Agony for Maria Mutola
2007-08-28 16:07
Osaka - Commonwealth and African champion Janeth Jepkosgei broke away to a 800m victory here on Tuesday, bringing Kenya their first women's world title in middle-distance running.
But there was sadness for Mozambique's former world champion Maria Mutola, 34, who pulled up injured while in third place as she rounded the last bend. She staggered off the track and fell on her back with apparent pain in her leg.
Jepkosgei surged ahead on the first straight and never looked back at her rivals, including Mutola, to win in 1min 56.04sec, her personal best and the world's fastest time of the year.
Morocco's Hasna Benhassi, the Olympic silver medallist who finished second at the 2005 worlds, followed her home at 1:56.99 with Spain's Mayte Martinez third at 1:57.62.
"I decided to go in front and not to wait for the others. I had to do my best, and that's what I did," said the 24-year-old Jepkosgei, the 2002 world junior champion.
"I think it's a challenge for me now, because now I know I'm competitive," she added. "It's the first gold medal (in the 800m) for Kenya and the first world championship gold for me, and it's also my personal best, so I'm happy."
No woman from Kenya, the land of world-beating distance runners, has won world or Olympic titles in 800m or 1,500m events although a handful of men have done so.
Another personal best
Jepkosgei has been leading the rest of the world this year, clocking, 1:56.17 in the semi-finals here where she also led from gun to tape.
"I did not expect another personal best after the semi-final. The world record is still far away, I'm not thinking about it," she said.
Czech Jarmilla Kratochivilova's world record of 1:53.28 has remained unbeaten for 24 years.
Benhassi, an injury-hampered 29-year-old, said the Kenyan's pace was hard to follow.
"In the final, I'd have liked to go for gold but the pace was suicidal, so I opted for a cautious start and relied on my finish," she said.
Mutula, who burst onto the world scene 16 years ago with a close fourth at the world championships in Tokyo as an 18-year-old, was aiming high here as her fairlytale swansong.
She won the world title in 1993, 2001 and 2003 as well as the 2000 Olympic gold and has said this is her last world championships.
- SAPA