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December 2009
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2008 In Review: - Men's Sprints |
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21.12.2008 |
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Leslie Djhone was the top European finisher in the
400m final at the Beijing Olympic Games.
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Two fifth place finishes were the best results for European athletes in the men's sprint events in Beijing.
Christian Malcolm (GBR) was fifth in the 200m and Leslie Djhone (FRA) was fifth in the 400m duplicating his 2007 performance in Osaka at the World Championships.
Dwain Chambers (GBR) led Europeans with his 10.00s clocking at the National Championships in Birmingham in July with Jaysuma Saidy Ndure lowering his Norwegian national record to 10.01s in May.
Christian Malcolm was fastest in the 200m with a 20.25s result in the semi finals in Beijing and Martyn Rooney (GBR) topped 400m with a 44.60s personal best also in an Olympic semi finals.
In the men's 100m it was an end of an era with 30-year-old Francis Obikwelu (POR) retiring from international competition at the end of the season.
Obikwelu, who set the standing European 100m record at the Athens Olympics in 2004 clocking 9.86s there for a silver medal, competed in three Olympics, Sydney, Athens and Beijing. Nigerian born athlete also has a 19.84s personal best in 200m from 1999.
In Beijing the Portuguese star ran the 100m, but failed to reach the final this time. 30-year-old Dwain Chambers did his comeback this season winning the Olympic Trials in Birmingham with a 10.00s time, fastest in Europe 2008, but could not take part to the Olympics because of British Olympic Committee restrictions for athlete previously banned for doping. Jaysuma Saidy Ndure had a great start to the season clocking 10.01s NR in the first competition, but then didn't reach the same level due to an injury which seemed to come and go during the season.
In Beijing he reached the second round in the 100m, but didn't qualify for the semifinal. Brits have a lot to look forward to with a couple of new names coming near ten seconds this season. 22-year-old Simeon Williamson clocked 10.03s at the Olympic Trials 26-year-old Tyrone Edgar reaching 10.06s this season. Williamson ran in the second round in Beijing and Edgar was in the semifinals.
In the 200m 29-year-old Briton Christian Malcolm was once again the best European. Although he did quite little of notice before the Olympics, his performances there were like usual for this seasoned athlete in major championships.
Malcolm set the European leading 20.25s time in the semi-final and then finished fifth in the final for the second time - he also was fifth at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In 2004 he ran in the semi-finals, but did not qualify for the final. Another European who did well in Beijing was Paul Hession (IRL).
His 20.32s season's best clocking in the second round came with such a confident running that one thought we would probably make the final later. Hession missed the final as the fastest loser in his heat, but later came back to grab an impressive second place finish (20.58s) at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.
32-year-old Marlon Devonish also had a good season winning the European Cup Super League in Annecy with a 20.52s result, but in Beijing he could not make to the final finishing seventh in his semifinal. Devonish did clock a 20.43s season's best in the second round.
400 metres was easily the event with most promise for Europeans in 2008. All of the European athletes at the top of this event are young and there were many new names coming forward towards the world elite this season. Leslie Djhone (FRA) and Johan Wissman (SWE) continued their good run from the 2007 season. Djhone had finished fifth in Osaka with Wissman taking the seventh place at the World Championships.
The Frenchman got to a somewhat slow start in 2008, but started to find his rhythm towards Beijing reaching 45.13s season's best at the National Championships in July. His 44.95s SB in Monaco promised even more and Djhone went on to win his semifinal in 44.79s SB and record another fifth place in Beijing. For Wissman the season a bit similar as he didn't follow his silver medal at the World Indoor Championships in Valencia with fast times early in the summer.
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Great Britain's Christian Malcolm finished fifth in the
200m final in Beijing.
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The Swede came to Beijing only with a 45.58s SB, but immediately showed in the heats that he had timed his fitness to perfection. A 44.81s SB clocking and then 44.64s SB in the semifinals were impressive before he finished last (8th) in the final. But there was even more positive to come for Europeans.
21-year-old Martyn Rooney (GBR), who had run a 45.35s national junior record in Commonwealth Games in 2006, started his 2008 season with a meaning. Rooney hit a PB 45.19s already in May in Geneva, Switzerland and went on to grab wins from Ostrava (45.32s) and European Cup Super League in Annecy (45.33s) too.
Some started even dreaming of an Olympic medal after his excellent wins in London (44.83s) and Monaco (44.72s), the last two competitions before the Olympics. He did do well in Beijing setting a big personal best 44.60s in the semifinal, but then faded on the final straight in the final with so many others finishing up with a sixth place in the final well behind the medals.
Another interesting point was the rise of the 20-year-old Borlée twins towards the European top. Kevin set the Belgian national record 44.88s in the Beijing semifinal with Jonathan clocking a PB 45.11s in another semi-final at the Olympics.
European Athletics stats:
100m
New entries for the European all-time list:
8th place 10.01 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR
9th place 10.03 Simeon Williamson GBR
Tied for 13th place 10.06 Tyrone Edgar GBR
Tied for 13th place 10.06 Martial Mbandjock FRA
Head to head between Europe's best:
Simeon Williamson GBR - Tyrone Edgar GBR 2-0
Martial Mbandjock FRA - Simeon Williamson GBR 2-0
Martial Mbandjock FRA - Tyrone Edgar GBR 1-1
200m
Head to head between Europe's best:
Paul Hession IRL - Christian Malcolm GBR 3-1
Christian Malcolm GBR - Marlon Devonish GBR 2-1
Paul Hession IRL - Marlon Devonish GBR 3-0
400m
New entries for the European all-time list:
13th place 44.60 Martyn Rooney GBR
Head to head between Europe's best:
Martyn Rooney GBR - Johan Wissman SWE 5-0
Martyn Rooney GBR - Leslie Djhone FRA 2-1
Martyn Rooney GBR - Kevin Borlée BEL 2-0
Leslie Djhone FRA - Johan Wissman SWE 2-0
Johan Wissman SWE - Kevin Borlée BEL 1-1
Leslie Djhone FRA - Kevin Borlée BEL 1-1
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