[Final report] [Semifinal reports] [Heat reports] [Preview]
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Mulaudzi has just dipped over the line to get his long awaited title. Defending champion Yego and 1500m World Champion Kamel are just too late. |
History does often repeat itself - and in Berlin the result showed a remarkable similarity to the outcome last year in Beijing. Wilfred Bungei had been World Leader at the 800m in 2003, 2004 and 2005 - but could never get to a major title until last year, when he was almost written off already. What was it he said afterwards: Patience always pays. Did Mulaudzi take notice of that? The South African was world leader in 2006 and 2007 but couldn't land a major triumph. Commonwealth champion in 2002 was his major win. Apart from that he took bronze at the 2003 WC and silver at the 2004 Olympics - but after that further efforts had ended in disappointment. And he was certainly no favourite this time. His season so far was marred by sickness and injury - he was ranked only 17th so far this season and he only just scraped into the final as the second fastest loser. And although a number of favourites had gone out in the semis the opposition was still impressive: reigning champion Yego, 1500m champion Kamel, fast finishing Laalou and López and his perennial rival and former Olympic champion Borzakovskiy to name but a few.
The race was never going to be very fast with so many front runners already out. They still managed to reach 200 in a fairly quick 25.02 but the pace was bound to slow down after that. And who was in the lead after 200? Mbulaeni Mulaudzi. Laalou and Symmonds were following and with the halfway stage approaching Borzakovskiy moved forward which led to Symmonds bumping into Laalou who next bumped into Mulaudzi, but no real damage was done. Kivuna meanwhile had lost a shoe and his chances were effectively gone.
Mulaudzi still led after 400 which was reached in 53.44, showing that the pace had definitely dropped a bit and was likely to increase from here on. Symmonds was at the shoulder of Mulaudzi with Borzakovskiy and Laalou close behind. At the back López was finding it hard while Yego was also still waiting. Kivuna and then Som went forward around the outside while Borzakovskiy was quickly losing ground and was in second last position as they went into the final bend. Kamel moved swiftly forward during the bend and as they reached the final straight it was Mulaudzi leading ahead of Symmonds, with Kamel on the shoulder of the American with Laalou, Som and the advancing Yego close behind with the others still further back.
With fifty metres to go Mulaudzi was still leading but Symmonds was losing ground, Som couldn't sustain the pace and Laalou wasn't getting any closer. Kamel and Yego were sprinting to the line and on the outside even Borzakovskiy started to move forward again. Just twenty to go it was still Mulaudzi with Kamel and Yego closing desperately while it was clear that Borzakovskiy's efforts were too little too late. Yego, closing all the time, managed to just pass Kamel on the line but they were too late to catch Mulaudzi, diving forward and shouting out in joy and perhaps as well surprise at his World Title - easily the biggest success of his career.
After the race a beaming Mbulaeni Mulaudzi said that he had been taking the lead on purpose: I've tried so many times to win a Championship, you know. All the time when I was in a race I just changed my tactics. But today I just told myself, I need to control the race. I need to be able to change my own rhythm. I don't want anyone to change the rhythm first. So that's what I did. And indeed, he certainly did. He took the lead and just as last year, the courage of the early leader paid off. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi has now crowned his career with that major title that he was trying to get for so long.
Result: 1. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi RSA 1:45.29 2. Alfred Kirwa Yego KEN 1:45.35 3. Yusuf Saad Kamel BRN 1:45.35 4. Yuriy Borzakovskiy RUS 1:45.57 5. Amine Laalou MAR 1:45.66 6. Nick Symmonds USA 1:45.71 7. Bram Som NED 1:45.86 8. Marcin Lewandowski POL 1:46.17 9. Jackson Mumbwa Kivuna KEN 1:46.39 10. Yeimer López CUB 1:47.80
Three semifinals, so from each one two would qualify automatically and two fastest losers would go through as well. The semis looked very unbalanced. Semifinal three appeared definitely the easier of the three, while the second one was packed with favourites. The effect was mostly due to Kamel and Yego - both have relatively slow times as their seasons best. At longer distances seeding according to the best performance of the season doesn't really work well. Kamel - fresh from his impressive triumph at the 1500 - is on paper one of the weakest athletes, while Yego, reigning World Champion, is supposed to be in the weaker half as well. The effect of several strong athletes seeded (too) lowly is particularly noticeable on the 800, where a race comprises just eight athletes (compared to twelve at 1500). Perhaps the IAAF should consider taking performances from the previous season into account as well.
- Semifinal 1
In this semifinal Kaki was the favourite, Som and Symmonds would likely be challenging and possibly Kivuna, Ali and Lewandowski would be in the mix as well. Still, Som, who was European champion in 2006 and Kaki (2007 indoor World Champion) were the only ones who had won international honours. The start was furious with Kaki leading from Som reaching 200 in 24.53. Then the real drama started. When they came to the end of the second bend Kaki slowed down a bit, clipped his right leg with his left foot and tripped himself - his left foot was sliding on the edge of the track before he fell sideways. Som fell over as well and Lewandowski was brought down after that. Lastennet and Symmonds managed to just avoid them, but the Frenchman never found his rhythm after that and lost contact. Kaki looked injured - Som rejoined the race but then abandoned anyway when he saw he was way behind. So effectively there were just four left. Symmonds weaved his way through all the traffic, grabbed the lead and led after 400 (51.94) with Kivuna following and so it remained. Symmonds finished strongly, Kivuna managed to stay ahead of Ali and Kazi.After the race protests were launched by the Dutch and Polish federations. Both Som and Lewandowski were found to have been brought down by Kaki's fall. Therefore both were reinstated. This means ten athletes will be in the final - quite a crowd. Hopefully this won't lead to more havoc.
Result: 1. Nick Symmonds USA 1:45.96 Q 2. Jackson Mumbwa Kivuna KEN 1:46.32 Q 3. Belal Mansoor Ali BRN 1:46.57 4. Tamás Kazi HUN 1:47.01 5. Jeff Lastennet FRA 1:57.43 6. Marcin Lewandowski POL 2:01.62 Bram Som NED DNF Abubaker Kaki SUD DNF - Semifinal 2
This semifinal looked close to a final with so many strong athletes in it. No less than six out of eight could boast medals at a major championship: Kamel (1500 World Champion), Kiprop (silver at the 1500 in Bejing and second fastest of the year), Borzakovskiy (2004 Olympic Champion and triple WC medallist), Ismail (silver at the 2008 Olympics), Yego (reigning World Champion and bronze at the 2008 Olympics) and Mulaudzi (bronze at the 2003 WC, silver at the 2004 Olympics). The seeding system is obviously very flawed when half of the favourites are put together in one semifinal out of three.The start was very quick once more, Kiprop reaching 200 in 24.63 with Mulaudzi and Yego close behind. They slowed down a bit and reached the bell after 51.54. More drama followed as Ismail suddenly slowed down and dropped out after the first lap to complete a miserable day for the Sudanese athletes. Meanwhile Borzakovskiy had worked his way forward and moved alongside of Kiprop at the back straight. The Russian went ahead after 600, Mulaudzi came through on the inside as Kiprop dramatically fell away. Yego and Kamel went past him as well but the last two runners were not so lucky. Kiprop first bumped into Ksczot forcing him to go way outside and then into Robinson, who could only take evasive action by taking a few steps on the grass. Up front Borzakovskiy was away with Yego and Mulaudzi right behind him. Yego seemed to take the second spot but Kamel had an excellent finish and streaked past all three of them. The Russian just held on as his strength seemed to be fading rapidly. Yego and Mulaudzi, both lunging desperately, would eventually qualify for the final as fastest losers.
Result: 1. Yusuf Saad Kamel BRN 1:45.01 Q 2. Yuriy Borzakovskiy RUS 1:45.16 Q 3. Alfred Kirwa Yego KEN 1:45.22 q 4. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi RSA 1:45.26 q 5. Khadevis Robinson USA 1:45.91 6. Adam Kszczot POL 1:46.33 7. Asbel Kiprop KEN 1:52.05 Ismail Ahmed Ismail SUD DNF - Semifinal 3
This semi looked very modest compared to the previous one. Apart from Reed none of these athletes had yet won a major medal, although any one of López, Laalou or Rudisha may well do so over the next few years. Still, neither of the four others looked a likely finalist beforehand, so this draw provided them with an excellent chance to obtain an unexpected entry into the final. A fast pace could even see four athletes qualify - and Peçanha appeared well aware of that as he took the lead and reached the bell in 51.54 with Laalou and Reed following. The Brazilian kept the lead all the way into the final straight but faded when Laalou went past chased by Rudisha and Reed. Rudisha managed to stay ahead of the Canadian but was denied the second qualification spot when López turned in a tremendous dash to reach the final. Unfortunately for Rudisha the pace had just dropped a bit too much for him to qualify as a fast loser - he ended up being fifteen hundredths short.Result: 1. Amine Laalou MAR 1:45.27 Q 2. Yeimer López CUB 1:45.33 Q 3. David Lekuta Rudisha KEN 1:45.40 4. Gary Reed CAN 1:45.60 5. Moise Joseph HAI 1:45.87 6. Fabiano Peçanha BRA 1:45.94 7. Michael Rimmer GBR 1:46.77 8. Samson Ngoepe RSA 1:49.03
So after three dramatic semifinals ten athletes have obtained the right to start in the final. None of them looked totally in control, although Kamel and López showed fantastic finishing ability. Both will fancy their chances if the final is anything short of a really fast pace. And the final looks unlikely to be very fast, because incredibly the fastest athletes all failed to qualify. There will be no Kaki, Kiprop, Ismail or Rudisha in the final. All four upcoming talents will have to wait for a few years. So that leaves the door wide open for a lot of others. Borzakovskiy, Yego and Mulaudzi already have heaps of experience, Laalou and Som have run finals before as well. All five of them will fancy their chances for a medal now that so many fast athletes are out. Symmonds, Lewandowski and Kivuna will be contesting their first major final - medals look unlikely - but with so many unexpected things happening who knows?
Seven heats meant that the first three of each would go to the semifinals, with three further athletes qalifying as fastest losers. Only three fast times meant that the incentive to make it a fast heat and qualify despite finishing outside of the top three would not look very attractive to most athletes, therefore it looked likely that quite a few heats would be fairly slow.
- Heat 1
The first heat immediately brought us the main favourite with Kaki. He would have to deal with the experienced Mulaudzi, Peçanha and perhaps Chepkirwok or the Spaniard Olmedo. It was Peçanha who took the lead and took them to the bell in a moderate 53.27, followed by Kaki, Mulaudzi and Chepkirwok. Down the back straight Peçanha and Mulaudzi went away a bit with Kaki hanging back but then around the final bend Kaki very easily ran towards them and the first three eventually were a long way ahead of the rest. Olmedo dropped out, Moradi sprinted into fourth place but was not fast enough to qualify. Chepkirwok is having a disappointing season and was nowhere near the top three.Result: 1. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi RSA 1:46.40 Q 2. Abubaker Kaki SUD 1:46.41 Q 3. Fabiano Peçanha BRA 1:46.68 Q 4. Sajad Moradi IRI 1:47.68 5. Abraham Chepkirwok UGA 1:48.57 6. Eduard Villanueva VEN 1:48.61
- Heat 2
Favourites in this heat were Symmonds, Mansoor Ali and of course Ismail, who earned himself a silver Olympic medal last year. Mumba took them to the bell somewhat reluctantly in a slow 54.33. Claesson got involved and the two of them led after 600. Then Claesson went past, Symmonds followed and as they reached the home straight both Ismail and Ali accelerated as well. Around 60 metres from home Symmonds, Ali and Ismail as if by magic all went away from the other three and in the end they all qualified very easily with all the others going out.Result: 1. Nick Symmonds USA 1:47.12 Q 2. Belal Mansoor Ali BRN 1:47.16 Q 3. Ismail Ahmed Ismail SUD 1:47.20 Q 4. Mattias Claesson SWE 1:48.02 5. Thomas Chamney IRL 1:48.09 6. Prince Mumba ZAM 1:48.13
- Heat 3
Borzakovskiy and Reed were the obvious cancicates for qualification with a third spot available to all the others. Home favourite Robin Schembera looked a good candidate but unfortunately he tripped himself just after the bell. Just before that it had been Ngoepe who had reached the halfway stage in a reasonably fast 52.05. As the crowd were still shaking their heads over the misfortune of the German, Reed and Borzakovskiy easily moved to the front and finished fast. Behind these two the young Frenchman Lastennet ran an new PB to qualify. Ngoepe finished fourth but was rewarded for his early work with a fast time that was good enough to go through on a fastest loser time.Result: 1. Gary Reed CAN 1:45.76 Q 2. Yuriy Borzakovskiy RUS 1:45.86 Q 3. Jeff Lastennet FRA 1:46.30 Q 4. Samson Ngoepe RSA 1:46.54 q 5. Ryan Brown USA 1:46.92 6. Mike Schumacher LUX 1:48.18
- Heat 4
Both Kiprop and Kamel had already been though three tiring races at the 1500, although with very contrating results: Kamel took the gold, Kiprop was only a disappointing fourth. Rifesser took the lead and at the bell (53:31) he and Farah were leading with Kamel and Kiprop bringing up the rear. At 600 all runners were still close together, but then Robinson went past the leaders, only to be passed by both Kamel and Kiprop, both looking very comfortable. Robinson hung on for third place, none of the others ran fast enough to go through to the semis.Result: 1. Yusuf Saad Kamel BRN 1:46.43 Q 2. Asbel Kiprop KEN 1:46.52 Q 3. Khadevis Robinson USA 1:46.79 Q 4. Lukas Rifesser ITA 1:47.07 5. Kleberson Davide BRA 1:47.51 6. Mahamoud Farah DJI 1:48.23
- Heat 5
Reigning World Champion Yego should qualify from this heat, but none of the others looked a certainty, although both Al-Salhi and Lewandowski had run below 1"44 this season and looked likely candidated. The pace was quite slow and they needed all of 54.89 for the first lap with Marco leading from Yego. Repcik made a move down the back straight, eventually taking over the lead with Yego still in control behind him. With 50 to go six athletes were still in with a real chance. Yego moved away and made sure of the win, but as Repcik faded Marco on the inside and Lewandowski and Al-Salhi were all dashing for the finish virtually level. With just seconds to go Marco couldn't quite sustain the pace, Lewandowski and Al-Salhi were running way out in lanes three and four and looked certain to go through until Kazi suddenly sneaked in between them and outleaned both of them to takes second place. Lewandowski fell forward towards qualification as Al-Salhi kept upright, finishing an unfortunate fourth and was eliminated.Result: 1. Alfred Kirwa Yego KEN 1:48.32 Q 2. Tamás Kazi HUN 1:48.40 Q 3. Marcin Lewandowski POL 1:48.41 Q 4. Mohammed Al-Salhi KSA 1:48.43 5. Luis Alberto Marco ESP 1:48.47 6. Jozef Repc�k SVK 1:48.73
- Heat 6
Rudisha and López looked to be the main contenders here while all the others appeared capable of gtting through as well. It was bound to be a tactical race when Rudisha found himself in the lead and jogged through the first 400 at only 55.09. Rimmer eventually tried to inject some pace, Rudisha and then López found some speed and made sure of qualification. Milkevics was in third for some time but faded, Wagne then looked to finish in third until Rimmer spotted a gap on the inside and just managed to creep though that to put himself into the semis.Result: 1. David Lekuta Rudisha KEN 1:47.83 Q 2. Yeimer López CUB 1:48.04 Q 3. Michael Rimmer GBR 1:48.20 Q 4. Abdoulaye Wagne SEN 1:48.22 5. Dmitrijs Milkevics LAT 1:48.43 6. Mohammad Al-Azemi KUW 1:51.73
- Heat 7
With six heats gone the athletes in this heat could see that only one fast loser had run 1"46, so anyone finishing below 1"47.07 only needed to be in the top five of this heat. So while Som, Kivuna and Laalou (who had already run in the 1500 final as well) would first of all look for a top three place a few more athletes might qualify should anyone turn this heat into a fast one. Joseph seemed to be well aware of that and took off fairly quicky as they reached the bell in 52.91. They kept a true pace with Som moving to the front and then Kivuna taking over. Laalou looked to be out of it but produced a very fast finish and took third spot, denying Joseph of automatic qualification, but both he and Kszczot, who was also finishing fast, went through as fastest losers as indeed five went through from this heat.Result: 1. Jackson Mumbwa Kivuna KEN 1:46.17 Q 2. Bram Som NED 1:46.33 Q 3. Amine Laalou MAR 1:46.38 Q 4. Moise Joseph HAI 1:46.68 q 5. Adam Kszczot POL 1:46.70 q 6. Dmitrijs Jurkevics LAT 1:46.90 7. Pablo Solares MEX 1:47.96
So all of the favourites managed to get through to the semis. Kaki and Ismail looked strong, as did Reed, Borzakovskiy, Symmonds, Mulaudzi, Som and in fact all of the four Kenyans. Kamel, Laalou, Ali and Kiprop all qualified comfortably despite having run the 1500 final the night before. The semifinals promise to be a very tight affair with at least ten or twelve athletes looking strong enough to get to the final.
It hasn't been all that spectacular a season so far for the 800 metres. Last season saw a number of spectacular races and several athletes were running inside 1"43 - something that hadn't happened since 2003. This year the levels have so far been more modest. No race has gone below 1"43 yet and only a few dipped below 1"44. Three of the four fastest were won by Kaki - now generally considered to be the number one 800 m athlete. Few would deny he's the real favourite for the title. One rival he doesn't have to deal with is Olympic Champion Wilfred Bungei, now on the verge of retirement and missing from the starting list.
So out of 54 athletes there's a major favorite, but lots of other medal candidates:
- Abubaker Kaki (SUD)
Definitely the major favourite for a gold medal. The two fastest times in the season are his, and he seems to be able every race he takes part in. But that is exactly the situation as it was last year when everything went wrong in Beijing. And in Oslo he dropped out after barely 10 seconds of running. If he can maintain his fantastic levels over three races the gold is surely there to be taken - but can he do it? - Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)
A major player over the last ten seasons, Yuriy is current European Indoor Champion and also a former Olympic gold medal winner. Always likely to be a medal candidate if he gets his tactics right. When he can get his devastating final dash in action he should never be underestimated. - Asbel Kiprop (KEN)
With his huge strides the young Kenyan been very impressive this season at the middle distances. But it's not quite sure whether he will take part - the Kenyan selection process isn't always that transparent. He's number two on this season's lists, so if he does run he'll be a dangerous contender. - David Rudisha (KEN)
Until recently he looked a serious candidate to be the king of the 800 metres one day. Now that Kaki is around that possibility looks far less likely. His performances haven't quite improved this season, but he could still be a medal candidate. - Ismail Ahmed Ismail (SUD)
It wasn't Kaki, it was Ismail who bagged the first Olympic athletics medal for Sudan. A splendid run brought him the silver medal last year, and his long legs could certainly carry him to another medal this year.
Who else looks likely to get to at least the semis and possibly the final. Quite a few:
- Alfred Kirwa Yego (KEN)
Reigning World Champion, so he earns an automatic qualification. Just as well, because his performances since that title haven't been all that great. It would be a major surprise if he could repeat his 2007 success. - Amine Laalou (MAR)
Third fastest of this season so far, but a single really good run doesn't make him a real contender. Consistency is his real problem - he'll need at least two good races to get to the final. - Gary Reed (CAN)
Almost took the title two years ago when he was beaten on the line by Yego. Looks a very good candidate to get to at least the final. - Nick Symmonds (USA)
A fast emerging athlete Nick has been doing well this season. He became US Champion and a strong new PB shows he's in excellent form. Could well reach the final. - Khadevis Robinson (USA)
A race leader by instinct Khadevis often starts fast. Sometimes too fast - and when he does his rivals all streak by on the final straight and his qualification hopes evaporate. If he can adapt his tactics he could reach a first major final. - Bram Som (NED)
Many injuries have hampered his career after his 2006 European title. This year he has taken his foot off the gas and this more relaxed approach has paid off already. He'll still do well to reach the final though.
Which other athletes should we look out for? Marcin Lewandowski (POL) is a bright talent who has brought down his PB considerably this season. Mohammed Al-Salhi (KSA) has already run well this year. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (RSA) might well have his best years behind him, but could still easily make the final. Yeimar López (CUB) hasn't run as well as last season - he would need to improve if he is to come good. Two Bahreini athletes could feature: Bilal Mansoor Ali has run well this year but Youssef Saad Kamel has hardly featured this season. It's no certainty they will run because they might want to concentrate on the 1500. Fabiano Peçanha and Kleberson Davide are two strong Brazilians, either of which could do well. Finally a young talent such as Robin Schembera (GER), Adam Kszczot (POL) or Nadjim Manseur (ALG) could do well and make an international breakthrough.