After wins in Berlin, Oslo, Rome and now Paris, the 800m runner Pamela Jelimo remains in the hunt for the AF Golden League jackpot. At just 19 years of age the Kenyan has to win in the post-Olympics meets in Zurich and Brussels to have a share in the $1 million jackpot. The only other athlete left to contest the jackpot is the Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, who also triumphed in Paris.
But it was the newcomer Jelimo who once again produced the headlines at a Golden League meeting. In Berlin on June 1 she had achieved a world junior record of 1:54.99, which was also the fastest ever by an African. She improved this double record by two-hundredths-of-a-second in Paris to 1:54.97. “This was a test run before the Olympic Games for me. Of course, I’m very happy with the result,” explained Jelimo, who won over the Slovak Lucia Klocova (1:58.51) and her compatriot Janeth Jepkosgei (1:58.52).
At the meet in Barcelona, the men’s 5,000m was the highlight. Victory went to the Kenyan Moses Masai in 12:55.72 over his compatriots Micah Kogo (13:03.71) and Jonas Cheruiyot (13:11.24).
Another New U.S. Women’s Steeple Mark
The women’s steeplechase was the highlight of the annual meet in Heusden, Belgium on Sunday night. Two American Olympians in the event, Jenny Barringer and Anna Willard, battled the whole way and were separated by only .03 second at the finish. Barringer ran 9:22.73, thereby destroying the American record of 9:27.59 that Willard had run to win the U.S. Olympic Trials earlier this month.
Lornah Kiplagat is AIMS Female Runner of the Year
Lornah Kiplagat (Netherlands) has received the award of AIMS Female Runner of the year for 2007. The Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS) presents the award to two athletes each year. A few months ago Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), who ran a world record of 2:04:26 in Berlin in September, received the “Golden Shoe” from AIMS as male runner of year for 2007. “This award recognizes the breadth of Lornah Kiplagat’s achievements. She is one of the best women runners of all time. Her success has worldwide renown,” said the AIMS president Hiroaki Chosa from Japan.
The high point of Lornah Kiplagat’s performances in 2007 was her triumph at the World Half Marathon Championships in Udine, Italy in October. The Kenyan-born runner not only won the gold medal but broke the world records for 20K and the half marathon. Her time of 66:25 was 19 seconds faster than that of Elana Meyer (South Africa) in Tokyo eight years earlier. En route to her win Kiplagat went through 20K in 63:21, 24 seconds faster than her own world best which she set in Hungary the year before.
“This award is an honor for me. It means a great deal that I’ve been voted the winner,” said Kiplagat, who had already received the award for the female AIMS runner of 2006. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Kiplagat, who won the world cross country title last year, is likely to run the 10,000m.
Paula Radcliffe Still Hoping to Run Olympics
Paula Radcliffe is running another kind of race against time to be able to challenge for Olympic gold in the marathon. A stress fracture of the thigh is the reason why it remains uncertain whether the women’s world marathon record holder from Britain (2:15:25) is going to regain form in time to run in Beijing.
After medical tests in London last week Radcliffe was still on the team for the Olympic marathon. “I shall continue to train for Beijing,” said the 34-year-old. “It’s a race against time for me.” It may be that Radcliffe will decide only at the last moment whether to run. “We are happy to give her time, she is making progress,” said Dave Collins, director of the British federation, UK Athletics. “I’m sure she will make the decision in a professional manner. She won’t go to Beijing only to drop out of the race.” Her replacement from Scotland, Hayley Haining, is also continuing to train in case she will be running the Olympics.
