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Samitova-Galkina Sets World Record in Debut Women's 3000 Meter Steeplechase
Barringer breaks U.S. record
By Parker Morse, Running USA wire

BEIJING, China - (August 17, 2008) - Steeplechase world record holder Gulnara Samitova-Galkina was a non-factor in last summer's World Championship in Osaka, but the Russian was a force of nature in the first Olympic women's 3000 meter steeplechase, held Sunday night in Beijing's National Stadium aka "The Bird's Nest".

Samitova-Galkina, 30, separated from a pack of five after a first 1000 meters under world record pace (2:58.63), the pack spreading wide in the very first laps. Her middle kilometer was slower, putting her at 6:01.20, but she poured on the speed in the remaining distance to run the first-ever sub-9:00 steeplechase for women, a stunning 8:58.81.

With Samitova-Galkina unstoppable in the front, it was Kenyans and Russians dueling for the lesser medals. Russia's Tatyana Petrova and Kenya's Eunice Jepkorir appeared to be the leading contenders, but in the closing laps Spain's Marta Dominguez pulled Yekaterina Volkova with her as she made a charge at the medals. Dominguez came to grief in a crash on the 33rd barrier, standing again only on her second attempt, but Volkova caught the flagging Petrova and dueled with Jepkorir down the homestretch. Jepkorir prevailed, 9:07.41 to 9:07.64, with that pair taking silver and bronze.

Deeper in the pack, U.S. record holder Jenny Barringer was in the mix throughout, finishing strongly in 9th to improve her AR to 9:22.26, while Trials champion Anna Willard was 10th (9:25.63).

"I wanted to get an American record in Eugene, but it was much better here in the Olympics, the first steeplechase final for women, with all the USA fans cheering for me," said Barringer.

After Samitova-Galkina's WR, Jepkorir set a new African record, and both Romania and Ethiopia also got new national records: Cristina Casandra of Romania, a former WR holder herself, ran 9:16.85 for fifth, and Ethiopia's Zemzem Ahmed ran 9:17.85 for 7th.

Olympic Games: Beijing
National Stadium / "Bird's Nest"
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final
1) Gulnara Samitova-Galkina (RUS), 8:58.81*, Gold
2) Eunice Jepkorir (KEN), 9:07.41, Silver
3) Yekaterina Volkova (RUS), 9:07.64, Bronze
4) Tatyana Petrova (RUS), 9:12.33
5) Cristina Casandra (ROU), 9:16.85
6) Ruth Bisibori Nyangau (KEN), 9:17.35
7) Zemzem Ahmed (ETH), 9:17.85
8) Wioletta Frankiewicz (POL), 9:21.76
9) Jenny Barringer (USA), 9:22.26#
10) Anna Willard (USA), 9:25.63
*World record (previous record, 9:01.59, Gulnara Samitova-Galkina (RUS), 07/04/04); debut Olympic event
#U.S. record (previous record, 9:22.73, Jenny Barringer, 07/20/08)

Complete results, starts lists, daily schedule and more at: www.iaaf.org/OLY08/results/eventCode=3659/index.html

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Bekele Defends Men's 10,000 Meter Title with Olympic Record
Photo finish for bronze medal
By Parker Morse, Running USA wire

BEIJING, China - (August 17, 2008) - Kenenisa Bekele joined an exclusive club of two-time Olympic 10,000 meter champions on Sunday evening in Beijing. With his teammate Sileshi "Mr. Silver" Sihine backing him up, Bekele, 26, stormed away from the field in the closing lap to break his Olympic record in 27:01.17.

While some observers had speculated that the Kenyan team would attempt the team tactics they had once used in an attempt to neutralize Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian team's third runner and a two-time gold medalist himself (1996 and 2000), it was the Eritreans who controlled the pace after the first kilometer. With 2007 World Cross Country champion Zersenay Tadese and teammate Kidane Tadesse joined by Teklemariam Medhin at the front, they alternately surged and rested to thin the pack to less than 20, still including over half the 38 men who stepped to the line, as well as U.S. Olympic Trials champion Abdi Abdirahman and runner-up Galen Rupp.

The strategy started after the halfway point, reached in 13:48.00, and it was Gebrselassie asserting additional pace on the part of the Ethiopian squad. Tadese continued to push the pace, hoping to take some sting out of Bekele's usual blistering kick, and he thinned the pack to eight: three Kenyans, three Ethiopians and two Eritreans.

With 5 laps remaining, it was Kenya's Micah Kogo who took the lead from Tadese, then Moses Masai, these two the strongest of the three Kenyans. At 9000 meters, it was still an uncomfortably large pack of six, with Masai and Kogo leading Bekele and Gebrselassie. Mathathi got back in contact to make it seven men at the bell, but that's when Bekele took off.

Every time Sihine attempts to cover one of Bekele's kicks, he hangs on a little longer, but the result is always the same: Bekele breaks clear on the backstretch and sails down the homestretch alone. He would become only the second track athlete of these Games to defend a title from Athens. Sihine trailed in at 27:02.77, then Kogo and Masai both arrived in 27:04.11, the tie to be broken in favor of Kogo for the bronze medal. Tadese's wild kick could only get him fifth.

With both Rupp and Abdirahman sticking to the pack until quite late, things looked relatively good for Team USA, and Rupp indeed picked up in the second half, though not to the degree of the 13:40/13:20 negative split run by Bekele. He finished 13th in 27:36.99. "It was a comfortable pace until the last couple of miles when they really picked it up," said Rupp. "I stayed on the inside and didn't make any crazy moves."

Abdirahman was just two places back in 15th (27:52.53). "It was a good race, but I couldn't get my rhythm," explained the three-time Olympian. "I didn't get the good, long run I wanted."

The third member of Team USA was Jorge Torres, who was 25th in 28:13.93.

Olympic Games: Beijing
National Stadium / "Bird's Nest"
Sunday, August 17, 2008

Men's 10,000m Final
1) Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), 27:01.17*, Gold
2) Sileshi Sihine (ETH), 27:02.77, Silver
3) Micah Kogo (KEN), 27:04.11, Bronze
4) Moses Ndiema Masai (KEN), 27:04.11
5) Zersenay Tadese (ERI), 27:05.11
6) Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), 27:06.68
7) Martin Irungu Mathathi (KEN), 27:08.25
8) Ahmad Hassan Abdullah (QAT), 27:23.75
9) Fabiano Joseph Naasi (TAN), 27:25.33
10) Boniface Kiprop Toroitich (UGA), 27:27.28
U.S. results
13) Galen Rupp (USA), 27:36.99
15) Abdi Abdirahman (USA), 27:52.53
25) Jorge Torres (USA), 28:13.93
*Olympic record (previous record, 27:05.10, Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), Athens 2004)

Complete results, starts lists, daily schedule and more at: www.iaaf.org/OLY08/results/eventCode=3659/index.html

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Kipruto Continues Kenyan Domination of Men's 3000 Meter Steeplechase
By Parker Morse, Running USA wire

BEIJING, China - (August 18, 2008) - After the record-setting women's race, the men's 3000 meter steeplechase on Monday evening could not have been more different. An event dominated by Kenya since 1968 (only two golds have gone to non-Kenyan athletes since Mexico City, both due to African boycotts in 1976 and 1980), the race was at different times led by an American and a Swede, and six athletes were in medal contention at the bell. The gold eventually went to Kenya's Brimin Kipruto in 8:10.34, but the safe was open and there were thieves among the Kenyan medals.

With Kipruto and Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong sitting back in the pack and sizing up the opposition, the only Kenyan in the front in the early going was Ezekiel Kemboi, and he wouldn't lead. Finally it was South Africa's Ruben Ramolefi who picked up the pace after a pedestrian 2:46.97 first kilometer. The pack woke up then, and Sweden's Mustafa Mohamed took over, with Kemboi still shadowing the leaders and U.S. champion Anthony Famiglietti sitting patiently in fourth.

Famiglietti wasn't patient for too long. "I tried to lay back, but no one would take the pace," he said later. "I was wasting so much energy moving out to the second lane or third or fourth for the hurdles, and all the pushing around. I was worried I would fall." He made a strong move with three and a half laps remaining, stringing out the pack but not managing to break away and eventually finishing 13th. Kemboi covered the move, and eventually Mohamed resumed the lead with Kemboi shadowing once more.

It was with 500 meters to go that efforts were finally made to sort out the medals. Mateelong came to the front and Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, a new face to nearly everyone in the race, followed. From the bell to the final barrier, Mateelong, Kipruto and Mekhissi-Benabbad would struggle for every step of advantage as Kemboi, present in the front from the race's beginning, slid back in the pack.

Kipruto, 23, was the strongest sprinter and he celebrated gold, his second medal in this event after winning silver in 2004, as he crossed the line in 8:10.34, but Mekhissi-Benabbad produced the best non-Kenyan finish since 1984 with his silver medal winning 8:10.49, a PR. (The 1984 silver was also a Frenchman, Joseph Mahmoud.) Mateelong took bronze in 8:11.01.

Olympic Games: Beijing
National Stadium / "Bird's Nest"
Monday, August 18, 2008

Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final
1) Brimin Kipruto (KEN), 8:10.34, Gold
2) Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (FRA), 8:10.49, Silver
3) Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong (KEN), 8:11.01, Bronze
4) Yacob Jarso (ETH), 8:13.47
5) Bouabdellah Tahri (FRA), 8:14.79
6) Youcef Abdi (AUS), 8:16.36
7) Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN), 8:16.38
8) Abubaker Ali Kamal (QAT), 8:16.59
9) Benjamin Kiplagat (UGA), 8:20.27
10) Mustafa Mohamed (SWE), 8:20.69
Top U.S.
13) Anthony Famiglietti (USA), 8:31.21

Complete results, starts lists, daily schedule and more at: www.iaaf.org/OLY08/results/eventCode=3659/index.html

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org | www.RunningUSA.org