FITSCHEN RUNS TO SURPRISE 10,000m VICTORY AT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
by Bob Ramsak
(c) 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.

GÖTEBORG, Sweden (08-Aug) -– Running in nearly perfect conditions, Jan Fitschen of Germany kicked to an unlikely victory to highlight day two of the European Athletics Championships.

With a personal best of just 28:19.57 prior to the race, the 28-year-old powered past the favoured Spanish duo of José Manuel Martínez and Juan Carlos de la Ossa en route to a 28:10.94 win, easily the biggest surprise to emerge thus far from these championships.

“This morning I was hoping to be in the top-ten,” a beaming Fitschen said. “Now I’m at the top of the top-ten.”

The race wasn’t nearly on the level as Monday’s fast women’s final, but it provided ample evidence that races don’t need to be exceptionally fast to be thoroughly enjoyable.

A modest 14:16.80 first half did little to whittle down the field, setting the stage for plenty of late race fireworks in the latter stages. The Spanish pair were at or near the front from the outset, oftentimes taking turns, along with Ukraine’s cross country ace Sergey Lebid, controlling the tempo. The first notable move came from the Christian Belz of Switzerland, who surged to the front with 1500 metres to go. De la Ossa and a half dozen others followed, with Belz repeating the move a lap later, this time with just the Spaniards, and from a distance, Fitschen choosing to follow. Martinez, grimacing, eventually caught Belz, but he and his teammate simply couldn’t respond when Fitschen summoned the power to move past them as they approached the final straight. Martinez, the defending champion, held on for second in 28: 12.06, more than a second clear of de la Ossa’s 28:13.73. Belz held on for fourth, fighting off Sergey Lebid’s (28:19.14) late charge bid.

"The only race plan I had was for a race that turned out like today’s,” Fitschen admitted.

In the only other middle and long distance action on the program, the Russian trio of Olga Kotlyarova, Svetlana Cherkasova, and Svetlana Klyuka fully illustrated that they will be a difficult force to deal with in Thursday’s 800 meter final.

Kotlyarova and Cherkasova took the first heat with ease, clocking 2:00.03 and 2:00.05 respectively, while Klyuka produced a fine performance with her 1:58.80 win in the second. The major casualty was defending champion Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia, who faded to last in the first heat after controlling the first lap’s tempo. Ceplak, who only resumed training last April after recovering from Achilles surgery, was always a questions mark her. In the faster second heat, Briton Rebecca Lyne closed quickly to finish second (1:59.11), followed by Brigita Langerholc (SB 1:59.45), and Ukraine’s Tetyana Petlyuk (1:59.84).

Wednesday’s program includes the final of the men’s 1500 and the first round of the men’s 3000 meter steeplechase.

ENDS