Richards, Isinbayeva Split $1 Million Jackpot as Golden League Series Concludes
Posted September 17th, 2007 at 8:32 AM by Bob Ramsak
Section: News & Results, Track & Field
Sanya Richards and Yelena Isinbayeva each won a $500,000 share of the IAAF Golden League Jackpot after their respective victories at the ISTAF meeting in Berlin today, the final meet of the six-meet Golden League series.
In front of a near-capacity crowd of 70,000 –the third consecutive announced Golden League sell-out – Richards yet again crushed all opposition en route to a 49.27 dash, another world-leading performance for the 22-year-old American.
“Nobody knows how hard this year has been for me,” said Richards, who after early-season illness, finished fourth at the U.S. championships in June and missed a spot on the world championships squad. “I feel much stronger now than I did two months ago.”
It was the second perfect six-for-six Golden League campaign for Richards, who last year took a smaller share of the prize pot. But for Isinbayeva, the world record holder in the pole vault and one of the sport’s biggest stars, it was the first time her event was given GL status, and she took full advantage over the three month campaign to share half of the sport’s biggest prize. Next up for the 25-year-old Russian, she said, was an assault on her own 5.02m world record which has stood for more than two years.
“(At the World Athletics Final) in Stuttgart I want to jump the world record,” she said. “Victory only is not enough for me any more.”
Over the past month, Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei has left little doubt that she is currently the dominant force in the women’s 800. In another front-running performance that has become an absolute joy to watch, the world champion again dominated the field en route to a clear victory in 1:58.62, well ahead of quick-closing Spaniard Mayte Martinez (1:59.83). Moving down in distance, Russian Yelena Soboleva, the world silver medallist at 1500m, was third in 2:00.20.
“I wasn’t running for a fast time,” said Jepkosgei, who said she eventually wants to run in 1:54 territory. “I was only running to win.”
World champion Bernard Lagat didn’t get the fast performance he wanted as a season-capper, and in the end, ran out of steam to nab a win. Continuing to salvage his season, Brussels winner Daniel Kipchirchir Komen overtook the double world champion with about 150 meters to go to cross the line unchallenged in 3:34.09. Looking over his shoulder several times down the homestretch and clearly running out of gas, Lagat easily held on for second (3:34.79) with Osaka bronze medallist Shedreck Korir of Kenya taking third (3:35.55) here as well.
While an assault on the 14:29.32 meet record never fully materialized, the women’s 5000 was nonetheless an entertaining race, in the end won by Vivian Cheruiyot over Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu in 14:50.78. Throughout the proceedings, the pair was joined at the front by American Kara Goucher, the surprise 10,000m bronze medallist in Osaka, New Zealand’s record holder Kim Smith, and Kenyan Linet Masai, the winner of the junior race at the world cross country championships. Perhaps guided by a newfound confidence after her medal in Osaka, Goucher even took turns at the head of the pack and held on for third in 14:55.02, knocking more than 13 seconds from her previous personal best.
But the race was clearly Cheruiyot’s who decided to kick past Melkamu over the final 150 meters. Cheruiyot, who finished second to Meseret Defar during her world record run in Oslo in June and also dipped under the previous record, said she’s planning to contest both the 3000 and 5000 in Stuttgart next weekend.
(c) 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Tags: $1 Million, $1 Million Jackpot, Berlin, Bernard Lagat, Germany, IAAF, IAAF Golden League, IAAF Golden League Jackpot, iaaf golden league serie, IAAF World Athletics Final, IAAF World Championships, IAAF World Championships in Athletics, ISTAF, jakpot, Janeth Jepkosgei, Kara Goucher, Kim Smith, mayte martinez, meselech melkamu, Meseret Defar, Osaka, prize purse, saniel kipchirchir komen, sanya richards, shedreck korir, Stuttgart, Vivian Cheruiyot, Yelena Isinbayeva, Yelena Soboleva
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The Final Sprint