The Golden Arrowhead was still flying among 212 other flags atop the Berlin Olympic Stadium, though the solid red light came on for Guyana’s athletes putting the brakes on their journey as the 12th World Championships in Athletics ended its third day in Germany. In the championships’ first single session day, Marian Burnett took the nation’s last bow at the eight-day international meet, when she ceded at the Women’s 800m semifinal stage with a showing a tad better than her opening run yesterday.
As the world still gasped and laughed at the previous day’s superlative speed and showmanship of Usain Bolt – a parody-like reason for a blank morning to soak in ‘Boltmania’ – it was curtains for Burnett as her 2:02.75 time was strides away from a place in the final. Also, Burnett placed 8th in a race expanded to nine runners to take in defending champion Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya who was initially left out after a fall left her without a qualification from the opening rounds. Now the Kenyan gets a chance to defend her crown, going through as a fast non-auto qualifier.
With just the top-two plus the two fastest losers moving on from the three semis, this stage can be brutal. This year’s was not different, and Burnett felt the full force. The sunglasses-clad Guyanese literally trailed the world beaters from start to finish running out of lane-1. Her time, though, was an improvement on the 2:03.89 recorded on Sunday to squeeze into the semis. But, this time there were no fissures to seep through a performance shaped by limited exposure due to injury earlier in the season.
The Guyanese multiple record holder shared the fate with a notable list of global half-milers, including Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo of Kenya who stepped off the track at about the 600m point in the last heat, apparently injured. The vanquished who’s who also had 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud of Cuba (7th in 2:01.53) and Moroccan Hasna Benhassi (2:00.06), who has won medals at each of the last two World Championships and Olympic Games, finishing 4 in her heat, thus ending an impressive global final streak.
Looking the best and fastest was World leader and 2009 breakout runner Caster Semenya (1:58.66) who was involved in the mishap with Jepkosgei the day before. The 18-year-old South African seemed to toy with the others in the same over-stocked heat with Burnett. Added to her tall, sturdy appearance, she draws ‘the conjectures and stares’ of some. “We runners are wondering a lot about Semenya improving her PB from 2008 to 2009 by eight seconds. There is a lot of talk among the runners,” said Italy’s Elisa Cusma Piccione – one of Wednesday’s finalists.
At another end, Semenya told the media, “It’s my first time on the international stage and I will try to do my best. I used to play football as a left back. Running is just a game for me. Even next year, I can stop running if I want.”
For Burnett it was her second successive semifinal exit at Worlds in three appearances, and she joins compatriots Adam Harris and Aliann Pompey in watching the rest of the meet from the stands. However, the Guyanese were all able to make it out of their opening heats; a performance highlighted by Pompey’s new national record (50.71s) at 400m on Sunday.
Elsewhere on the track, it was almost déjà vu as the Women’s 100m final was a performance entirely for the Pan American region, and especially the Caribbean.
If ever a race was decided out of the blocks this was it as Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser added the World title with a sensational world leading 10.73s to climb to joint third (with France’s Christine Aaron) on the all-time lists, behind American legends Florence Joyner Griffith and Marion Jones. The Jamaican held off a late charge from her compatriot and favorite, Kerron Stewart, to clinch the gold medal by just 0.02 of second with America’s Carmelita Jeter securing a second successive World bronze in 10.90s.
Defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown (10.95s) of Jamaica wound up fourth with 2005 champion, American Lauryn Williams (11.01s) fifth. Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie won the battle of Bahamas ‘babes’ for sixth from 37-year old Chandra Sturrup, although both were credited with 11.05s. In 8th was Jamaica’s Aileen Bailey in 11.16s.
It proved to be another day of unabashed celebration and anguish as Jamaica, once again, took the better portion of the sprint medals away from team rivals, the USA.
Some of that merriment and distress also transmitted to recurrent Olympic and world champions Kenisa Bekele of Ethiopia and Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, in telling ways. Bekele (26:46.31) was in ‘Ferrari’ gear from gun to tape to stave off a much advertised Kenyan ambush and win his fourth straight world title at 10,000m, and pocket some extra cash and more respect for a championship record, as well. A cause for his post-race attempt to put on quick Bolt-like caper.
Then the Women’s Polevault brought the grief for Isinbayeva. What it may have lacked in terms of pure quality, it made up for in drama as the Russian record holder and poster-girl relinquished her four-year reign as World champion by disappointingly no-heighting and leaving the championships way below even debutantes. She lacked her usual fizz and sparkle during a lacklustre show. Isinbeyeva clutched her hands to her face in anguish while lying horizontal on the pole vault bed. The double Olympic champion was now drinking from the last place saloon.
Shelly-Ann Fraser of Jamaica (C) reacts as she won the women’s 100 meters final ahead of second placed Kerron Stewart of Jamaica (L) and Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie of Bahamas (R) during the world athletics championships at the Olympic stadium in Berlin August 17, 2009.
REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz
