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Chojecka Completes 1500-3k Double, Spanish Men Sweep 1500m, Final Day Distance Recap
By David Monti

(c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

BIRMIMGHAM (04-Mar) -- Lidia Chojecka of Poland became the first woman ever in the history of the European Indoor Championships to win double gold in the 1500m and 3000m, while the Spanish men became the first team ever to sweep the podium in the men's 1500m as the 29th European Indoor Championships concluded here today at the National Indoor Arena.

Chojecka, 30, who was also the defending champion in the 3000m, won today's 15-lap race easily in 8:43.25 off of an honest pace set by Britain's Jo Pavey.  Chojecka was content to follow Pavey closely, who led nearly every lap, along with Spain's Marta Domínguez.  Both Chojecka and Domínguez possess fierce kicks, and the race was setting up perfectly for the Pole.

"I must thank Jo for the pace she set out," Chojecka said after the race.  "I didn't want a slow race with people around me.  Jo pushed on at a good pace which was perfect for me."

Pavey, who had suffered with a bad bout of influenza until recently, was unsure whether or not to enter the race.  "It was a tough call," said Pavey who faded to sixth in 8:54.94.  "I knew it was going to be a gamble."

With 400m to go, Chojecka launched into the lead, opening up a two meter gap on Domínguez who immediately gave chase.  Chojecka accelerated down the back straight, hitting top gear as she went into turn three.  Domínguez, who won this event in 2002, just couldn't catch her, and had to settle for silver in 8:44.40.  The big surprise was Italian Silvia Weissteiner setting a national record of 8:44.81 to take the bronze, just ahead of the German, Sabrina Mockenhaupt, who set a personal best of 8:45.77.  The Commonwealth Games 1500m champion, Lisa Dobriskey of Britain, rounded out the top-5 in 8:47.25.

"I thought, coming into the Championships, that I would get a medal and even a gold but did not know in which event," Chojecka said.  "The weekend could not have been better for me. I am tired now, after the 1500, but I can be happy now that I have two medals."

SPANISH SWEEP MEN'S 1500M

Juan Carlos Higuero, who won two bronze medals at last summer's European Championships, led an unprecedented Spanish sweep of the 1500m, winning a kicker's race in 3:44.41.  He was just able to hold off his teammate Sergio Gallardo, who finished exactly one tenth of a second behind.  Arturo Casada finished third in 3:44.73 to complete the historic sweep.

"This is great," said Higuero. "I am so pleased.  Also, I have won silver and bronze medals before, but to win gold is fantastic."

OKKEN AND ZBROZHEK WIN 800M TITLES

Arnoud Okken became only the second Dutchman to win an 800m title in the history of these championships.  Running from the front, he outlegged Spaniard Miguel Quesada in the final 100 meters to win by a scant 4/100ths of a second in 1:47.92.  Coming up on the inside in the final meters of the race, Italian Maurizio Bobbato snatched the bronze medal from Spaniard Luis Alberto Marco, but just barely.  Both were timed in 1:48.71.

"Okken is a very tough man to beat on the track," said silver medalist Quesada.  "I thought I was in with a chance when I got to the bell, but he is very strong over the last lap."

In the women's 800m, world indoor record holder Jolanda Ceplak was unable to win her second European Indoor title.  Indeed, the blonde Slovenian had to settle for third after Oksana Zbrozhek of Russia ran an explosive 29.35 seconds for the last 200m to get the win in 1:59.23.  Tetyana Petlyuk of Ukraine got the silver in 1:59.84 with Ceplak running 2:00-flat in third.

"This was a decisive move for me," said Zbrozhek of when she took the lead at the bell.  "I was able to run quicker on the last lap. I am very glad to get the gold medal."

For Ceplak, the meet was a qualified success.  "I didn't feel very good today so I have to be pleased with bronze," she said.  "I normally like to lead but just couldn't get to the front. I've had two years of problems and surgery on my Achilles tendon. The last time I put three races together over one weekend was in Athens [2004]. This weekend has given me a lot of confidence and a big boost leading up to the summer."

BRITAIN LEADS MEDAL TABLE

It was a great meet for the home country, Great Britain, and many of the writers and fans were talking about a renaissance of the sport here in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games. Britain won four gold medals, the most of any country, and a total of ten medals.  Russia, had the highest medal total of 15, but only two were gold (medal tables are ordered by the number of gold medals).  Admittedly, the Russians had not sent their best athletes, like pole vaulter Yelena Isinbaeva, 800m runners Yuliya Chizhenko and Svetlana Cherkasova, and 1500m runners Yelena Soboleva and Tatyana Tomashova to name a few.

Nicola Sanders, yesterday's 400m gold medalist, summed up how the British team was feeling.  "The Brits are looking better and better," she said.  "The noise from the crowd today was just awesome.  It was on another level."

The 30th European Indoor Championships will be held in Turin, Italy, in March, 2009.


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