8/18/08
By Bob Ramsak
(c) 2008 TRACK PROFILE Report, all rights reserved (used with permission)

BEIJING (18-Aug) -- Continuing one of the most spectacular rises from obscurity that the sport has witnessed in recent years, Kenyan teenager Pamela Jelimo ran away with the Olympic 800m title tonight at Beijing's National Stadium.

With the year's five fastest performances and with eight victories in as many races this season, Jelimo was the overwhelming favourite to take the gold, and she hardly disappointed, clocking 1:54.87, her fourth World junior record of the summer. Notably, the 18-year-old claimed the first ever Olympic gold medal for Kenya in an event she first contested on the 19th of April this year.

"It makes me very happy to be the first for Kenya," said Jelimo. "I'm still young and I'm looking forward to doing better. Maybe I can be the best again."

In Olympic lore, she made an immediate impact. She succeeded 1968 champion Madeline Manning as the youngest-ever champion, and her performance has only been bettered by two women in Olympic competition, Nadezhda Olizarenko and Olga Mineyeva of the Soviet Union, who ran 1:53.43 (then a World record) and 1:54.81, respectively, at the 1980 Games in Moscow.

Her Kenyan teammate Janeth Jepkosgei, the reigning World champion, took the lead from the outset, and held on for second, in 1:56.07, with Hasna Benhassi (1:56.73) of Morocco closing fast to follow up her Athens silver with Beijing bronze.

In her fifth consecutive Olympic final, 2000 gold medallist Maria Mutola settled for fifth, with a season's best 1:57.68.  She was in position to medal entering the final turn, but faded in the sprint for home.

"I'm pleased," said Mutola, who at 35 is almost double Jelimo's age.  "But it would have been better if I could have finished on the podium.  But you know, I did my best."

Jelimo's gold was the second for Kenya here tonight.  In their signature event, the men's 3000m steeplechase, they snatched gold and bronze, with a little known Frenchman in between.  The Kenyans had hoped for a podium sweep like last summer in Osaka, but instead had to "settle" for the ninth Kenyan steeplechase title in the last 11 Olympic games.

The man in the middle, Mahledine Mekhissi-Benabbad, used a relentless homestretch charge that will be perhaps more memorable than world champion Brimin Kipruto's 8:10.34 victory.  Timing his late race surge perfectly, Mekhissi-Benabbad forced his way through Kipruto and teammate Richard Mateelong with less than 50 meters to go to take unexpected silver in 8:10.49.

The slate for tomorrow's Day-5 action on the track includes the finals in the men's 1500m (sans reigning world champion Bernard Lagat), and 10,000m medalists Tirunesh Dibaba and Shalane Flanagan will compete in the first round of the 5000m.

ENDS