Bekele makes history, Russia top medals tally

Bekele makes history, Russia top medals tally
Sun Mar 12, 2006 5:40 PM GMT

By Alison Wildey
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia scooped five gold medals on the final day of the world indoor championships on Sunday but Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele stole the show, becoming the first person to win global titles on three surfaces.
The hosts topped the final medals table with eight golds, matching their previous best showing, to the delight of the first near-capacity crowd of the three-day championships at the Olympiysky Stadium.
The U.S. finished second with seven golds, well clear of Ethiopia and Ukraine who both won two.
World and Olympic 10,000 metres champion Bekele pulled away from 3,000 metres medal rivals Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar and Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge with one and a half laps to go to win in seven minutes 39.32 seconds. He now holds world titles indoors, outdoors and over cross-country.
"After winning titles outdoors and in cross-country, indoors is like a fun-run for me," Bekele told reporters.
His victory somewhat overshadowed Maria Mutola's unprecedented seventh world indoor title in the 800 metres.
The 33-year-old from Mozambique gave a powerful display of front-running and threw her arms aloft as she crossed the line in one minute 58.90 seconds.
"A seventh title is something special," Mutola told reporters. "But it was tough, definitely not as I wanted…it was a lot harder than I expected," added Mutola.
HEPTATHLON UPSET
Yuliya Chizhenko made up for her disqualification from the world 1,500 outdoor final last year by winning the indoor title ahead of compatriot Yelena Soboleva.
Chizhenko had finished second in Helsinki only to be disqualified for obstructing Bahrain's Maryam Yusuf Jamal.
Jamal, who was awarded the silver then, had to settle for bronze this time round.
Germany's Andre Niklaus caused an upset in the heptathlon, snatching the title from world decathlon champion Bryan Clay by five points.
It was a case of deja-vu for American Clay, who had also led going into the final event of the 2004 championships only for Roman Sebrle to win. Czech Sebrle, was third on Sunday.
Grenada's Alleyne Francique retained his 400 metres crown, taking the lead as the athletes broke from their lanes on the final lap to win in 45.54 seconds from Botswana's California Molefe.
Olesya Krasnomovets held on to win the women's 400 metres in a championship record of 50.04 -- the fifth fastest time indoor time in history.
She had led with fellow-Russian Natalya Nazarova on the final lap but the 2004 champion faded badly on the home straight and finished fourth.
The pair then joined forces to help Russia to another gold in the 400 metres relay -- a title the country has held since 1995.
CHAMPIONS OUT
The U.S. won the men's relay in a race that did not contain 2004 champions Jamaica after they crashed out of the heats when Lanceford Spence collided with a French athlete on the final changeover. Spence clattered to the floor and did not finish.
Tatyana Kotova gained some revenge over American Tianna Madison, who surprisingly beat her to long jump gold at the world championships in Helsinki last year, by winning the indoor title.
Russian Kotova's first-round effort of 7.00 metres was enough to give her a third world indoor title. Madison took the silver with her final jump of 6.80.
High jumper Yelena Slesarenko was the hosts' other Sunday medal-winner.
The only disappointment for the Russian fans came in the penultimate event when hot favourite Yuri Borzakovsky failed to win the men's 800 metres.
Kenya's Wilfred Bungei won the race by the skin of his teeth from 2004 champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi with Olympic gold medallist Borzakovsky in third.
Brad Walker won pole vault gold for the U.S. and his team mate Walter Davis added the world indoor triple jump gold to the outdoor one he won last year.
Belarussian Natalya Khoroneko inflicted the first defeat in almost two years on compatriot and world outdoor champion Nadezdha Ostapchuk with victory in the shot put with a personal best of 19.84 metres. Ostapchuk, who had been unbeaten since the Olympics, was over 1.7 metres down in sixth.

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