Lagat, Komen in Impress in Berlin
By Bob Ramsak
(c) 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
September 4, 2005

BERLIN - While Bernard Kagat and Daniel Kipchirchir Komen claimed impressive victories in the distances, Russian triple jumper Tatyana Lebedeva grabbed the headlines after claiming the one million dollar TDK Golden League Jackpot at this afternoon's 64th ISTAF Meeting.

"I am so happy right now," the 29-year-old Russian told a crowd of more than 50,000 at Berlin's Olympic Stadium after her perfect six-for-six performance this summer in the world's finest one-day competitions. Lebedeva became just the second solo winner of the sport's biggest prize. In 2003. Maria Mutola was the first. [For more on Lebedeva, see my story for the IAAF at http://www.iaaf.org/GLE05/news/Kind=2/newsId=31968.html ].

After his command performance in the 5000, some may have had the impression that Lagat was settling into a new home on the track. Yet despite his 12:59.29 win, the two-time Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 insisted that he's more than comfortable in his more familiar middle distance surroundings.

"This was just a test," Lagat said, "I am remaining a miler."

Running near the front of the pack throughout, the Kenyan-born American looked quite comfortable despite little experience over the longer distance. With two laps to go, he was running side-by-side with defending champion Augustine Choge, surrendering not ground. At the bell, Ethiopian Markos Geneti made his break for the lead, but Choge and Lagat seemed unimpressed. With a tight pack of nearly half a dozen still in contention midway down the backstretch, Lagat made his move with about 200 meters to go, to finish unchallenged. Recently-minted world champion Ben Limo and fellow-Kenyan Sammy Kipketer closed strongly to finish second and third, clocking 13:01.45 and 13:01.55.

"The only chance to win was to kick with 200 to go," Lagat said after a performance that eclipsed his previous personal best of 13:14.71. "I didn't expect such a fast time. I wanted to run under 13:10 and my coach told me I can go for 13:05. But I have been training well and felt relaxed coming into the last lap."

Alan Webb was among the top six for much of the race, before dropping back dramatically at the bell to eventually finish eighth in 13:10.86, a massive improvement for the U.S. 1500 champion whose previous best was 13:30.25.

Still making up for his disappointment at the world championships where he failed to advance from the first round, Daniel Kipchirchir Komen ran away from a strong field in the 1500 for a dominating 3:29.72 win, the second fastest of the year.

"I did exactly what I wanted," said the 20-year-old Kenyan who is winding down his first complete high level international season. "I only started in athletics in 2003 and I see a bright future."

Komen was the only runner to go with the pacers, and just past the midway point, had a lead of more than 15 meters on the rest of the field. It was the fourth Golden League victory for Komen -Paris, Zurich and Brussels were the others-who also captured the Kenyan world championship trials.

In a blanket finish, Kenyans Isaac Songok (3:31.72) and Suleiman Simotwo (3:31.85) rounded out the top three, with Ukraine's Ivan Heshko fourth in 3:31.91, a season's best, just four one-hundredths of a second ahead of 20-year-old Algerian rising star Anter Zerguelaine (3:31.95), who notched his second PB in a week. Zerguelaine began the year with a PB of just 3:40.99.

Youssef Saad Kamel, who ran this season's second sub-1:44 clocking on Wednesday in Rovereto, Italy, was on the verge of his second consecutive win until 2004 Olympic silver medallist Mbulaeni Mulaudzi powered off the final turn to snatch a 1:44.26 victory. Spain's Antonio Manuel Reina, stormed from seventh midway through the last turn to finish runner-up in 1:44.30, six one-hundredths of a second in front of Kamel, the former Kenyan Gregory Konchellah.

Taking the lead less than 2800 meters into the race, Berhane Adere made her 14:47.56 win in the women's 5000 look remarkably simple. After the race, the Ethiopian, who won the silver medal at 10,000 meters at last month's world championships, wasn't particularly impressed.

"The time wasn't too good for me," she said plainly. "With just one pacemaker, it was just not possible to go much faster."

Well back in second was Zakia Mrisho (14:58.88), the 21-year-old Tanzanian who was sixth in the event in Helsinki. Norwegian Susanne Wigene ran just behind Adere for the initial five laps before fading back, was third (14:59.04).

The 32-year-old Adere has a busy month coming up. Next weekend she'll contest the 5000 at the World Athletics Final in Monaco before hitting the roads for a pair of half-marathons in three weeks: The Great North Run in Great Britain and the World Half-Marathon Championships in Edmonton, Canada. For next April, she's penciled the Flora London Marathon into her calendar book.

World champion Zuliya Calatayud broke from the field with about 200 meters to go to easily win the 800 in 1:59.25. In a blanket finish behind her, world leader Tatyana Andrianova finished second in 2:00.50, just two one-hundredths of a second ahead of Spain's Mayte Martinez.

The Golden League will be reconstituted in 2006. While details are still being ironed out, the same six competitions will likely separate themselves as the world's premiere gatherings of athletics talent. A series-ending jackpot will remain; that amount has yet to be determined.

The track season comes to it's unofficial close next weekend with the two-day World Athletics Final in Monaco. While fields are still being finalized, managers for Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele and American Alan Webb have confirmed that the pair will not be competing. RRW will provide exclusive on-site coverage beginning on Friday.

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