23.07.2008

Mottram motors to Stockholm win

Craig Mottram has scored an impressive win over 3000m at the IAAF World Tour event in Stockholm, Sweden, overnight.
 
Making his debut in front of a packed house of 15,000 spectators at the 1912 Olympic stadium, Mottram cruised to victory over a strong field to record 7:37.73.
 
No one followed the pace of the two Kenyan rabbits and the field was bunched with two laps remaining before Mottram, a two-time world cup winner over the non-Olympic distance, made a strong move with 500m to go.
 
Despite a dogged pursuit by Kenyan Isaac Songok, Mottram closed with a 54.6 second final circuit to claim victory. Songok was second in 7:38.97, with former Kenyan Daham Bashir (who now runs for Qatar) third in 7:39.45. 
 
“It was a good race.” said Mottram who has just returned from a stint of altitude training in St Moritz. “I didn’t care much about the time. I was a bit unsure of my shape.”

“It’s a great stadium. It’s the first time I’ve ever run here and after tonight I’d like to come back.”
 
Mottram said he was looking forward to the mile in London on Friday before getting stuck into another period of hard training before he gets to Beijing, where he will race over 5000m.
 
Sally McLellan’s strong form continued in the 100m hurdles, finishing third in a talent laden field.  The Gold Coaster clocked 12.73 behind US trials winner and Olympic favourite Lolo Jones (12.61) and Jamaican Delloreen Ennis-London (12.70).
 
Demonstrating the depth in the event, Canada’s Priscilla Jones (12.61) clocked the fastest time of the night in winning the B-race.
 
World championship semi-finalist Sean Wroe was the most impressive of the Australians in the 400m, taking out the B-Race in a lifetime best of 45.20.  Wroe beat home a familiar name, Calvin Smith (USA), with the son of the 1983 and 87 world 200m champion and world record breaker for 100m, coming second in 45.52.
 
With two strong 400m line-ups, Wroe’s time was the 4th fastest of the two heats, with Australian champion Joel Milburn finishing 7th in the A-race in 45.49 and John Steffensen 7th in Wroe’s heat with 47.15.
 
Milburn, who dipped under 45-seconds for the first time in Luzern last week, faced a field of Olympic final quality, taken out by world and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner (USA) in 44.29. 
 
Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway won the javelin with 87.36m with Australian Jarrod Bannister once again over 80m with his best of 80.94m - which was good enough for 4th place.
 
Pole vaulter Alana Boyd finished in a tie for 6th with a best leap of 4.20m. World record holder Yelana Isinbeyeva (RUS) collected the one carat diamond on offer for a meet record, clearing 4.85m
 
Jeff Riseley finished 8th in the rarely run 1000m. Riseley, who was a late addition to the Australian Olympic team in the 1500m after setting a personal best in Rome two weeks ago, clocked 2:18.75. The winner was world indoor and junior 800m champion Abukaker Kaki of Sudan in a stadium record of 2:13.93
 
The men's shot put was held yesterday in the city centre in Stockholm, with Australian record holder Scott Martin placing 7th, thanks to his best effort of 19.93m.
 
In other results, former world record holder Asafa Powell edged out the current world’s fastest man Usain Bolt 9.88 to 9.89 in the 100m.  Powell got the best of the start and after a tardy beginning; Bolt charged home but was unable to reel in his countryman.
 
Ethiopia’s Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar missed the world record by just over a second, producing the second fastest 5000m ever, clocking 14:12.88 to carve nearly four seconds from her previous best (14:16.63), a time that stood as the world record until Turinesh Dibaba (14:11.15) demolished it in Oslo in June.
 
The World Athletics Tour action moves to London on Friday night with Craig Mottram (mile), Collis Birmingham (3000), Steve Hooker (PV), Scott Martin (SP), Alana Boyd (PV), Mitch Kealey (mile), Victoria Mitchell (3000m Steeple), and Sally McLellan (100 H) in action.