Maebashi
'99President Nebiolo's Message to the athletes

The World Championships in Maebashi have been the greatest
ever, both in terms of technical results and competitive performances. I warmly
congratulate all the athletes for their level of preparation and the enthusiasm with which
they competed. I consider the World Indoors in Maebashi the prelude to a wonderful outdoor
season and hope you will all be with us at the end of August in Seville for another
extraordinairy show of athletics.

Maebashi '99 President Nebiolos message to the athletes

Maebashi 99 - President Nebiolos Message

Men Heptathlon

Leading Erki Nool by just four points going into the last
event, the 1000m, Poland&#146;s Sebastian Chmara made sure of gold by overtaking his rival
in the last 50 metres of the race to clock 2:37.86 for a final score of 6386. After
setting a personal best of 5.50 in the pole vault and with the vocal support of his
tireless Fan Club, Nool must have thought he was destined to win. But although he took the
lead in the 1000m, he was not strong enough to hold off Chmara, and finished in 2:38.62
for 6374 - a national record. Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic secured the bronze medal
by clearing 4.80 in the vault and 2:41.50 for a total score of 6319, another national
best.


Gold Medallist - CHMARA Sebastian(POL) 
&quot;I started this competition ahead of Erki(NOOL) and he was the biggest danger and
so my performance early on released much of the pressure on me. Everything went well in
these Championships but unlike Valencia (European Indoors 1998) where I had a large lead,
here I had to battle. 1000 meters was so fast. The 500 meters less distance from the
Decathlon outdoors makes it more of a sprint. The whole group went off fast and I had to
go with them, feeling I would not catch up. This final race is NOOL's territory and so
this made it even harder for me. 
NOOL is number one in Estonia, their President is second. With this kind of national
support it makes NOOL twice the competitor.&quot;


Silver Medallist - NOOL Erki (EST) 
&quot;I came here to this championships to win and break the world record. But the
first day was disastrous for me, especially the sprint and also the high jump. 
Today the pole vault brought me back a little bit. It is hard to jump alone, you have only
3 minutes preparation time and that is too little with no partners. The 1000 meter run was
really difficult, but I could not really believe in gold anymore. I had to try to run
fast. There was five of us still who could have made it to the medals.The summer is most
important for me but the indoor season suits well to my plans.&quot;


Bronze Medallist - SEBRLE Roman(CZE) 
&quot;This is my first indoor championships and also my first national record.
Needless to say I am very content with this result. I was not afraid of Tomas (DVORAK) as
he is only human. I hope that I can keep up the good work and repeat this result some time
in the near future. 
This medal is very special for me as my country has never won more than three medals at
indoor championships, and my third place today is our 4th in Maebashi.&quot;

Heptathlon Summary

Women 800m Final 
Mozambique&#146;s Maria Mutola, the overwhelming favourite to retain a title she had won
on three previous occasions, was handed a rare defeat by Czech athlete Ludmila Formanova
in a world leading 1:56.90 - the second fastest time in history. As expected, Mutola went
to the front from the gun, going through 200m in 26.65 and the 400m point in 55.39. But
she was unable to shake off Formanova and in the final straight Mutola began to tire,
allowing the Czech past for a famous victory. Formanova, who won the European outdoor
title last year, is coached by the outdoor 800m world record holder Jarmila Kratochvilova.

The race call in Real Audio


Gold Medallist - FORMANOVA Ludmila (CZE) 
&quot;This is a dream come true. Yesterday before going to sleep I was wonderinging if
MUTOLA could be beaten at all. And then I said to myself -Buddy, it must be possible! -My
coach (Jarmila KRATOCHVILOVA) gave me an example from history when she won over Marita
KOCH. 
In the race my tactic was to follow MUTOLA as close as possible and to avoid any kind of
collision. With the last 60 meters I was going to give my everything.&quot;


Silver Medallist - MUTOLA Maria Lurdes (MOZ) 
&quot;A tough race. In championships you just never know how the race will pan out. I
have seen TSYGANOVA (bronze) very little this season and she has surprised me, but of
course FORMANOVA (gold) was always the danger as she was in splendid form throughout the
winter. 
I liked to go into competition and compete, I do not hide from races or opponents and
maybe this makes me a little open to attack at the major games. The race is now over I can
say no more, now I must rest and look to Seville and a gold.&quot;


Bronze Medallist - TSYGANOVA Natalya (RUS) 
&quot;I am content with my first medal. This is my second Russian record this season,
but I was not expecting to get third. The pace was fast which helped me a lot. I would
like to repeat this performance in Seville.&quot;

Women 800m final

400m relay splits

The following split times have been taken from photo-finish prints of the changeovers
in yesterdays&#146;s races. Much the quickest time came from Poland&#146;s Robert
Mackowiak, who clocked 45.34 on the anchor leg in heat 2. Not also the outstanding 46.02
first leg run by the USA&#146;s Andre Morris. The stage is set for even faster time in the
final, as those runners who were rested for the final are brought into the teams. These
should include Jamie Baulch (GBR), Milton Campbell (USA), and possibly Japan&#146;s sprint
star Koji Ito.


Heat 2 USA Andre Morris 46.03 (1st, 3:08.41) ; Dameon Johnson 46.48;
Deon Minor 49.21 (sic); Khadevis Robinson 46.70; 
Jamaica Michael McDonald 47.53 (2nd, 3:08.90); Linval Laird 47.55 Sanjay
Ayre 47.96; Danny McFarlane 45.86; 
France Marc Foucan 47.24 (3rd, 3:09.27); Emmanuel Front 46.66; Christoph
Cheval 48.87; Bruno Wavelet 46.50 
Austria Martin Lachkovics 47.67 (4th, 3:09.30); Andreas Rechbauer 47.33;
Hans-Peter Welz 48.16; Christoph Pöstinger 46.14


Heat 1 Poland Piotr Rysiukiewicz 47.24 (1st, 3:04.25); Piotr Haczek
45.89; Jacek Bocian 45.78; Robert Mackowiak 45.34 
Japan Kazuhiro Takahashi 46.69 (2nd, 3:05.90); Jan Osakada 46.51;
Masayoshi Kan 46.74; Shunji Karube 45.99 
Great Britain Allyn Condon 47.09 (3rd, 3:06.34); Sean Baldock 46.96;
Adrian Patrick 46.45; Solomon Wariso 45.84 
Spain Andrés Martínez 48.83 (4th, 3:15.93); Antonio Andres 48.37; Juan
Trull 48.94; David Canal 49.79

event report from men 400m relay with photo control splits at handover included

Men 400m relay photo finish splits

Men
400 final

2 years after winning silver in Paris, Britain&#146;s Jamie Baulch won gold with a
masterful display of indoor running in Maebashi. Stopping the clock at 45.73, Baulch had
taken the race by the scruff of the neck, his pattering stride and determination putting
him in pole position after 200m &#150; reached in a scorching 21.13. After that he refused
to give up the inside lane, and held on powerfully for the final lap. Behind him, there
was a terrific battle for the minor medals with Milton Campbell, Alejandro Cardenas and
Troy McIntosh all in the frame. Just 6 100ths of a second separated them at the finish
with McIntosh losing out on a medal despite setting a national record.


Gold Medallist - BAULCH Jamie (GBR) 
&quot;I got to the bell first which is crucial indoors. If you do not dominate the
race by that point your chance of success is very limited. 
I have now developed a better tactical awareness for running on these relatively tight
indoor curves. This has been the main difference between my run for silver in Paris and
gold here today. 
Obviously I am pleased and this promises much for the summer and Seville.&quot;


Silver Medallist - CAMPBELL Milton (USA) 
&quot;Just before the bell Jamie (BAULCH) seemed to come out of nowhere. That was the
decisive moment of the race. Of course I am pleased in such a tight race to have come away
with a medal, it is just a pity it is not the gold.&quot;


Bronze Medallist - CARDENAS Alejandro (MEX) 
&quot;This is the first medal for Mexico. So it means a lot both to me and to Mexico.
At the moment there are many problems in Mexico, so maybe this medal will be an
inspiration to people. My dive at the line was spontaneous, but very helpful (smiling).
Three weeks ago I had to stop training for a few days because of an old knee injury, but
it feels good now. In fact everything feels good now. In the future I would like to be in
the final in Seville, and maybe win the another medal for my country&quot;

Men 400m final

World indoor record holder Ashia Hansen confirmed her
supremacy in this event by winning gold with her first hop step and jump. The Briton
adapted better than her rivals to the bouncy runway and, after three controlled movements,
soared out to 15.02 - the world leading mark this season. Hansen then had three fouls ...
one a very near miss that looked like an improvement on her opener and did not improve
with her last two valid efforts. Sarka Kasparkova was in second position with 14.87 until
the last round when Bulgaria&#146;s Iva Prandzheva achieved 14.94 to overtake her. Both
marks were national records.


Gold Medallist - HANSEN Ashia (GBR) 
&quot;Obviously ater coming back with the silver medal in Paris I am quite satisfied
but in some ways I am disappointed. I hoped to jump so much better today and believed that
I would beat my world record. Obviously this was not meant to be! 
Yeah, I watched Jamie's (BAULCH) race, I know I should have been concentrating on my own
performance. When Colin Jackson got the gold I said to myself if he can do it, so can I!
What more inspiration can you need than that. 
My disappearance from the competition? Simply, a toilet break. I was bursting to go!
(Smiling)&quot;


Silver Medallist - PRANDZHEVA Iva (BUL) 
&quot;This is my second indoor silver after 1995, but I am still content with my
performance. Hopefully in Seville I will be able to double in the long jump and triple
jump. Yesterday after the finish of the long jump my hamstring was hurting, but luckly it
did not hinder my performance too much.&quot;


Bronze Medallist - KASPARKOVA Sarka (CZE) 
&quot;I had three good jumps, unfortunately the third was a foul. With my first
attempt I jumped about 20 centimeters behind the board, I think it might have been a 15.05
jump. 
Coming here, I knew there was three of us who could have won. It depends on a day who will
win. 
I am not competing until Grand Prix circuit.&quot;

7 March event report women triple jump final

Women triple jump final

Fredericks
and Jackson announce retirement plans 
Steven Downes reports for the IAAF 
MAEBASHI, Japan (March 7)JUST AS Colin Jackson did on Friday, Frank Fredericks,
another thirty-something sprinter with something to prove, added a golden hue to the
autumn of his career here on Saturday by producing the second fastest 200 metres ever seen
indoors and so taking the world title.

Thus ended a frustrating sequence of eight silver medals at Olympic Games and World
Championships which had seen Fredericks labelled the nearly man of international track.
Truth is, of course, that Fredericks is one of the finest sprinters ever to measure out a
set of starting blocks, but he has had as his misfortune to have been competing at the
same time as a crop of other outstanding sprinters, from Carl Lewis and Linford Christie
to Michael Johnson.

Here, Fredericks had that little
bit of luck that had previously eluded his quest for gold medals. Drawn in the sixth,
outside lane on the sweeping curves of the Maebashi Green Dome's indoor track, Fredericks
produced another awesome sprinting display, and no one could catch him.

Indeed, as Fredericks came off the final bend it appeared that the staggered start had
perhaps not worked. Obadele Thompson, the Barbadian drawn in lane five, having chased
after Fredericks for 170 metres, was no closer to his rival than when the starter's gun
had fired. Once Fredericks stopped the automatic clock at 20.10sec, it was clear how the
Namibian had created this optical illusion: no one has ever run faster before apart from
Fredericks himself, three years ago, on the notoriously speedy track at Lievin when he set
the world indoor best at 19.92.

Thompson crossed the line in 20.26sec to go third on the all-time list, but only took
Fredericks's usual place on the medal podium.

&quot;I got what I came here for, the gold medal,&quot; Fredericks said. &quot;I plan
to retire soon, and I want to collect as many titles as possible.&quot; Coupled with his
sense of achievement, though, will have been a sense of relief.

It is an emotion which Colin Jackson
knows well. It is nearly six years since an awesome day in Stuttgart when the two
sprinters both claimed gold medals within a short period at the IAAF's fourth outdoor
World Championships, Fredericks winning at 200, Jackson with a world record at 110 metres
hurdles which still stands today.

Both men have been such fixtures in top-class international athletics for so long -
Jackson got his first international championship medal 14 years ago - it seems odd to
contemplate the sport without them. But asked how he intends to approach the Sydney
Olympics next year, Fredericks said, &quot;I have no plans beyond this year. I am only
thinking about Seville&quot;, and the IAAF World Championships.

Jackson is clear he will retire after next year's Olympics, regardless of whether he
wins the only major honour still to elude him, now that he has won the world indoor title
following three silver medals.

&quot;I've been running in the top flight since I was 19,&quot; Jackson said. &quot;To
carry on into your 30s is a long, long time. It's hard, hard on your mind and your
body.&quot; Five operations (&quot;You can't imagine how painful my knees were
sometimes&quot;) and the demands of his event had left his body creaking on the morning
after his race, prior to a weight training session. Champions rarely get to rest.

&quot;Athletics has given me a great life, and it's given me the opportunity to fulfil
my dreams, but I think you need to get to the pinnacle of your career, and then move on to
something completely different.&quot; Jackson still harbours ambitions, but now they lie
in the direction of screenplays (he has a script in development) and film production.
&quot;Sport itself is part of the entertainment industry. I want to stay in the same
field, but go in a different direction.&quot; He has given his backing to a new project,
'Minimum', &quot;a sort of Trainspotting based in Cardiff&quot;, according to Jackson,
which began filming last month.

Today, Jackson flies to America, for a week's holiday where Britain's newest world
champion will meet up with its defending heavyweight boxing world champion, Lennox Lewis,
an old friend, ahead of next Saturday's title unifier against Evander Holyfield.

Jackson first met Lewis at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. &quot;I was there
when he got in a fight with BJ,&quot; he says, referring to Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson,
before his Seoul disgrace. &quot;BJ, having the ego of a sprinter, was having a go, and
Lennox just said to him, 'What's it all about, I could break you in three pieces if I
wanted'.&quot;

As Jackson showed when beating Reggie Torian on Friday, like boxing, sprint hurdling is
often a one-on-one battle. It may not be quite as bruising, but it is one where no quarter
can be given. Will Lewis win next week? &quot;He's got to,&quot; said Jackson, with the
air of a champion who has also tasted defeat.

Frank Fredericks and Colin Jackson announce their retirement plans

Fredericks, Jackson discuss retirement plans

Women&#146;s 400 m Final

Germany&#146;s 1998 European outdoor and indoor champion, gained a global title here in
Maebashi after winning the 400m in 50.80 &#150; a world leading mark. After an even start,
Breuer raced into the lead around the first bend and was still in the lead at the crucial
half way point (23.59), when the athletes break from lines. At this point, defending
champion Jearl Miles-Clark was jostled by Falilat Ogunkoya and Mexico&#146;s Ana Guevara,
and ended up way out of contention. With Breuer clear and running effortlessly, the battle
was on for the minor medals. Ogunkoya held on best for silver as Jearl-Miles fought past
Guevara for third in the last two strides.


Gold Medallist - BREUER Grit (GER) 
&quot;I thought the race would have been a lot more difficult. It was my prerace
tactics to run a very fast first lap and then ease up a little bit and hit the last 50
meters as fast as I can. 
I had a terrible time adjusting to the time difference here in Japan. The first 2-3 nights
I hardly slept at all. My first training here was a catastrophy. 
This is quite promising for the summer season. I hope to be in the final in Seville and
then get a medal, but this event is a new game everytime.&quot;


Silver Medallist - OGUNKOYA Falilat (NGR) 
&quot;At the end of the first lap, Ana(Guevara-MEX) was pushing me around a little, I
lost some time with that. This my first indoor championships, and I got a medal. Yesterday
I didn't run so fast, so I thought I ccould win today, but Grit (Breuer-GER) ran great. I
want to give my medal to my son, because he has to go through many hard things too.&quot;


Bronze Medallist - MILES-CLARK Jearl (USA) 
&quot;I didn't get to the break first. The field got away from me and the pace was
unexpectedly quick, so I had to play catch up throughout the race. 
The semi-final yesterday took nothing out of me. I felt fine as I got onto the track
today. Positioning is everything for indoor running, that was my only error.&quot;

Women 400m final

Men 60m semi final

Maurice Greene and Tim Harden confirmed their status as
favourites after winning their respective semi-finals in 6.45 and 6.47. Also impressive
was Britain&#146;s Jason Gardener, who took the third heat in 6.49 - a personal best.

7 march 1999 event report men 60m semi finals

Men 60m semi finals

Men&#146;s 1500m

Haile Gebrselassie completed the toughest part of his
mission this afternoon by winning an excellent 1500m race in a championship record
3:33.77. Pushed hard the whole race, first by Kenya&#146;s defending world champion
William Tanui and then by his countryman Laban Rotich, Gebrselassie had to dig deep,
especially in the last 300m, which he covered in 41.45. Tanui led the field through the
first 800m in 1:54.20 with Rotich taking over the lead at 1200 metres - perhaps as part of
a team tactic - reached in 2:52.58. From then on, it was a question of who woudl have the
best sprint, and Gebrselassie provided the answer. With Rotich hanging on for silver
(3:33.98) the bronze ended up going to Andres Diaz, who made up a tremendous amount of
ground in the final 50 metres straight to clock 3:34.46. Tanui set a personal best of
3:34.77 for fourth with Portugal&#146;s Rui Silva only fifth, despite a national record of
3:34.99.

The race call in Real Audio


Gold Medallist - GEBRSELASSIE Haile (ETH)

&quot;One gold medal in a championships is ordinary, I
wanted to get two gold and be a little different! (Laughing) 
Today in the 1500m I had a very close competition. I judged my finishing burst according
to the competitors around me at the time. Before any race I do my homework and in that way
I remained confident even after two long days of running prior to this 1500m final. 
The flight out to Japan made me very tired. Last night (Saturday) was the first night of
sleep that I have managed to gain.&quot;


Silver Medallist - ROTICH Laban (KEN) 
&quot;It was not actually a difficult race, but it was really too hot for me. Usually
we run these times with a forerunner(pace), but now we had to do all the work. I tried to
sprint but it was not enough today.&quot;


Bronze Medallist - DIAZ Andres (ESP) 
&quot;I came to the Championships with the best times, but unfortunately I was unable
to repeat it. Nevertheless I am satisfied with my result as this is my first indoor medal.
Haile is great. He is from another galaxy like Hicham (EL GUERROUJ) They are simply
unbeatable.&quot;

Men 1500m final

After false starting, world record holder Maurice Greene, left nothing to chance in his
heat of the 60m. As the gun fired he lingered in the blocks &#150; allowing his rivals to
steal an immediate advantage &#150; but coolly closed the gap, crossing the line together
with Giorgios Theodoridis in 6.56 &#150; a personal best for the Greek. Most impressive of
the qualifiers was Greene&#146;s teammate Tim Harden. Quickly into his running, Harden
pulled away from the field before easing up completely five metres from the line.
Jamaica&#146;s Donovan Powell caught the American at the line with both men timed at 6.51.
Australia&#146;s young hope &#150; Matt Shirvington &#150; took the first heat, marred by
four false starts, in an Oceania record of 6.52, with Britain&#146;s Jason Gardner just
behind. The closest race came in heat 6, with former World Champion Bruny Surin, Ray
Stewart and Luis Alberto Perez Rionda, matching stride for stride throughout the race.
Stewart, who ran his first Olympic 100m final in 1984, got the verdict in 6.58. But the
others qualified for the semis as well, as did Nigeria&#146;s Deji Aliu (6.65) and
Japan&#146;s Koji Ito (6.68) from heat 3.

The race calls in real
audio

Men 60m heats

Double golds for Szabo and Gebrselassie and 2 world record relays in
Maebashi 
Ed Gordon for the IAAF

7 March 1999, Maebashi&nbsp; -The 7th IAAF World
Indoor Championships came to a close on Sunday as Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia and
Gabriela Szabo of Romania each scored double wins in the 1500 and 3000 metres during the
three-day program.

Gebrselassie proved that he is indeed a man with a theatrical bent. Always entertaining
in an interview, he found the means to extend his magic to the track with a stunning
come-from-behind win in the 1500, clocking 3:33.77 for his second gold medal in the
championships.

Kenyan William Tanui took the lead in the early stages, with the Ethiopian glued firmly
to his shoulder. Right behind were Laban Rotich (KEN) and Rui Silva (POR), two potential
spoilers for Geb's plans.

At the kilometer mark, Andres Diaz (ESP) ran wide, trapping Rotich momentarily. But the
Kenyan decided the time had come to make a move, and he ran outside and into the lead with
400 metres left. Gebrselassie followed the fast tempo of Rotich for the next 350 metres
before finally outkicking the Kenyan down the stretch for the dramatic win, covering the
final 400 in 55.1. Rotich took the silver in 3:33.98, while Diaz (3:34.46) outdueled Tanui
(3:34.77) for the last medal.

Gabriela
Szabo showed no outward signs of having run both of the previous days, as she
sprinted away from Zahra Ouaziz (MAR) for the 3000-metre crown (8:36.42). The two had
staged a fast-paced duel after the first kilometer, with Ouaziz holding a one-step
advantage during much of the time. But with 200 metres remaining, the Romanian went into
her &quot;victory gear&quot;, covering the final lap in 29.5. Ouaziz's silver-medal
performance of 8:38.43 established a new African record. 

During the penultimate circuit, Regina Jacobs (USA) moved permanently into third ahead
of Violeta Szekely (ROM) and ran strongly into the finish for the bronze (8:39.14), a
North American area record. Just as had been the case in the women's 1500 yesterday, when
the first seven finishers established personal bests, the hot pace of today's 3000 pulled
career bests from seven of the first eight women crossing the line (all but Szabo). 

Maurice Greene (USA) added a world indoor title to his outdoor crown
with a narrow win in the 60 metres. Greene and countryman Tim Harden were running
virtually even with 10 metres left, but with a good lean, Greene was able to pull out a
victory with a 6.42, as Harden clocked 6.43. Jason Gardener (GBR) followed the American
pair closely into the finish to win the bronze (6.46), while fourth was claimed by an
outsider to the sprinting fraternity, 20-year-old Matt Shirvington of Australia (6.52). 

The three rounds of the women's 60 metres drew a trio of national
records from Ekaterini Thanou, the final one being 6.96 which was good enough to capture
the first world title for the Greek sprinter. 
At the race's halfway mark, Thanou was running near the rear of the group, but with a
powerful finish she overhauled the two Americans, Gail Devers (7.02) and Inger Miller
(7.06), as they took the remaining medals.

A long winning streak came to a surprising end as Maria Mutola was
defeated in the women's 800 metres. Until today, the Mozambique star had lost only one
indoor race in her career, that being her initial competition on the boards at the 1992
Millrose Games in New York City. Since then, her victory string had stretched to 36
consecutive races.

The three-time world indoor champion took the lead from the gun, pulling Natalya
Tsyganova (RUS) and Ludmila Formanova (CZE) away with her and leaving the others behind.
The trio maintained close company for 750 metres before Formanova--a protegee of former
world outdoor champion Jarmila Kratochvilova--moved out and surprised Mutola with 15
metres remaining for the win in a world-leading 1:56.90, the second-fastest performance
ever. Mutola's second-place time was 1:57.17. Tsyganova stayed close throughout to claim
the bronze in a superb 1:57.47, the all-time best for a third place and a Russian record.

The men's 800 was almost as surprising, as Wilson Kipketer (DEN)
miscalculated his final sprint ever so slightly in his attempt to repeat as world
champion. Nico Motchebon (GER) set the early pace, with Kipketer and Johan Botha (RSA)
following closely.

Just after the midpoint, Motchebon and Botha turned up the heat and moved away from
Kipketer by as much as five metres. With 100 left, Botha had a miniscule advantage over
Motchebon with Kipketer still several steps behind. 

Off the final turn, Kipketer put everything he had into his final sprint, covering the
final 100 metres in 12.7, but the day belonged to the South African, who held on to win in
1:45.47 and finished his first-ever indoor season undefeated. At 1:45.49, Kipketer claimed
the silver, with Motchebon taking third in 1:45.74. 

Grit Breuer of Germany solidified her claim as the season's top female
400 runner, winning in a world-leading 50.80 to finish the year with an unblemished record
and capture her first world indoor title. As usual, Breuer ran her opening 200 quickly
(23.59) to lead at the break, with Fali Ogunkoya (NGR) right behind, where she remained
through the remainder of the race for the silver medal (51.25). On the final backstretch,
Ana Guevara (MEX) made a move into third and held that spot coming off the last turn, but
the defending champion Jearl Miles-Clark (USA) came up and pipped her in the final metres
for the bronze (51.45).

In the men's 400, Jamie Baulch appeared to make his job more difficult
than necessary, as he ran conservatively over the first 120 metres. Coming into the break,
it was clear he wanted the lead at the bell, but he had to sprint hard off the turn to get
it from Bahamian Troy McIntosh (21.13). That move ultimately turned out to propel the
Briton into supreme control over the last 200 metres as he ran smoothly into the tape for
his win (45.73), a step up from his world indoor silver medal from 1997. 

The battle for the other awards was developing three meters behind Baulch. Milton
Campbell (USA) ran wide for the silver (45.99) and Alejandro Cardenas (MEX) slipped
through on the inside for the bronze (46.02) just ahead of McIntosh (46.05).

Ashia Hansen (GBR), the world indoor record holder in the women's
triple jump, secured her first gold medal in world competition with a first-attempt 15.02,
the longest in the world this season. Coming so early in the event, the mark served as a
target for the others. Iva Prandzheva (BUL) won the chase for the silver with 14.94, while
Sarka Kasparkova finished third at 14.87, both marks establishing national records. 

An amazing eighth gold medal at the world championship/Olympic level went into Javier
Sotomayor's pocket as a result of his 2.36 win in the men's high jump. The Cuban won on
misses ahead of Vyacheslav Voronin of Russia, as both established world-leading marks for
the season. The 1997 champion, Charles Austin (USA), tried without success to steal the
win at 2.38, but had to settle for the bronze at 2.33. 

By the time the men's long jump had reached the final round, the
running events had been completed. This put the jumpers on centre stage to deliver an
exciting climax to their event. A new competition procedure, which revises the jumping
order of the final three rounds based inversely on position, made the dramatic finish
possible. Gregor Cankar (SLO) leaped a national-record 8.28 to move into third place ahead
of Erick Walder (USA), prompting the American to respond with 8.30 to claim back the
bronze.

Then, Yago Lamela of Spain--whose overall best at the start of the indoor season was
8.14--moved into the top spot with a mammoth jump of 8.56. Three-time indoor champion Ivan
Pedroso was to have the final say in the competition, however, and the Cuban's answer to
the Spaniard was a personal-best of 8.62, a performance bettered only by Carl Lewis' world
record of 8.79. 

The men's heptathlon championship went to Sebastian Chmara in an
exciting finish. The reigning European indoor champion from Poland started the second day
in third place, but after a pole vault of 5.20, he had worked his way up to the top spot
with one event remaining. 

The win was sealed when Chmara defeated the field in the final event, the 1000 metres,
as he accumulated a final point total of 6386, the best of the indoor season. Finishing
second with 6374 was European outdoor champion Erki Nool (EST), who had moved within
striking range of Chmara thanks to a 5.50 in the pole vault. But a chance for the Estonian
to win slipped away when Chmara outsprinted Nool over the final 30 metres of the track
event. The bronze medal was awarded to Roman Sebrle (CZE) with 6319, just ten points ahead
of countryman Tomas Dvorak. 

Almost when it looked as if the weekend would end without a world record, the Russian
women's 4x400 relay clocked 3:24.25, more than two seconds under the previous
global standard they had achieved two years ago in Paris (3:26.84). Australia (3:26.87)
and the US&nbsp; (3:27.59) completed the top trio of teams. 

The atmosphere proved infectious for the men, as the US quartet
followed with a world-record time of 3:02.83, ahead of Poland (3:03.01) and Great Britain
(3:03.20). The old record of 3:03.05 had been set by the German team at the 1991
championships in Seville.

In the final medal tabulation, the United States was the leader with
19, including three golds. Following the American team was Russia with 8 (two golds),
Germany with 7 (three golds), and Great Britain with 5 (three golds). In addition, Romania
collected three gold medals plus a silver.

WORLD ATHLETICS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Record Relays

Women 4x400m relay

Men long jump final

Women 60m heats

1999 World Indoor Championships women's 60m final