MONACO, 20 September 2004 — Mexico’s world champion Ana Guevara gained some consolation for the disappointments of her Olympic year yesterday by winning the women’s 400 meters on the second and final day of the world athletics final. Yesterday Tonique Williams-Darling tied up badly after setting the early pace. Guevara responded by running down American Monique Hennagan in the straight to win in 50.13 seconds with Williams-Darling fading to sixth.
World indoor silver medalist Ivan Heshko of the Ukraine won a slow men’s 1,500 meters after outsprinting an elite Kenyan trio at the final bend. Hesko held off a late challenge by world junior mile record holder Alex Kipchirchir to win in three minutes 44.92 seconds with another Kenyan, Laban Rotich in third place. Bernard Lagat was fourth.
Morocco’s Olympic silver medalist Hasna Benhassi won the women’s 800 meters in the absence of Britain’s double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes. Holmes, who won the 1,500 meters on Saturday in a virtual repeat of the Athens final, pulled out of the 800 saying her body and legs felt too sore to run.
Benhassi clocked two minutes 01.42 seconds, relegating the United States’ 38-year-old former world 400 champion Jearl Miles Clark into second place.
Bershawn Jackson upstaged fellow-American and national champion James Carter by winning the men’s 400 meters hurdles in a personal best of 47.86 seconds. Carter was second in 48.06.
Holmes sprinted to an emphatic victory in the women’s 1,500 meters on the opening afternoon, outsprinting Russia’s world champion Tatyana Tomashova in the straight to clock four minutes 04.55 seconds and collect first prize money of $30,000.
Jamaican Asafa Powell won the men’s 100 meters in 9.98 seconds ahead of Portugal’s Olympic silver medalist Francis Obikwelu.
Olympic champion Veronica Campbell of Jamaica won the women’s 200 meters in 22.64 seconds ahead of veteran Bahamian Debbie Ferguson.
Four-times world high hurdles champion Allen Johnson clocked 13.16 seconds for first place in the absence of China’s Liu Xiang, who equaled the world record in the Athens final. Jamaica’s World Cup champion Michael Blackwood just held on to win the men’s 400 ahead of Americans Derrick Brew and Otis Harris, who finished third and second respectively in Athens.
Former world record holder Sandra Glover of the US won the first track event of the day when she clocked 54.57 seconds in the women’s 400 meters hurdles. Greek Olympic champion Fani Halkia faded to fourth.
The men’s 800 meters was won by Bahrain’s Youssef Saad Kamel, one of the growing number of Kenyans wh. Kamel, who clocked one minute 45.91 seconds after a sprint finish with Kenya’s former world junior champion Joseph Mutua, is the son of twice world 800 champion Billy Konchellah.
Russia’s Olympic women’s high jump gold medalist Yelena Slesarenko recorded a comfortable victory when she was the only contestant to clear 2.01 meters. Olympic men’s pole vault champion Timothy Mack repeated his Athens victory over fellow-American Toby Stevenson and Swedish men’s triple jumper Christian Olsson won with a best of 17.66 meters.
