webmaster
© Copyright DEHAI-Eritrea OnLine, 1993-2010
All rights reserved
From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Tue Aug 17 2010 - 08:13:05 EDT
http://www.iaaf.org/YOG10/news/newsid=58009.html
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Strong performances in qualifying - Youth Olympics, Day 1
<http://www.iaaf.org/mm/photo/competitions/competition/05/80/10/58010_full-lnd.jpg>
*Boy's 3000m qualification race - Tue 17 Aug, Singapore Youth Olympic
Games*(Getty Images)
Singapore - An impressive array of the best young boys and girls track and
field athletes from some 170 nations began qualifying rounds at the
inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore on Tuesday (17). This is
the first of three days of qualifying before an off day and then three days
of medal round competition.
There will be 17 individual events for both boys and girls and entries were
well populated with athletes near the top of the 2010 year to date
performance lists. Of the 33 world leaders who could have been here, 22 are
present. The girl's leader at both 100 and 200 metres is absent, but she
could have only run one of those two events per YOG rules.
Most impressive is that the leading boy performer in every field event –
High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Shot Put, Discus Throw,
Hammer Throw and Javelin Throw – is in Singapore. So is number one in the
10,000m Race Walk, 400m Hurdles and the 100, 400 and 1000 metres. The second
ranked boy is on the entry list in the 110m Hurdles.
The girl's field events are almost as strong. The four jumps have the world
leader, along with the Shot Put and Javelin throw, while there are number
twos in the Discus and Hammer Throws. The 2010 youth leader is also in the
5000m Race Walk, 100 Hurdles and 1000 metres. Second ranked runners appear
in the 400 metres and Steeplechase.
*Africans lead the way in 3000 metres*
East Africans have dominated distance running events at all levels of world
championships and Olympic competitions for many years and the first races on
the track indicate there will be more of the same at the Youth Olympic
Games.
Gladys Chesire of Kenya blazed an opening kilometre of 3:01.9 in the Girl's
3000m that was even ahead of pace for the fastest time ever run in Singapore
(9:15.15). With a big lead she eased off to 3:10 and 3:13 for the next 5
laps and crossed the finish in 9:25.44, equalling her PB. Next finisher, Moe
Kyuma of Japan, was 10 seconds behind. The top eight runners all broke 10
minutes and will advance to the final.
The Boy's race also went out quickly with an opening 64 second lap. Zabulon
Ndikumana of Burundi set the pace through the first two kilometres of 2:47
and 2:48. The final kilometre was significantly faster and the bell rang at
7:14 with several boys covering the final lap in under a minute.
It wound up an African top three sweep of Ferku Jedesa of Ethiopia
(8:12.65), Abrar Osman of Eritrea (8:12.80) and Hicham Sigueni of Morocco
(8:12.95). Seven of the top finishers were Africans.
*Bengtsson safely into finals*
The first attempt of pole vaulter Angelica Bengtsson, the Youth Best
Performance record-holder (4.47m), was forgettable as she could not clear
her opening height of 3.80m. However, she sailed over on her next attempt by
a massive 25-30 cm and then added another clearance at 3.90m.
Father and coach, Glenn Bengtsson said before the competition, "It will be
extremely difficult to win here because the competition is high. There are
three other girls who could go over 4.40m, (Elizabeth) Parnov, (Natalia)
Demedenko and (Ganna) Shelekh." His concern could be justified as they were
three of the five to clear 3.90m.
In the other vertical jump qualifying, high jumper Viktor Chernysh of the
Ukraine cleanly cleared all his heights, including a personal best 2.10m.
Five other boys also attained that top height of the morning.
Alina Rotaru of Romania was another athlete who set a personal best to lead
her qualifying. She long jumped 6.40m on her only fair jump, but it was good
enough to separate her from the rest of the field by 36 cm.
*Bleskina dominates high hurdles*
Ekaterina Bleskina of Russia, the 100m Hurdles World Youth leader, looked
like she could be unbeatable in the finals. She won her heat in 13.32 and no
other girl in any of the three heats was with three-tenths of a second of
that time.
In a departure from usual championships procedure all results from these
three heats (as well as for all other sprints and hurdles) will be
amalgamated and top eight times advance to an A final. The next eight go
into a B final followed by C and D as necessary. No winner of any qualifying
heat is guaranteed entry in the medal final.
Nicholas Hough of Australia was the fastest boy in the 110m Hurdles,
13.50sec, in the second heat. Yordan L. Ofarril of Cuba, the fastest boy in
the field (13.26) also won his heat with a time fast enough to advance to
the finals.
*Favourites top Discus Throws*
Arjun Kumar of India, the top boy's discus thrower of 2010 and Shanice Craft
of Germany, number two among girls and the best present in Singapore, both
topped the qualifying stage.
Kumar led at 63.90m, a personal best, just ahead of Jacques Du Plessis of
South Africa (63.17); no other boy went beyond 59m.
Craft put all four of her throws – there are only four attempts in YOG
competition – at least three metres farther than the next girl as she
reached 54.10 with her best effort.
*15-year-old fastest at 400 metres*
Bukola Abogunloko of Nigeria, who celebrates her 16th birthday tomorrow, had
the fastest 400 metres time of 53.06.
Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic had four of the five fastest boy's
youth times at 400 metres coming into the YOG. He made it five of six with
an imposing 46.82, the only boy under 47 seconds.
*Marty Post for the IAAF*
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----