ATHENS, 22 August 2004 — Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus won the gold medal in the Olympic women’s 100 meters yesterday in a time of 10.93 seconds. The 25-year-old produced a storming finish to outdip the field in a tight final and become her country’s first women’s Olympic 100 meters champion.
Lauryn Williams of the United States took silver in a personal best time of 10.96 with Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell third in 10.97. The race was wide open with 2000 champion Marion Jones, the first two finishers from last year’s world championships Americans Kelli White and Torri Edwards, and Greece’s 2000 silver medalist Katerina Thanou all absent.
Earlier there was heartbreak for athletics great Ottey narrowly missed out on a place in the 100 meters final when she was edged out on the line for the fourth and final place in her semifinal.
The 44-year-old could bow out with her head held high in what was her 50th race over seven Olympics but for France’s Christine Arron there was yet another disappointment as the 30-year-old trailed home in sixth place. In the same semifinal, two-time Olympic champion Gail Devers finished a place further back.
The men had started out on their bid to win the blue riband event a day later than the women, but by the end of the second round they were on fire.
However, there was no room in the semifinals for veterans Frankie Fredericks and Ato Boldon, minor medalists in the 1996 Olympic 100m and 200m, who crashed out and will never be seen again at an Olympics after winning four minor medals apiece at the Games.
The most flamboyant of the favorites was Shawn Crawford who twice ran under 10 seconds while his American compatriots, Olympic champion Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin, were joined by Portugal’s Nigerian-born Francis Obikwelu and Jamaica’s Asafa Powell in also running under 10sec.
This left world champion Kim Collins distinctly unimpressed after he had run second in his heat.
While Crawford theatrically hurled his arm toward the ground in a mimic of throwing down the gauntlet and then taunted his rivals who had finished behind him, Gatlin said he was the man to beat.
Kluft Sweeps to Heptathlon Gold
Carolina Kluft completed her domination of the heptathlon yesterday to add the gold medal to the world title she won last year. The 21-year-old Swede began the day with a 240-point lead and by the end had stretched it to an enormous 517 as she totalled 6,952 points.
Kluft had performed well in the day’s first two events, the long jump and javelin, and so entered the final 800 metres race needing only to stay on her feet for two laps.
But, true to her aggressive instinct, she still gave it her all to record two minutes 14.15 seconds for 905 points, not quite enough though to break the 7,000 barrier. Austra Skujyte of Lithuania took silver with 6,435 points, just 11 points ahead of Briton Kelly Sotherton, whose front-running win in the final 800 heat came up a couple of tenths short.
Only Kluft, world record holder Jackie Joyner Kersee and Russia’s Larisa Nikitina have gone over the 7,000 barrier but the Swede had that target in sight when she began the second day of the seven-discipline event.
Defending champion Denise Lewis of Britain, who has suffered an injury-ravaged four years since her Sydney success, withdrew from the competition after the long jump.
Sadova Finally Gets Olympic Discus Gold
Russia’s Natalya Sadova finally clinched the Olympic Games women’s discus gold medal that she had been chasing for eight years with a fifth round throw of 67.02 meters here yesterday.
Sadova won the silver medal at the Atlanta Games in 1996 but slipped back to fourth four years ago in Sydney. Her winning throw, in the penultimate round, moved her up from fourth place into pole position.
The effort silenced the local crowd. They had been loudly backing Greece’s Anastasia Kelesidou, who had to settle for second with a third round effort of 66.68m. With Kelesidou drawn to have the last throw of the competition, Sadova held her hands over her eyes as the Greek girl had her final attempt, before breaking into tears when it fell short.
Belarus’ Irina Yatchenko, the reigning world champion, finished third with 66.17m. Big Leap Forward for Greek Triple Jumper Devetzi
Greece’s Hrysopiyi Devetzi produced a huge leap of 15.32 meters in the women’s triple jump qualifying competition yesterday.
The mark was a new national record and moved Devetzi up to third on the all-time rankings for the event. She added 67cm to her personal best, which was just 14.65m before the start of the competition.
Double-Seeking Lebedeva Eases Through
Double world champion Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia barely needed to strip off her tracksuit to ease into the final of the women’s triple jump.
Lebedeva, seeking a unique triple jump and long jump double in Athens, needed just one effort to qualify with 14.71 meters.
That performance was matched by Yamile Aldama, one of her main rivals for gold. Aldama, once of Cuba, who lives in Britain and who opted to compete for Sudan after failing to get a British passport, leapt to 14.80 in the first round to conclude her evening at the Olympic Stadium. World indoor bronze medalist Hrysopiyi Devetzi of Greece, however, earned the biggest cheer in qualifying as she smashed her personal best of 14.65 to leap 15.32 and qualify in first place.
Mozambique’s Mutola Shows Her Class
Mozambique’s Maria Mutola threw down the gauntlet to the pretenders to her Olympic Games 800 meters title with an impressive semifinal win in 1min 59.30sec here yesterday.
Mutola took the lead from the gun and dictated the pace. The winning time was the slowest of the three semifinals but it was clear Mutola still has plenty left in reserve for tomorrow’s final.
The two other semi-final winners had to work much harder. Britain’s Kelly Holmes, the 2003 World Championships silver medalist as well as Mutola’s close friend and training partner, took the first semi in 1:57.98, the fastest of the three races. It was also Holmes’ best time of the year. Morocco’s Hasna Benhassi won the other semi in 1:58.59, easing ahead of Slovenia’s reigning European champion Jolanda Ceplak in the final five meters.
Elsewhere Australia’s world 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman made a successful return to the track just over a week after undergoing surgery on her right knee as she won her first round heat.
American pole vaulter Stacy Dragila, the reigning Olympic women’s pole vault champion, crashed out of the qualifying competition yesterday when she was unable to clear higher than 4.30 meters. Dragila, the self-styled Chick with a Stick who has a best of 4.83m, complained of Achilles problems caused by her shoes. Ironically, Dragila held a press conference on Thursday to promote her footwear sponsors.
