BERLIN, 2 June 2008 — Hussain Al-Saba and Mohammed Al-Khuwalidi emerged as the Kingdom’s brightest hopes for an Olympic gold medal by winning the first and third places respectively in the men’s long jump at the ISTAF athletics meet here yesterday.
Al-Saba redeemed himself from a failed bid in the IAAF World Indoor Championship in Valencia, Spain in March when he leapt a distance of 8.21 meters to win the event over South African Godfrey Mokoena. The winner in the Valencia meet, Mokoena had to play second fiddle this time to the Saudi long jumper at 8.18 meters. Al-Khuwalidi, who took the bronze medal in the World Indoor event where compatriot Al-Saba failed to advance past the qualifying round, placed third in 8.17 that was far better than his effort of 8.01 in Spain. Al-Saba and Al-Khuwalidi are part of the Saudi national athletics team seeing action in the Beijing Olympics in August. LaShawn Merritt beat Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner down the stretch in the 400 meters. Merritt, second to his fellow American at the world championships, picked up a half-step after they took the last curve even to finish in 44.03 seconds, .04 ahead of Wariner.
That wasn’t the only surprise at the first stop of the Golden League meets, which offers a $1 million jackpot to be shared by anyone who can win six times over the summer.
Janeth Jepkosgei was beaten by more than four seconds in the 800 by 19-year-old Pamela Jelimo and long jumper Irving Saladino was seventh at 7.92. Just two weeks ago, he had the longest leap in 14 years.
Merritt shattered his own year’s best time of 44.34, ended Wariner’s nine-race win streak and offered proof he was ready to challenge the dominant 400 runner of recent years in Beijing. Jelimo caught people’s attention two weeks ago at Hengelo’s FBK meet when the Kenyan ran the year’s best time of 1:55.76, breaking the youth world record and posting the year’s fastest time.
This time she lowered it again in 1:54.99 and set an ISTAF record after opening a huge hole over the field with 300 meters (300 yards) to go. Saladino scratched four times in six jumps and never came close to his goal of the world record. At the FBK meet, he soared 8.73 meters (28 feet, 7 3/4 inches).
David Oliver gained more confidence in the 110 hurdles with a win against two top rivals — Cuba’s Dayron Robles and American Ryan Wilson. Oliver’s 13.19 didn’t match his 12.95 posted earlier this month at Doha, but the American powered past the two rivals on the final hurdles to catch Robles in 13.20 and Wilson in 13.30. Blanka Vlasic did live up to her role as favorite, clearing 2.03 in the high jump to match her year’s best mark. — With input from Associated Press
