Long-dominating powerhouses to the world track and field, the
US, finally came into the spotlight in Beijing on Sunday
after pocketing three of the ten gold medals on offer at the final
day competitions of the six-day IAAF World Junior
Championships.
All the three athletics titles were taken within 70 minutes, as
the Americans retained both men's and women's 4x400m relays as well
as the women's 4x100m relay. The trophy of the men's 100m relay
went to the South American team of Jamaica, while the US settled
for the silver.
Kenya and China, leaders on the championships medal table, kept
on high at the day six competitions, as the African nation took
each apiece and the hosts wrapped up the final day with two silvers
and two bronze medals.
Irene Jelagat and Mercy Jelimo Kosgei of Kenya took the gold and
silver medals in the women's 1,500 meters race, crossing the finish
line respectively in 4:08.88 and 4:12.48.
China's Pan Saili and Tan Jian grabbed the silver and the bronze
respectively at the women's discus throw final, while the title
went to Australia's Dani Samuels with a world junior season leading
result of 60.63 meters.
Zhong Minwei finished third in men's triple jump with 16.29
meters, while Benjamin Compaore from France won the event as the
19-year-old secured his first international title with a
16.61-meter third attempt, setting a world junior season leading
record and renewing his previous personal best of 16.34 meters.
Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Poland and France emerged the late cream
at the biyearly championships, which have the flavor of cradling
future stars, with each claiming a gold on the final day.
World leading long-distance runners Tariku Bekele and Abreham
Cherkos Feleke, both from Ethiopia, finished one-two at the men's
5,000 meters final as the duo clocked 13 minutes and 31.34 seconds
and 13:35.95 respectively for the gold and silver medals.
Svetlana Radzivil jumped over the height of 1.91 meters to
trophy Uzbekistan with the first gold medal, beating China's Zheng
Xingjuan, who set the season best result of 1.92 at Zhengzhou in
May.
Artur Noga stormed for a men's 110 meters hurdles title to claim
the first gold medal of the junior worlds for Poland as the
18-year-old broke the championships record set by himself in
Saturday's semifinals to time 13.23 seconds. Samuel Coco-Viloin of
France settled for a silver with a national junior record of
13.35.
The Polish even showed bigger ambition after taking the junior
worlds gold medal.
"I will come back again in two years to beat Liu Xiang in the
Olympics," he said.
Bekele, 19, started in the main group racing the men's 5,000
meters and outran to overtake the lead from Uganda's Simon Ayeko
from as early as the fifth lap, denying a late effort from
compatriot Feleke, who began his sprint to follow Bekele with two
laps to go.
"It was a difficult race," commented Bekele in the mixed zone
after being titled. "But I overcame it. That is what I was expected
to do."
"Yes, my performance was fine," said Feleke. "I went out too
hard in the first six laps. I had run out of oxygen.
"I'm very happy for Tariku. He is my best friend, like a
brother," he added.
Kenyan pair Joseph Ebuya and Mang'ata Kimai Ndiwa finished
respectively third, at 11.59 trailing the leader Bekele, and fourth
with a further 1.10 seconds behind.
"I'm not satisfied with my result," said Ebuya. "I was not
injured or had any problems with my body. The Ethiopian athletes
are just too strong."
(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2006)