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MILAN, Italy -– A breakout performance by Bahraini sprinter Rakia Al-Gassra and the return of Oscar ‘Blade Runner ’Pistorius to competition were the key highlight as the Notturna di Milano returned to the international calendar on a warm and still evening at the 200-year-old Arena Civica.
Despite one of the worst starts witnessed in a professional race in recent memory, Al- Gassra rebounded with a powerful second half to win the women’s 100m comfortably in a solid 11.12. Running with her hair covered, the 26-year-old business student knocked an astounding 0.15 from her previous personal best, despite a reaction time measured at just 0.238 seconds.
“That’s very good for me,” Al Gasrha said, sharing a wide smile, of her first 100m race of the season. “But I do have to work on my start.” On the comeback from a hamstring injury a year ago, she indicated good form with a 22.44 performance over 200m in Tunis last weekend, and intends to focus on that event in her lead-up to and at the Olympic Games. After her gracefully powerful second half this evening, her decision seems to be a wise one.
In the A race of the men’s 400m, new British No. 1 Martin Rooney was never threatened, taking a commanding victory in 45.44, well ahead of Zimbabwe’s Elwis Banda (45.82).
But it was the event’s B race which drew the most attention however, where double amputee Oscar Pistorius lined up in lane six in his first race since being cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to compete against able-bodied athletes.
The 21-year-old Paralympic Games 200m champion, the meet’s poster boy, was never a threat however over the final 100 meters, considered the most solid aspect of his race. He eventually drifted to fourth, clocking 47.78 in a race where the winner, Fiorenzo Moscatelli, didn’t break 47 seconds.
“I’m disappointed with the performance,” Pistorius said, “but it’s good to be back on the track.”
Pistorius won an appeal with the Lausanne-based court in May, beating back the decision by the IAAF, the sport’s international governing body, that his carbon fiber prosthetics, known as Cheetahs, provided him an unfair advantage in competition.
Deresse Mekonnen, the world indoor 1500m champion, kicked to a solid 3:34.02 win, his first victory since taking the indoor crown in Valencia in March.
The pre-race game plan called for a 3:32 pace, but that was too ambitious for all but three in the 15-man field. Only Mekonnen, his Ethiopian compatriot Henok Legesse, and Daham Najm Bashair, a 3:31 Kenyan-born Qatari chose to follow the two pacesetters. But the two faltered over the final circuit and fell well out of contention as Mekkonen closed comfortably with a sub-54 second final lap. Kenyans Vickson Polonet and Moses Barmasai were a distant second and third, clocking 3:36.45 and 3:37.62 respectively.
The 5000m saw several lead changes over the final few laps, with another Kenyan-born Qatari, James Kwalia, taking full advantage. Ethiopia’s Abebe Dinkessa moved into the lead as he entered the straight for the penultimate lap, with Kwalia behind him waiting patiently. He moved to the front at the bell and held and eventually powered home unthreaten to a 13:11.36 win. Jonathan Komen of Kenya was second (13:12.02) in front of international newcomer Alex Oleitiptip, who clocked 13:12.18, 0.04 seconds ahead of Dinkessa.
In the women’s 800m, Briton Jemma Simpson ran a strong second lap and managed to fight off the kick of Italy’s Elisa Cusma to win in 1:59.17, a career best for the 24-year-old. Cusma clocked 1:59.22, with the Moroccan Ait Hammou sisters, Amina and Seltana, third and fourth respectively (2:00.22 and 2:00.33).
Briton Michael Rimmer made it a British sweep in the two lap contests, taking the lead with 300m to go and hanging on for a 1:46.10, well ahead of runner-up, South African Samson Ngoepe (1:46.70).
Turkish record holder Nevin Yanit produced a fine performance in the women’s 100m hurdles. Building a clear lead by the second hurdle, the 22-year-old displayed solid form to win in 12.79. just 0.03 seconds outside of her personal best. Well back, Irishwoman Derval O’Rourke (12.93) and Jamaican Andrea Bliss (12.94) dipped under 13 seconds.
Briton Nicola Sanders won the women’s race in 50.88, ahead of recently-minted Italian record holder Libania Grenot (51.16) and African champion and world leader Amantle Montsho of Botswana, who faded badly over the latter stages to clock 51.23.
Russian Anastasia Shvedova scored a minor upset in the women’s pole vault after her first attempt clearance at 4.65m, equaling her personal best. Yuliya Golubchikova, the European Cup winner, was second, topping out at 4.60m.
Antonietta DiMartino, the world championships co-silver medallist, improved her season’s best to 1.97 to win the high jump on the countback over Russian Viktoriya Klyugina. DiMartino, who said after the competition that she still lack speed, had one solid attempt at two meters before bowing out.
Magdelin Martinez produced another home win in the infield, taking the triple jump with a modest 14.33m leap.
Elsewhere, Briton Simeon Williamson won an exceptionally close men’s 100m, clocking 10.27 to edge Frenchman Ronald Pognon and Italy’s Jacques Riparelli, both credited with 10.28. Another Briton, Andy Turner, won the 110m hurdles in an equally close race, clocking 13.68 to edge Dimitri Bascou of France, by 0.01.
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