Paula Radcliffe suffered heartbreak in the 10,000 metres once again as she was squeezed out of the medals and into fourth place at the World Championships in Edmonton last night. It was a repeat of last year's Olympic final in Sydney, when the battling Brit came agonisingly close to winning a medal, before being edged out of a podium finish and into fourth position.
Radcliffe was pipped on the line in a sprint finish by Olympic silver medallist Gete Wami, as the Ethiopians made it a clean sweep of all three medals. The race was won by Derartu Tulu, the Olympic champion, in 31:48.81, with Berhane Adere finishing second. Radcliffe's time was 31:50.06.
Radcliffe settled herself a third of the way into the pack in the early stages of the race and looked comfortable. The pace quickened in the second half of the race as Wami moved to the front of the pack. But Radcliffe moved up to third place to keep the Ethiopian in her sights, before easing back.
Radcliffe hit the front with just over three laps to go, but her hopes came undone at the bell. Tulu made a burst in the final 400m and held off the challenge of her rivals.
Meanwhile Olympic 5,000 metres champion Gabriela Szabo won her first world 1,500 title by outsprinting fellow-Romanian Violeta Szekely. Szabo, the finest women's middle-distance runner in the world recent years, won silver at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and bronze last year in Sydney.
"It was very important to me because Szekely was the favourite," Szabo said. "She had the best time in the world. But I concentrated very well and I won."
Szabo tucked in comfortably behind the early leader Natalya Gorelova of Russia until 150 metres from the finish when she made her move. Szekely, the world leader this year, tried to respond but could not overhaul her compatriot. Szabo crossed the finish line in four minutes 00.57 seconds with Szekely clocking 4:01.70. Gorelova held on for third place in 4:02.40.
Women's long jump final:
1. Fiona May (Italy) 7.02 metres
2. Tatyana Kotova (Russia) 7.01
3. Niurka Montalvo (Spain) 6.88
Men's 800 metres final:
1. Andre Bucher (Switzerland) 1 minute 43.70 seconds
2. Wilfred Bungei (Kenya) 1:44.55
3. Pawel Czapiewski (Poland) 1:44.63
Women's 400 metres final:
1. Amy Mbacke Thiam (Senegal) 49.86 seconds
2. Lorraine Fenton (Jamaica) 49.88
3. Ana Guevara (Mexico) 49.97
Women's hammer final:
1. Yipsi Moreno (Cuba) 70.65 metres
2. Olga Kuzenkova (Russia) 70.61
3. Bronwyn Eagles (Australia) 68.87
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
