Fredericks pips Brown for 100m gold

LINZ: Frankie Fredericks of Namibia defeated 18-year-old Trinidad sprint phenom Darrel Brown to win the 100-metre sprint gold in Linz, Austria, at the 16th Gugl Meeting yesterday.

The 35-year-old Fredericks crossed the line in 10.14 seconds, with Brown, preparing for this weekend’s Pan Am Games in  the Dominican Republic, and Great Britain’s Jason Gardner both timed in 10.17. But Gardner was awarded the silver medal after race officials had a closer look at the photo-finish. Fredericks later returned to the track to take the gold in the 200m in 20.38 seconds, for a notable double.

In the women’s competition, Austria’s Karin Mayr-Krifka surprisingly defeated Olympic and world championships medallist Merlene Ottey, who was born in Jamaica but now runs for Slovenia. Mayr-Krifka clocked 11.25 seconds while the 41-year-old Ottey followed in 11.28.
Later in the event, Under 23 European champion Martin Proell of Austria, who had surprised the athletics world coming second in Linz last season, managed to top his previous best, winning the 3,000-metre steeplechase race in eight minutes 21.75 seconds, ahead of African runner Leuelseged Walle of Ethiopia (8:22.37) and Kenyan Ronald Kipchumba (8:24.54).

Proell’s countrywomen, 5,000-metre speciallist Susanne Pumper and 800-metre top runner Stefanie Graf, completed the Austrian triumph, also celebrating wins in their respective disciplines. Winning the 5,000 metres in 15:18.79 minutes, Pumper qualified for the World Championships in Paris from August 23-31. Jamaica’s Maurice Wignall recorded a personal best of 13.28 seconds, outpacing Austrian Elmar Lichtenegger and US sprinter Duane Ross in the men’s 110m hurdles races who came in a disappointed third in 13.43. In a thriller finish pole vault, Bulgaria’s Ilian Efremov shocked favourites Tim Lobinger of Germany and Dutchman Rens Blom, who all crossed the 5.70 metre mark. However, Efremov managed to do so an attempt earlier.