|
By Bob Ramsak
GÖTEBORG, Sweden (07-Aug) -– With a powerful and sustained kick over the final 500 meters, Inga Abitova of Russia produced a fast and thrilling victory in the 10,000m to highlight the opening day of the 19th European Athletics Championships at Ullevi Stadium.
Appearing almost giddy after her 30:21.42 victory, the 24-year-old was temporarily at a loss for words. "I surprised myself," she said simply, less than half an hour after dramatically improving on her previous personal best of 31:32.24. "I was very afraid of the fast pace of the race."
The fast pace was set by Dutchwoman Lornah Kiplagat, possibly the world's best road runner, who assumed the lead soon after the gun sounded. She didn't relinquish that lead until just before the bell sounded in the 25 lap race.
It was an extremely competitive race from the start. Before the end of the second lap, two distinct groups emerged: the first, a lead group of nine who followed Kiplagat, and already well behind, another group of 19. When Kiplagat, the reigning European cross country champion, reached the half in 15:16.38, eight still remained. With just over four laps to go, that pack was reduced to seven; two laps later, six women still remained in contention: Kiplagat, Latvian Yelena Prokopcuka, Abitova and her compatriots Lidiya Grigoryeva and Galina Bogomolova, and Norwegian Susanne Wigene, better known as a 5000m specialist.
But when Abitova made her move and quickly opened a four meter gap, Kiplagat couldn't respond, while Abitova's Russian teammates along with Wigene moved up as well.
A Russian sweep was in the making until the 28 year-old Wigene, running the 10,000m distance in a major championship for the first time and apparently cruising along in the race of her life, brought the Scandinavian crowd to their feet when she moved past the Russians and into second place heading into the final turn. While she couldn't catch Abitova, her considerable closing strength suggested she was capable of going even faster than her 30:32.36 runner-up performance.
"It was just fantastic," Wigene said, finding it difficult to express herself after eclipsing her previous best by nearly a minute and-a-half.
Grigoryeva (30:32.72) and Bogomolova (30:35.90) followed, a personal best for the former. Kiplagat hung on for fifth in 30:37.26, just ahead of Prokopcuka whose 30:38.78 was a national record. Farther back in seventh, Spaniard Marta Domínguez (30:51.69) set a national record as well. In all, 12 of the 23 finishers achieved personal bests, while world leader Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey, who fell off the pace dramatically with just over seven laps to go, dropped out.
The depth of the results were dramatically better than in München (Munich) four years ago when only two athletes, Paula Radcliffe of Britain and Sonia O'Sullivan of Ireland, broke 31 minutes. Seven achieved that here, and 12 of the 23 finishers achieved personal best times. However, Radcliffe's Championship and European record set in that rainy race in München (30:01.09) was never threatened.
No Surprises In Middle Distance Prelims
There were no surprises in the opening round of the women's 800 or the semi-final of the men's 1500, all largely tactical affairs.
Spain's Mayte Martínez kicked from fifth to first to take the first heat in 2:01.71, a step ahead of Russian Svetlana Cherkasova (2:01.82). Briton Rebecca Lynn outleaned Ukraine’s Tetyana Petlyuk to win heat-two by 3/100s of a second in 2:01.87. Olga Kotlarova won the third heat in 2:01.08, just ahead of Slovenia's defending champion Jolanda Ceplak (2:01.08), and the third Russian, Svetlana Klyuka, won the fourth heat in 2:02.92, ahead of the second Slovenian Brigita Langerholc (2:03.17). The semi-finals are tomorrow.
In the 1500, defending champion Mehdi Baala of France was the fastest on the day, clocking 3:39.74 in the faster second heat, holding off the strong closing charge of Mykola Labovsky of Ukraine. World indoor champion Ivan Heshko out-kicked Spain's Arturo Casado by 4/100s of a second in 3:47.12 to win the first heat.
The only distance final on the second day of action will be the men's 10,000, which like the women's race, will cap the evening's competition. Defending champion José Manuel Martínez of Spain will have to fend of the challenge of his teammate Juan Carlos de la Ossa who has the only sub-28 minute clocking to his credit this season.
Complete 10,000m results at: European Athetics.
| 
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
