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Review: Men’s events

Powell thrills and disappoints in opening Diamond League

Doha (May 14) – In the absence of Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt, it was Asafa Powell, the man Bolt replaced as world record holder, who was slated to step up as a star of the first ever Diamond League show.

And the affable Commonwealth champion didn’t disappoint as he posted two world class times in the 100m, albeit with strong following winds that rendered them illegal for record purposes.

The world bronze medallist took the final in some style with a comfortable victory in 9.81, ahead of Nesta Carter who clocked 9.88 and USA’s Travis Padgett, who finished in 9.92. It would have been a meeting record for the Jamaican but for the bright yellow figures of +2.3m/s which glared from the wind gauge.

But in truth the race was something of a let down, for Powell had us licking our lips in anticipation after the semi-finals.

With the warm Doha wind at the sprinters’ backs, he cruised through his opening race in a blistering 9.75 with the breeze recorded at +2.6m/s. All we neede was for the wind to drop and Powell to run thorugh the line.

But in the end Powell himself looked rather non-lplussed, as if he’d missed a chance to do something really special, although he blamed his sluggish start for the failure to catch fire.

“The gun was too quick for me in the final,” he said. “But it is a very good time for the first race of the season.”

Qatari favourite Samuel Francis failed to make it through the heats. The Asian record holder was fifth behind Powell in 10.16 clearly still suffering from his recent knee injury.

Powell’s time was just one of six world leads in the men’s events on a balmy night in the Qatar Sports Club stadium which also saw three meeting records.

The first of those came to giant shot putter Christian Cantwell, who remains on course to achieve one of his stated goals for 2010 – to throw further than 21 metres at every meeting.

The American won tonight with 21.82, taking the meeting record set by his American compatriot Reese Hoffa last year by 18cm, and jumping to the head of the world lists for 2010.

Hoffa was third with 21.00 behind Germany’s Ralf Bartels who threw a best of 21.14.

Cantwell has now exceeded 21 metres in 86 meetings in his career, one more than the great John Godina, and done so at 14 meetings in a row, equalling the record of Denmark’s Joachim Olsen.

“It’s good to win the fist one and get a world lead,” said Cantwell, who bemoaned the fact the event was cut down to four rounds. “I wish we had six throws because I had more in the tank,” he said.

Cantwell wasn’t the only man to achieve the meeting record-world lead double. Not the only one in a field event, indeed, as Alexis Copello led a Cuban 1, 2, 3 in the triple jump with 17.47 erasing Jadel Gregorio’s meeting record, and leaping above David Giralt to the top of the world lists.

Giralt was second here with 17.29 while Yoandri Betanzos was third with a best of 17.22.

There were some sparkling performances in the distance races too, not least from African record holder David Rudisha who was in commanding form in the 800m.

The Kenyan clocked 1:43.00 to eclipse his own world leading mark by 0.15s and lower the meeting record by 0.09s.

Rudisha followed the pacemaker through the first lap in 50.00 and led round the final bend, holding off the crowd’s favourite Ahmed Ismail of Sudan in the finishing straight. Ismail was rewarded with a personal best of 1:43.45 while Amine Laalou of Morocco was third in 1:43.71.

“Everything was right,” said Rudisha. “I was expecting to run a fast time and I did. Almost everyone was here and I was happy to race them.”

The world champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi of South Africa was fourth in 1:43.78, his best of the season so far.

There was more brilliant distance running in the 5000m as Olympic silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge made the most of the absence of the DL Ambassador Kenenisa Bekele to win by two metres from his Kenyan teammate Vincent Chepkok in 12:51.21.

These two led from Tariku Bekele, Kenenisa’s yonger brother, with 1000m to go as the raucous Ethiopian fans raised their voiuces in anticipation of Bekele’s finishing kick. But Bekele pulled up clutching his left hamstring on the crown of the bend leaving the two Kenyans to battle it out over the final two laps.

The expected challenge from the world cross country champion Joseph Ebuya evaporated as he finsished ninth in 13:32.81 but Chepkok emerged with a personal best of 12:51.45.

There was another world lead in the 3000m steeplechase as the world champion and stadium record holder Ezekiel Kemboi won one of the more bizarre events of the night.

The Kenyan clocked 8:06.28 in what was, in the end, a comfortable win. But it was one of the designated pacemakers Patrick Langat who emerged as both the villain and hero of the piece.

Langat led by some 50m for much of the race and was still that distance clear with two laps to go and by 30m at the bell. He was swallowed up down the back straight as Kemboi struck for home but still fnished third in 8:09.12, taking some 10 seconds from his personal best.

Paul Koech was second in 8:06.69 and there was also an Ethiopian record for Gary Roba in fifth. He finished in 8:10.29 while Olympic champion Brimin Kipruto was back in 11th in 8:18.13.

“It is a nice time but I planned for a faster time,” said Kemboi. “The work of the pacemakers was not good. I had more in me today.”

Bershawn Jackson won the clash of the “big three” in the first track event of the day, the men’s 400m hurdles. Jackson, the 2007 world champion, started slowly against his two rivals – Olympic champion Angelo Taylor and world champion Kerron Clement, but came through quickly over the second half the race to clock 48.66.

Clement was second in 48.82 with the fast-starting Taylor fading to fourth behind LJ Van Zyl of South Africa who clocked 49.59.

“We couldn’t get better times today because of the wind,’ said Jackson. “But it’s nice to beat the Olympic champion and the world champion in one race.”

Review: Women's events

IDL Doha 2010
Laurel Editorial team/mb