PARIS, 25 August 2003 — American sprinter Jon Drummond brought the World Athletics Championships to a standstill here yesterday but an outstanding display by Ethiopian wunderkind Kenenisa Bekele in the 10,000 meters later came to the rescue of the competition’s battered image.
While a tearful Drummond was disqualified from the 100m quarterfinals for a false start, 21-year-old Bekele displayed maturity which the 34-year-old American lacked by outpacing his legendary countryman Haile Gebrselassie to take gold.
Youth was also the order of the day as 20-year-old Swedish pin-up Carolina Kluft held her nerve masterfully to win the heptathlon and become only the third athlete to go over the 7,000 points landmark seeing off a spirited challenge by France’s 1999 champion Eunice Barber.
There was joy for the Americans after the Drummond drama as Kelli White stormed home in the women’s 100m to win from compatriot Torri Edwards with 2001 champion Zhanna Block in third — but the ghost of the absent Marion Jones still hung over the field.
The false start rule, which was introduced this season, was what led to Drummond’s stubborn refusal to leave the track, a decision which was roundly booed by the French crowd.
The self-styled Clown Prince of the Track had delayed his heat for 20 minutes after refusing to accept the decision and lay down on the track.
The new rules state that once any athlete has committed one false start the next person who jumps the gun is thrown out regardless of who was penalized first.
Drummond was joined by another disqualified runner Jamaica’s Asafa Powell, though he simply stood by his blocks. Their behavior bore relation to Linford Christie after he refused to leave the track when he was disqualified in the 1996 Olympics 100m final.
The Briton was one of the first to embrace Drummond on the training track afterward.
Drummond, who eventually stormed out of the Stade de France in tears, remonstrated with officials declaring “I am not moving, I am not moving and this rule sucks,” while stablemate Ato Boldon admitted his friend had also used a dirty word.
“I have a love-hate relationship with the officials,” Drummond later said. “They understand my feelings. They asked me to leave, I said no. They were asking me to walk away from my dream. I have worked all year for this,” added Drummond, who has fought off polio and viral meningitis in his short life.
In the 10,000 meters, Bekele not only left Gebrselassie trailing in second but rubbed salt into the wounds by breaking his compatriot’s championship mark with a time of 26min 49.57sec destroying the old one by 23sec.
“Haile was a great champion and it is a real honor to succeed him as Ethiopian No. 1,” said Bekele.
Gebrselassie said losing was not what mattered to him personally. “I am happy with the silver because last time I lost the title to the Kenyans and that was not a happy experience for me.”
However, the ever smiling Gebrselassie said defeat here would not bring to an end his brilliant career.
“I am going to carry on because even though I was beaten tonight the time I ran was good enough to give me confidence for the future,” he said.
Kluft produced the best heptathlon performance for more than 11 years. The last time 7,000 points was exceeded was when the American multievent legend Jackie Joyner Kersee won the 1992 Olympic Games gold medal.
Joyner Kersee holds the heptathlon world record with 7,291 points, which she scored when winning the 1988 Olympic title. Kluft refused to say whether that had now become her next target.
“The world record? If I get it, I get it, but I do this for fun and it’s not something I’m thinking about.”
White, the 26-year-old who was seventh in the 100m final two years ago, clocked a season-leading 10.85sec.
Before the championships she had coolly rejected suggestions that Jones’ year off would devalue her win, but after the race she chose her words carefully.
“Marion is a great athlete and I have a lot to do to be where she is. So I consider her as a mentor, someone I can look up to rather than as a competitor,” said White, who admitted however she had never taken any advice from Jones.
Drummond would be well advised to also seek some advice on how to behave the next time he steps out onto a championship track.
For such a battle weary athlete he surprisingly forgot the golden law — rules are rules.
