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AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
ANNECY (FRANCE), Aug 3: The IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships which ended here yesterday threw up many impressive performers, particularly British sprinter Christian Malcolm.
Incredibly, it also left Americas normally powerful men's team without a gold medal for the first time in the seven times the event has been held.
The biggest disappointment for the Americans came in what has always been their domain the 4x400 relay. A storming run by Australian Casey Vincent stole the gold medal in the finishing straight. The look of shock and disbelief on the faces of the United States quartet said it all.
‘‘Its amazing with all the potentially great runners we have competing in the Penn relays in April and that there were no better sprinters than those sent over for these championships, a college coach said.
To be fair to the Americans, who managed silver in the 100m and a bronze in the 200 both behind the unbeatable Malcolm their top two 200m runners had already snapped up on American football ANNECY (FRANCE), Aug 3: The IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships which ended here yesterday threw up many impressive performers, particularly British sprinter Christian Malcolm.
Incredibly, it also left Americas normally powerful men's team without a gold medal for the first time in the seven times the event has been held.
The biggest disappointment for the Americans came in what has always been their domain the 4x400 relay. A storming run by Australian Casey Vincent stole the gold medal in the finishing straight. The look of shock and disbelief on the faces of the United States quartet said it all.
‘‘Its amazing with all the potentially great runners we have competing in the Penn relays in April and that there were no better sprinters than those sent over for these championships, a college coach said.
To be fair to the Americans, who managed silver in the 100m and a bronze in the 200 both behind the unbeatable Malcolm their top two 200m runners had already snapped up on American footballscholarships.
‘‘Its difficult when you are competing against football and the like for athletes signatures, which is a problem that Malcolm would never face in Britain because there isn't a similar system, said Steve Ovett, the former mile world record holder and 1980 Olympic 800m gold medalist.
Malcolm may have not had to face a bidding war by universities but he did face a tough decision at the age of 15 when double European Cup winners Nottingham Forest offered him a contract.
Malcolm, who is the son of Jamaican-born parents, looks as if he will make the grade at senior level provided, according to Ovett, he grows a couple of inches.
His two championship records were just two of eight set during the six days of competition. Surprisingly, given the Kenyan dominance in the distance events, only one of their number, Reuben Kosgei, set a new championship mark in the 3,000 metres steeplechase.
Names such as Benjamin Kipkurui, who will benefit from an ill-judged race which netted him only silver in the1500m, and 800m gold medalist William Chirchir, who said he hadnt needed to try too hard because he was used to running with the seniors, should, nonetheless, soon be making headlines regularly on the Grand Prix circuit.
Leading agents were much in evidence, although, many of the African stars were already signed up by the time they reached the championships and in Ethiopia's 5,000m champion Million Wolds, Dutch master Jos Hermens looks to have uncovered another real diamond.
The women's event were dominated by the Chinese, who once again put their men's team into the shade by capturing seven gold medals, while the Russians won the 400 and 800 flat.
It was, however, American sprinter Shakedia Jones and Cuban javelin thrower Osleidis Menendez who caught the eye. The latter, who won the Mexico City Grand Prix earlier in the year, threw 68.17m in the final, the second longest mark recorded at any level this year.
Jones, a 19-year-old who came into the championships with a faster time over 100 metres thancurrent senior sprint queen Marion Jones had at junior level, looked a superb prospect as she surprised compatriot and favourite Angela Williams in the final of the 100.
Jones, who also won gold in 4x100 relay, had to make do with silver in the 200 behind Frances only gold medalist of the games Mauriel Hurtis. The French girl emulated compatriot Sylviane Fleixs victory in Sydney two years ago.
Several less well-established athletics nations produced new heros.
Peruvian Alfredo Deza Ganoza won the high jump to give the South American nation their first ever medal at the championships, while Fawzi Al-Sammari also gave Kuwait their first podium spot, with bronze in the men's 400m flat and Jairo Duzants silver in the men's 200 also introduced the Dutch Antilles to the medal ceremony for the first time, on his 19th birthday.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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