Stockholm, Sweden, IAAF reports - The "World Record attempt" label is often used somewhat frivolously in promoting athletics meets but that was certainly not the case for Meseret Defar and the 5000m at the 2010 GE Galan in Stockholm on Wednesday (10). Because if there was a prize for really trying hard but in the end coming up frustratingly close no one could deserve it more than Defar for her effort in the Globe Arena.The GE Galan is the fifth of nine meetings in the IAAF Indoor Permit series for 2010.
From 400m to 4800m she was slightly ahead of her own pace when she set the current record of 14:24.37 in the same meet one year ago. The advantage was at its maximum of 3.5 seconds with just four laps remaining and even though Defar managed to speed up inspired by the vociferous support from the crowd the advantage shrunk: 3.0 s with three laps left, 1.9 s with two laps, 0.6 s at the bell.
And when she flashed across the finish line the clock showed 14:24.79 – i.e. 0.42 seconds too late which corresponds to 0.05 percent of the total time (864 seconds!). Of course Defar herself was very disappointed – especially as she had been about as close to her 3000m record in Stuttgart four days ago – but to call the second best mark ever a failure would be grossly unfair.
The obvious answer to the question "Where did she loose it?" is of course the last lap, but 31.2 is not a slow last lap in any way, the only problem was that incredible 30.2 she finished with last year. Her kilometre splits 2:51.1 – 5:48.0 (2:56.9) – 8:41.2 (2:53.2) – 11:34.8 (2:53.6) – 14:24.79 (2:50.0) instead indicates that a fairly slow second kilometre was the main reason Defar missed the record and the sub-14:20 she was aiming for.
Behind Defar, A. Bekele clocks European record
Somewhat unnoticed – as they had two thirds of a lap left when Defar hit the finish line – the race produced runners getting into places 5 and 6 on the indoor all-time list: Her countrywoman Sentayehu Ejigu who acted pacemaker for Defar until almost four kilometres continued the race but was just before the end caught by a fast finishing Alemitu Bekele of Turkey. With her 14:46.44 Bekele erased Gabriela Szabo's European record that has stood for almost 11 years.
Just like Defar high jumper Blanka Vlasic had narrowly missed the World record last Saturday but Vlasic was not able to match that performance on Wednesday. Probably due to her recent virus infection she seemed slightly tired but still displayed an impressive professional work ethic: Vlasic still had a clean sheet until securing the win at 1.95m and then scored her 85th 2m-competition by clearing 2.01m on her second attempt. But only the last of her three attempts at the would-be Arena record 2.04m could be called "close".
Kaki fends off Borzakovskiy
The highly anticipated 800m race for men turned out somewhat disappointing. Only Abubaker Kaki followed the not-at-all-too-fast pacemaker Vincent Mumo who passed 400m at 51.8. Yuriy Borzakovskiy – in his 8th appearance in the last 9 editions of GE Galan – ran his typical race far back in the main group. The Russian also displayed his trademark come-from-behind last lap but when he came up on the shoulder of Kaki the reigning World indoor champion responded and won by 0.22 in 1:46.29.
Choge prevails in deepest men’s 3000m race of all time
If the 800m didn't reach the expected level of performance the 3000m surpassed all expectations: It simply was the best ever indoor 3000m quality-wise with the top-six all dipping under 7:35 and the top-four moving into the top-10 of all-time! The start was fast (57.5 first 400m, 2:29 first kilometre) but at the end of the second kilometre the pacesetter Vincent Rono started to slow down somewhat (2:35 second kilometre).
Then Paul Kipsiele Koech took over and started winding it up gradually but he never managed to get free of all the other runners. With half a lap to go Augustine Choge sprinted past and at the very end Tariku Bekele came from behind to almost surprise Choge right at the line. The winner had 55.8 last 400m and 27.1 last 200m – and Bekele probably closed even slightly faster.
In a race dominated by runners from Kenya (No 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8) and Ethiopia (No 2 and 6) Bob Tahri of France finished 5th in 7:33.73 which was just 0.75 off Alberto Garcia's European record from 2003.
4:03.28 world leader for Teenager Gezahegne
The third world leading mark on the oval track in the Globe Arena came in the women's 1500m through Ethiopian Kalkidan Gezahegne who stayed somewhat off the early pace set at the front (63.1 – 2:08.5) but who gradually moved up closer to Russian Anna Alminova. At the bell Gezhegne sprinted past to win by a second in 4:03.28, a time that is also an unofficial world junior record indoors.
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