Posted: June 2, 2005

Athletics: 2000M Steeplechase World Best For Inzikuru In Milan

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

MILAN - Dorcus Inzikuru's world best in the women's 2000 meter steeplechase highlighted the Regione Lombardia IAAF Grand Prix II meeting tonight in Milan, Italy.

In a largely solo effort, the petite 23-year-old Ugandan clocked 6:04.46, shattering the rarely-run event's previous best of 6:11.84 set by Russian Marina Pluzhnikova nearly 11 years ago. Inzikuru, who lowered the African record in the 3000m event to 9:28.50 in Doha, Qatar last month, took the lead for good on the second the race's five laps. Kenyan Salome Chepchumba and Cristina Cassandra of Romania stayed with Inzikuru briefly, but with two laps to go, the Ugandan opened a three-second lead, one she extended to nearly seven at the bell. Needing to run just under 71 seconds for the final lap, Inzikuru managed the feat with ease, her hurdling form actually improving over the last circuit. When she was told of her record run, she smiled widely at the clear warm skies, before falling to her knees to kiss the ground.

Cassandra was next across the line in 6:16.58, the fifth fastest performance ever. Finn Johanna Risku was third in 6:18.77, also cracking the all-time top-10 in the event.

In the men's 1500, the feature event of the men's program, 17-year-old Bahraini Belal Ali Mansoor outkicked a solid field to win by nearly two seconds in 3:33.86. The tiny teenager broke from a five-man pack midway through the final turn en route to his surprise win. Kenyans Suleiman Simotwo (3:35.82) and Mike Too (3:36.97) rounded out the top-three.

A similar scenario played out in the women's race as Kenyan Nancy Lagat casually moved through a four-women field over the final la en route to her 4:04.01 victory. Alesia Turova of Belarus bolted past Pole Anna Jacubszak in the final 30 meters to finish second in a personal best 4:05.41.

Elsewhere, Mouhssin Chehibi (1:45.31) and Amine Lalou (1:45.62) turned in a Moroccan 1-2 finish in the men's 800, with two-time Kenyan Olympian Joseph Mutua a distant fourth. Ruben Kosgei, the 2000 Olympic and 2001 world steeplechase champion, toyed with the field here before breaking away over the final water jump en route to an 8:12.57 win. In the 5000, Kenyan Moses Mosop kicked past another new Gulf State teenager, Essa Ismail Rashed, for a 13:18.73 win.

Marion Jones brought significant international attention to the meet, and for the second time in three days, finished runner-up to Bahamian Chandra Sturrup. Racing into a 1.4 meter per second headwind, Sturrup won in a slow 11.42, with Jones, who could never recover from an awful start, well back in 11.67, one of the slowest performances in her career.

"I just kind of fell asleep in the blocks, and once I did that, the race was over," Jones said.