Dragila, Bekele set world marks
Stacy Dragila broke the world outdoor record in the pole vault and Kenenisa Bekele set the mark in the men’s 10,000-meter race at an IAAF meet Tuesday in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Bekele, of Ethiopia, finished in 26 minutes and 20.31 seconds, breaking countryman Haile Gebrselassie’s record of 26:22.75 set in 1998. Bekele’s feat came just nine days after he broke Gebrselassie’s 5,000-meter record in 12:37.95.
Dragila, 33, cleared 15 feet, 10 inches on her third attempt, beating by a quarter-inch the record set by Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia. The Olympic champion and pioneer in the sport seemed as surprised as anyone that she made it.
“I wasn’t expecting it to happen today,” Dragila said at the IAAF Super Grand Prix Golden Spike meet.
Still, she said she was confident she can jump even higher as she prepares for the Athens Olympics in August. She must finish among the top three at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July to qualify for the Games.
As for Bekele, he is the most decorated cross country runner in history with three straight long-short course doubles at world championships. All that at age 21.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “I knew I would break the world record only in the last lap.”
Bekele said he would prefer the 10,000 meters to the 5,000 at the Athens Games. Dragila probably will be there, too, hoping to win another gold medal.Dragila held the outdoor record of 15-9 1/4 for two years until last July, when Isinbayeva reached 15-9 3/4 . Isinbayeva still holds the indoor record (15-11 1/4 ), which she set in March at the world championships in Budapest.
Montgomery faces allegations
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has sent world 100-meter record holder Tim Montgomery a letter informing him that he may have committed a drug violation that could ban him from the Athens Olympics, a source within the U.S. Olympic movement said Tuesday.
Three other U.S. track athletes were sent similar letters. They are Olympic silver medalist in the 400 meters Alvin Harrison and sprinters Christye Gaines and Michelle Collins, according to the source, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The letters are the first formal step in the U.S. Olympic Committee’s attempt to punish athletes based on documentary evidence instead of a positive drug test. USADA handles drug matters under contract with the USOC and USA Track & Field, the sport’s governing body.
No letter was sent to sprint star Marion Jones, who is Montgomery’s girlfriend and the mother of their child.
Montgomery and Jones have denied using any performance-enhancing drugs, and Jones has promised court action if an attempt is made to punish her without a positive test. self end