Posted: February 16, 2005

Athletics: Borzakovskiy And Mutola Win In Stockholm

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Alberto Zorzi

STOCKHOLM (15-Feb) -- Both Yuriy Borzakovskiy and Maria Mutola won their 800m races here tonight at the GE Galan Meeting, but while the Russian had a relatively easy time, the Mozambiquan nearly saw victory slip away. Over 10,000 fans filled Stockholm's Globe Arena to watch the meet.

In men's race Brazil's Osmar Barbosa Dos Santos, the official rabbit, started at a very fast pace, passing trough 400m in 50.74. However, the pack, led by Borzakovskiy and South Africa's Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, was about 20 metres behind, passing through the same mark in around 53 seconds. Dos Santos kept running fast until 600m, then dropped out.

Just Borzakovskiy and Mulaudzi remained in the lead, while Kenya's Wilfred Bungei, running his first race this winter, had already lost some ground. The Russian took the lead with 150m to go in the back straight, and closed to the finish line, apparently relaxed. His 1:46.10 was the best time of the year, but very far from the 1:44.34 and 1:44.58 he clocked in the Globe Arena in 2003 and 2004, respectively, both world leading times. Mulaudzi closed in second with 1:46.41, followed by Bungei.

The women's 800m race started at a blistering pace. Russian Tatyana Levina clocked 27.94 at 200m and 56.87 at 400m! At that point just Mutola was able to follow her, but not that easily. When Levina dropped out at 500m, Mutola was visibily fatigued and her pace slackened. Her 30m lead over Spain's Mayte Martinez and Namibia's Agnes Samaria nearly evaporated, but she managed to cross the finish line with just a 13 hundredths of a second ahead of Martinez. She ran about a second slower that she did two days ago in Karlsruhe, where she won with a time of 1:58.49.

The men's 3000m race was not as hyped as the 800m, however it was a good race. With a 2:31.55 last kilometer, Spain's Reyes Estevez clocked a time of 7:43.80. He and Austria's Gunther Weidlinger (who was second with 7:44.32) will be among the favourites at the European Indoor Championships scheduled in Madrid (4-6 March).

Results: 

MEN -
800m (A-race):
Yuriy Borzakovskiy, 81, RUS   1:46.10 WL
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, 80, RSA   1:46.41
Wilfred Bungei, 80, KEN   1:47.43
Dmitriy Bogdanov, 79, RUS   1:47.67
Nicolas Aïssat, 82, MAR   1:48.02
Mattias Claesson, 86, SWE   1:49.19 PB
DNF Osmar Barbosa Dos Santos, 68, BRA (pace)
 
Intermediate Times:
200m: 24.88 (Osmar Barbosa Dos Santos)
400m: 50.74 (Osmar Barbosa Dos Santos)
600m: 1:28.35 (Osmar Barbosa Dos Santos)
 
800m (B-race):
1. Samuel Mwera, 85, TAN   1:48.04
2. Benson Esho, 87, KEN   1.49:01
3. Rickard Pell, 79, SWE   1:50.69
4. Andreas Rehnborg, 80, SWE   1:51.45
5. Ken Pihlblad, 78, SWE   1:51.79 PB
6. Jan Pernica, 81, CZE   1:53.64
7. Axel Lonnqvist, 81, SWE   1:54.21
DNF Henry Rotich, 81, KEN (pace)
 
Intermediate Times:
200m: 27.07 (Henry Rotich)
400m: 54.75 (Henry Rotich)
600m: 1:22.26 (Samuel Mwera)
 
3,000m:
1. Reyes Estévez, 76, ESP   7:43.80
2. Ghunther Weidlinger, 78, AUT   7:44.32
3. Mark Bett, 76, KEN   7:48.36
4. Erik Sjoqvist, 72, SWE   7:50.11
5. Henrik Skoog, 79, SWE   7:51.77 PB
6. Vincent Le Dauphin, 76, FRA   7:52.78 PB
7. Martin Keino, 72, KEN   7:56.78
8. Martin Proll, 81, AUT   7:57.31
9. Oskar Kack, 82, SWE   8:06.83 PB
DNF Ayed Lambessem, 81, MAR
DNF Emilio Martin, 82, ESP (pace)
DNF Diego Mendez, 84, ESP (pace)
 
200m: 31.04 (Diego Mendez)
400m: 1:02.47 (Diego Mendez)
600m: 1:33.87 (Diego Mendez)
800m: 2:05.27 (Diego Mendez)
1000m: 2:36.31 (Diego Mendez)
1200m: 3:07.22 (Diego Mendez)
1400m: 3:37.93 (Emilio Martin)
1600m: 4:08.84 (Emilio Martin)
1800m: 4:40.51 (Mark Bett)
2000m: 5:12.25 (Mark Bett)
2200m: 5:44.08 (Erik Sjoqvist)
2400m: 6:14.87 (Erik Sjoqvist)
2600m: 6:47.09 (Gunther Weidlinger)
2800m: 7:16.63 (Gunther Weidlinger)
 

WOMEN - 
800m:
1. Maria Mutola, 72, MOZ   1:59.48
2. Mayte Martinez, 76, ESP   1:59.61
3. Agnes Samaria, 72, NAM   1:59.91
4. Sandra Stals, 75, BEL   2:01.61
5. Svetlana Cherkasova, 78, RUS   2:01.74
6. Amina Aït Hammou, 78, MAR   2:01.87
7. Rikke Rønholt, 76, DEN   2:03.83
8. Therese Ahlepil, 76, SWE   2:05.39
DNF Tatyana Levina, 77, RUS (pace)
 
Intermediate Times:
200m: 27.94 (Tatyana Levina)
400m: 56.87 (Tatyana Levina)
600m: 1:28.35 (Maria Mutola)