Day 6 wrap: Silent appreciation for Bondarenko
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 16, 2013
There is no stronger love from a stadium full of fans for their sport than when an athlete can ask for silence, and get it. Bohan Bondarenko had all of Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow hanging on his every jump on Thursday evening on the sixth day of competition at the IAAF World Championships.
Champions were also determined in the men's 3000m Steeplechase and 400m Hurdles, the women's 1500m and 400m Hurdles, and the women's Triple Jump.
Bondarenko gets the gift of silence
The Ukrainian, who will turn 24 by the end of August, cleared 2. 41 meters with his second attempt to clinch the gold, equalling his world leading performance and bettering the former Championships record of 2.40m set by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor in 1993 Stuttgart worlds.
He also tried to beat Sotomayor's world record of 2.45, set on July 27 1993, but in failed all the three attempts at 2.46m.
The Ukraine has been enjoying a huge progression so far in the 2013 season, improving his personal best by 10 centimeters. The seventh finisher at London Olympics set the world leading in Lausanne as he went over 2.41m, a height not achieved for 19 years. At his last competition in London just over two weeks ago, Bondarenko went well clear over 2.38m before two audacious attempts at 2.47m.
Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar, Asian indoor and outdoor record holder, took the silver with a perfect record at 2.38. After an unsuccessful attempt at 2.41, one centimeter over his personal best of 2.40, Barshim tried to challenge 2.44 but failed the two audacious attempts.
Derek Drouin of Canada, also a bronze medalist at London Games, jumped over 2.38 with his second attempt and settle for the bronze with a new Canadian national record.
Second round the charm
The women's triple jump was completely decided in the second round. It was then that Caterine Ibarguen skipped out to 14.85m, a distance only approached by Ekaterina Koneva's 14.81m mark in the same round.
Olha Saladuha, the favourite of the large blocks of Ukrainians in the crowd, reached 14.65m in the same round, and for the next four rounds of jumping nothing changed among those leading three. The medals, in the end, went in that order.
Same race, different results
The women's 400m hurdles was won in the largest margin in its history as Zuzana Hejnova came into the homestretch with fast-starting Americans Lashinda Demus and Dalilah Muhammad and simply ran away from them from the last hurdle to the finish line.
Hejnova's winning time of 52.83 was more than a second ahead of Muhammad, second in 54.09, and Demus for bronze with 54.27. Hejnova, who ran strongly through the rounds as well, simply had more speed off the last hurdle than anyone else could match.
Jehue Gordon triumphed in a breath-taking home-straight duel against American Michael Tinsley, winning the men's 400m hurdles gold for Trinidad and Tobago with a world leading time of 47.69 seconds.
Tinsley clocked a personal best to 47.70 to take the silver while Emir Bekric trimmed Serbian national record to 48.05 to finished third.
Moves like Kemboi
Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi completed his world title hat-trick at 2013 IAAF World Championships, winning the third straight gold in the men's 3000 steeplechase.
The 31-year-old Kemboi, also a two-time Olympic champion, clocked 8 minutes, 06.01 seconds to secure the gold, albeit well shy of the world-leading time of 7:59.03 he set in Paris last month.
Behind Kemboi came Consuelus Kipruto, then France's Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, which meant the only change from Daegu's podium was Kipruto at silver.
Aregawi turns back Simpson title defence
Jenny Simpson made a determined defence of her women's 1500m title from 2011, controlling the pace from the gun and, when the real racing began at the bell and Abeba Aregawi came around to take the lead, taking position on Aregawi's shoulder, turning back a move by Hellen Obiri, and putting herself in position to make a counter-move against Aregawi.
Aregawi left no openings, however, and though Simpson tried the Swede was never again headed. Aregawi took the victory in 4:02.67 with Simpson right behind in 4:02.99. Obiri took the bronze with a 4:03.86; Daegu silver medallist Hannah England was fourth.
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