Report 1 - Day 1
March 7 - 13:00
Nick Davies
reports from Paris
The bright lights
of the Palais Omnisports offered a welcome
respite from the thick fog blanketing the French
Capital as the 6th IAAF World Indoor
Championships got underway this morning. Although
the number of participating athletes, 733, was
the highest ever, the quality of fields was even
more impressive. Encouraged by the introduction
of Competition Awards for the first time ($50,000
for winners) and the further incentive of the
World Record Bonus programme ($50,000 for world
records set with $25,000 for "new
event" women’s pole vault) an
impressive number of top stars had booked their
berths in Bercy.
 In heats of the men’s
200m, Ato Boldon, whose world leading 1997 best
of 20.35 made him the pre-event favourite, was
content to coast through his first race of the
Championships. Starting powerfully, he then eased
around the final bend to found himself shoulder
to shoulder with the fast-striding Chilean
sprinter Sebastian Keitel. They crossed the line
together in 20.99. Keitel, whose style is
perfectly suited to tight indoor tracks, was the
bronze medallist at this event in the last
edition of the World Indoor Championships. Other
sprinters to impress were the two Americans,
national champion Rohsaan Griffin, and 1993 World
Indoor bronze medallist Kevin Little. Both won
their heats comfortably. Slim built Griffin wore
sun-glasses, presumably to counter the harsh
sunlight … while Little, the only white
sprinter of world class in the USA, ran the
fastest time of the qualifiers, 20.73, but looked
well within his capabilities. Among other
significant qualifiers were defending champion
Geir Moen of Norway and Troy Douglas of Bermuda,
who clocked the second fastest time- 20.77.
Miklos Gyulai, the eldest son of IAAF General
Secretary Istvan Gyulai, finished close behind
Moen in 21.29 to book his place in the
semi-finals (tonight at 20:30 p.m.). With Irina
Privalova choosing to run the 60m, the
women’s 200m is wide open. 100m Olympic
silver medallist Juliet Cuthbert set herself up
as favourite with an unstressed 22.76 although
Russia’s Svetlana Goncharenko, who clocked
23.07, looks like a dark horse.
 King of the distance
runners Haile Gebrselassie, who wore a natty
three piece suit for the IAAF Press Conference
yesterday, was back in shorts and spikes this
morning for the 3000m. He ran the second heat,
his step even springier than usual on the Mondo
track (which is laid directly onto a wooden base
indoors). Alternating in the lead and back in the
pack, Gebrselassie made his definitive sprint
with a lap to go and completed the final 40metres
with a big grin on his face. Nonetheless he
clocked the fastest time: 7:50.14 ahead of
Morocco’s Ismail Sghir (7:50.42) and Paul
Bitok of Kenya (7:51.69). The first heat was
slower. Italy’s Gennaro Di Napoli and
Kenya’s Moses Kiptanui shared the pace
making duties before ensuring their places in the
final, which promises to be a fast and closely
contested race.
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