Two Africans Run To Gold U.S. Claims 100th World Medal

On another day when American athletes mostly finished among the also-rans, a pair of Africans thrilled 44,102 fans at the World Championships of track and field Tuesday.

America’s Randy Barnes, John Godina and Brent Noon all muscled their way through the qualifying round to the final of the men’s shot put, and Jearl Miles accounted for the 100th medal the U.S. has won in world championships when she took the bronze in the women’s 800.

But it was was Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Wilson Kipketer of Denmark who captivated the Ullevi Stadium crowd.

Gebrselassie, a 5-foot-3 running machine, who seems to defy all known laws concerning oxygen debt, lactic acid and getting pooped, won the 10,000 meters in the meet record time of 27 minutes, 12.95 seconds, the eighth-fastest performance in the history of the event.

Averaging 64 seconds a lap, he covered his second 5,000 meters in 13:26 and grabbed the race by the throat in the final 200 meters, when he simply sprinted away from Khalid Skah, the Moroccan Olympic champion, and Kenya’s Paul Tergat.

“This is my tactic,” Gebrselassie said. “Nobody, they pass.”

Kipketer, a transplanted Kenyan who has lived in Copenhagen since 1990, became the first athlete ever to win a gold medal for Denmark when he blazed through the stretch of a tactically crafted, dreadfully slow 800 meters in 1:45.08.

“This is something new for me, something new for Denmark,” said the 24-year-old, perhaps remembering his seasonal best of 1:42.87.

The Americans could have used some help in the 800, in which a slow, 52-second first 400 meters and the ensuing tactics discombobulated Brandon Rock and Jose Parrilla, and left Mark Everett for dead.

Rock finished fifth in 1:46.42, and Parrilla was sixth in 1:46.44. Everett was never in contention and finished last by 50 meters in 1:53.12.

Todd Williams gave it a noble effort in the 10,000, when he went out on the pace early and opened a 70-meter margin at one point over the 20-man pack. He was reeled in after eight laps and finished ninth.

“I’ve got to think about the best way to win a medal,” Williams explained. “I had to do it. I was just waiting for them to come get me. I knew they were going to put the hammer down at some place. I think that was the best championship race ever. … I gave it a go.”

In the day’s other riveting final, Troy Kemp of the Bahamas, who lives in Boise, claimed the high jump gold by beating Javier Sotomayor, the Cuban world-record holder, for the second time in his career.

Both cleared 7 feet, 9-1/4 inches, but Kemp won on fewer misses.

Marie-Jose Perec of France, the 1992 Olympic champion, got to the finish line almost 10 meters in front of her nearest rival in the women’s 400. She took the gold in 49.28, while Pauline Davis of the Bahamas set a national record of 49.96 to get the silver.

Loser: Javier Sotomayor of Cuba, defending champion, Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder holder at 8 feet, 1/2 inch in the high jump.

Today: Finals in the men’s 400, in which Michael Johnson competes, and shot put and women’s 1,500 and 10,000.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WORLDS GLANCE GOTEBORG, Sweden Highlights the fifth day of the World Championships: Winners: Marie-Jose Perec of France regained her title in the 400 meters with a victory in 49.28 seconds. Wilson Kipketer, running for Denmark, won the 800 meters. Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia retained his title in the 10,000 with a finishing burst over the last 200 meters. Troy Kemp of the Bahamas won the high jump and Natalya Shikolenko of Belarus won the women’s javelin.