Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015 07:56:29 -0400
Eritrean teen claims first gold at athletics worlds
2015, Beijing IAAF World Championship, Eritrea, Ghirmay Ghebreselassie,
Gold, Marathon
Beijing -- Eritrea claimed the first gold of the world championships
when unheralded teenager Ghirmay Ghebreslassie stormed to a shock
victory in the men's marathon on Saturday.
The opening day of the worlds in Beijing will later see sprint rivals
Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin square up in the 100m heats while Mo Farah
takes a shot at 10,000m history.
After a build-up marked by controversies over doping, competition
finally got off to an early start when Uganda's Stephen Kiprotich
defended his marathon title.
But in hot, clear conditions, Kiprotich could only finish sixth as
19-year-old Ghebreslassie took the lead from Lesotho's Tsepo Ramonene
Mathibelle on the 36km mark and saw off pressure from Ethiopian Yemane
Tsegay for a memorable win in 2hr 12min 27sec.
"I am so proud of this victory. This is my first gold medal in my first
marathon championship," said the Eritrean, crowned the youngest ever
world marathon winner in just his fourth race.
"It's a very special thing for me. It gives me motivations to continue
to work hard. My medal is the first gold medal in Eritrean history."
Eritrea had previously only ever claimed one medal --- a silver by
Tadese Zersenay's silver in the 10,000m in the 2009 worlds in Berlin.
Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba (R) and Kenya's Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (L)
compete in the heat ...
-- No drama for Dibaba, Rudisha --
There were no dramas for Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba or Kenyan David
Rudisha in heats for the women's 1500m and men's 800m respectively.
Dibaba, who is hunting a 1500-5000m double having recently set a new
world record in the shorter race in Monaco, coasted her heat in a
fastest time of 4:02.59.
"This is a special championships in a special city because my sister
(Tirunesh) won two golds here" at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Dibaba said.
"So my main goal is to get two gold medals too. I know I can run very
fast and I am ready to run faster in the following rounds but my main
goal is just a medal."
Rudisha likewise had no problems, along with Botswanan rival Nijel Amos,
easily coming through his heat in 1:48.31.
Jamaica's Usian Bolt arrives at a hotel in Beijing on August 21, 2015,
ahead of the IAAF World C ...
"I have qualified and now I'm looking forward to the final," said
Rudisha, who has overcome a thigh injury earlier this season.
A mere 30 points separated British duo Jessica Ennis-Hall and Katarina
Johnson-Thompson at the top of the leaderboard in the women's heptathlon.
They re-group to go in the shot put and 200m in the evening session,
with main rival Brianne Theisen Eaton of Canada sitting fifth, 57 points
adrift.
-- Gatlin, Bolt to make bow --
Those later events will take place against a backdrop of doping
intrigue, especially when twice-banned Gatlin runs in the first round of
the 100m, with the semi-final and final scheduled for Sunday.
Gatlin, 33, has the world's leading time of 9.74sec and is riding a
winning streak of 27 straight races, stretching back to August 2013 and
is considered favourite to dethrone Bolt.
Bolt has recovered from pelvic joint pain to twice run 9.87 in London
last month, and will be up against it in his bid to defend his double
sprint titles, the towering Jamaican having won nine of 10 individual
sprint titles on offer since the 2008 Olympics.
Another runner seeking a historic victory will be Farah, the 5,000m and
10,000m world and Olympic champion.
Should Farah win the 10,000m in the Chinese capital, he will have strung
together an unprecedented six consecutive global track distance titles,
with a chance to make it seven in the 5,000m.
Farah will undoubtedly face a tough challenge from the Kenyan and
Ethiopian trios, with US training partner Galen Rupp, fastest in the
world last year and silver medallist behind the Briton at the 2012
Olympics, also expected to be in the mix.
One notable absentee from Saturday's action, featuring three medal
events, will be New Zealand's four-time world champion Valerie Adams,
who misses the women's shot put after complicated double surgery on her
shoulder and elbow.
In the Kiwi's absence, the world leader from Germany, Christina
Schwanitz, is favourite, while home hopes lie with Olympic and two-time
world bronze medallist Gong Lijiao.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Eritrean teen claims first gold at athletics worlds
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015 03:09:52 +0000
From: Woldeghiorghis Fekadu <wfekadu at dminc dot com>
To: dehai_at_dehai.org <dehai_at_dehai.org>
Dear Dahai Admins,
Would you kindly post this link please?
http://www.caperi.com/eritrean-teen-claims-first-gold-at-athletics-worlds/
Best Regards,
Woldu Fekadu
PPlease consider the environment before printing this email
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