Mutola flops in 800m
2006-03-24 13:44
Melbourne - Keneth Jepkosgei of Kenya won the women's 800 metres title at the Commonwealth Games on Friday leaving the legendary Mozambique athlete Maria Mutola in her wake.
The 22-year-old Kenyan timed 1minute 57.88seconds to take gold ahead of Kenia Sinclair of Jamaica and two-time defending champion Mutola took the bronze.
It leaves 33-year-old Mutola without a reigning outdoor crown to her name, having lost her Olympic and world titles in 2004 and 2005 respectively - finishing without a medal in both.
The writing on the wall for the 10-time world champion (seven times indoor and triple outdoor) was there to be seen as she failed to get the better of Sinclair throughout the first six hundred metres.
The graceful 25-year-old Jamaican - who finished behind Mutola at the recent world indoor championships - simply would not give into the more muscular Mozambiquean.
Down the final stretch the Jamaican at last had the better of Mutola, who was then passed by Jepkosgei and the leggy Kenyan was unstoppable as she passed the unfortunate Sinclair with metres to go to take her first major title.