in what is not her best event – with an effort of 13.36m and she trailed Dobrysnka by 50 points at the end of the third round with Anna Bogdanova whose furthest was 14.08m, third off the lead by 88pts.
But the 27-year-old American was back at her very best in the last confrontation of the day over 200m and in a tight battle with Sotherton the bronze medallist four years ago, she scored what might prove to be an important win at the end of the first session.
Her British rival pressured her throughout and Fountain responded by setting a lifetime best of 23.21sec with Sotherton also clocking her fastest ever time with a mark of 23.39sec.
“I felt really good,” said Fountain after the win and who dropped out of last year’s world championships through injury. “I was obviously hoping to go into the next day with a win, so I’m happy where I am.”
