Nick Davies reports from Oslo
The first ever IAAF Golden League Meeting - in Oslo's mythical Bislett Stadium lived up to expectations with thrilling competition, and although a number of the 15 World Champions assembled here tonight suffered defeat, many great names are now in the running to win the 1 million dollar prize on offer to those who can win all 6 Golden League events and the Grand Prix Golden League Final.
Those who like a bet should place an extremely large wager on Marion Jones to win every race she runs on this inaugural Golden League circuit. The ease with which she ran 10.82 to leave a top class field gasping was staggering - especially since neither Oslo's track, nor cool and still climatic conditions, are sprinter-friendly. Ominously for her rivals, Jones commented after her perormance "The race was easy. I felt very relaxed. That's why it was such a good time."
Perhaps the performance of the night came from an unheralded source - Mark Richardson. By handing double Olympic champion Michael Johnson only his second defeat in 9 years over 400m the 26 year-old Briton stunned the crowd. Amazingly, Richardson was running in lane 1 - easily the most difficult on Bislett's tight six-lane track - yet still managed to clock 44.37, just 1 hundredths shy of Iwan Thomas' British record, and a new personal best. Thomas was also in the race and also beat Johnson to finish second. "I'm very proud of myself. I was given a very difficult lane draw and I had a point to prove. At 200 metres I thought I was right out of it. I was almost horizontal on the bends, but felt strong over the last 40 metres."
Britain may not have an athletics federation at the moment but its athletes are in great shape with Jonathan Edwards also impressing with a mighty last round triple jump of 18.01 - the first time he has bettered the 18 metre barrier since his stunning world record in Goteborg almost three years ago.
The 3000m started as a world record attempt but ended in a terrific race as Haile Gebrselassie fought for his life against top Kenyans John Kibowen, Luke Kipkosgei and Moses Kiptanui. For the first couple of laps Gebrselassie was content to follow his pace maker. Then he realised that he was being shadowed by the yellow vested Kenyans and shrewdly let them take the lead - with World Cross Country short race champion Kibowen showing strongly. But the Ethiopian was waiting for the right moment to strike - and did so emphatically with 250 metres to go. The clock was forgotten - all eyes were focussed on a real race between superb athletes, and the capacity 18,000 crowd roared their appreciation as Gebrselassie sprinted across the finish line in 7:27.42. Fourth placed Isaac Viciosa of Spain clocked a European record of 7:29.34.
World champions and inseparable training partners Ato Boldon and Maurice Greene - the terrible twins of sprinting - suffered mixed fortunes in Oslo. Boldon won his 200m race at at canter in 20.23 but Greene was nearly eliminated in heats of the 100m - qualifying for the final only as the second of three fastest losers. In the final Greene started well but was just pipped on the line by Frankie Fredericks - who last year won each of the Golden 4 200m races. The aimiable Namibian, who has won 6 Olympic silver medals at 100m and 200m, clocked 9.95 in Oslo for his 21st legal sub-10 performance. No one can match that record - not even the legendary Carl Lewis who boasted 15 sub-10s.
Svetlana Masterkova , the IAAF World Athlete of the Year in 1996, made a welcome comeback to top competition by winning the 1500m in 4:01.37. The Alicante based Russian underwent surgery on an achilles tendon a few months after limping off the track in Athens at the 1997 World Championships. Since then she had raced only once, in Linz last Sunday. Here in Oslo she scalped top rivals like world champions Gabriela Szabo (5000m) and Carla Sacramento (1500m), and double World Cross Country Champion Sonia O'Sullivan, who looked as if she needs more races to adjust to the rhythm of the track.
Early in the evening Sergey Bubka had been the first big casualty of the new Golden League, an hour before Bislett's official Opening Ceremony. The six-time World Champion only actually cleared the ground once - on his first attempt at 5.60. He then fell foul of the rules on the runway where he was "timed out"twice by the judge (Following a recent rule change, competitors have 1.5 minutes to complete their vaults). It was a shock, most of all because Bubka had spoken earlier of his desire to focus on the Golden League in 1998. Now he has no chance of challenging for the million dollar bonus on offer for those who win all the Golden League events and the Golden League Grand Prix Final. "My only comment tonight is no comment," said Bubka before leaving the stadium by a back entrance.
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