“Luck finally smiles” on Qatar’s national team at the close of the 2009 Berlin World Athletics Championships
“Kwalia” claims world bronze in the 5000m final as gold goes to legend Bekele and silver to Lagat
“America” seizes the title with “22” medals as Jamaica finish runners-up and Kenya third
“Bahrain” flies the Arab flag “with two golds and a bronze” to finish “11th” in the world
Celebration for the Berlin crowd at the closing ceremony… the mayor hands over the “2011 World Championships flag” to his Korean counterpart
“Luck finally smiled” on our national athletics team’s stars at the closing of the greatest festival of world athletics, which concluded yesterday in the German capital Berlin, as Qatari runner “James Kw
alia” claimed third place and the bronze medal in the 5000m final, clocking a time of (13:17.78), while legendary Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele took first place and the gold in a time of (13:17.09), and veteran American runner Bernard Lagat, the defending champion, took the silver in a time of (13:17.33). Qatar’s national team thus won a single medal at the “World Athletics Championships”, ending its campaign with this “bronze” haul, which fell short of the ambitions and hopes of Qatari athletics, which has had dazzling exploits and achievements internationally. It was the “fourth world medal for Qatar’s national team”
in the history of its participation in the World Championships, after Saif Saaeed Shaheen’s two golds in the 3000m steeplechase in 2003 in Paris and 2005 in Helsinki, and Mubarak Hassan Shami’s marathon silver at the last edition in Osaka in 2007. Qatar’s national team had relied heavily on world champion Saif Shaheen, who was returning from injury, in the 5000m, and his teammate Mubarak Shami, a marathon specialist, but Shaheen failed to reach the final and performed below expectations, finishing 11th in his heat, given that he was competing outside his specialty (3000m steeplechase); still, that is no excuse for slipping into the back of the pack as a “world champion”. Meanwhile, runner Shami’s withdrawal from the marathon remains a puzzling mystery, as he had been in peak readiness throughout the buildup, but suffered a strained muscle in his leg after the first 20km of the race, which covers (42km and 195 metres). Returning to the scenario of yesterday’s thrilling 5000m race, Ethiopian runner Bekele imposed himself and won the battle, achieving “the double” after his earlier win in the 10,000m, repeating his feat from the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Bekele confirmed that he is the king of the long distances; he had already entered the history of the World Athletics Championships through its widest door by winning the 10,000m gold last Sunday in a time of 26:46.31, setting a new championship record and erasing the previous record he himself held of 26:49.57, set in Saint-Denis, France in 2003, noting that he holds the world record of 26:17.53, set on 26 August 2005 in Brussels. Bekele became the first runner to achieve the double in the 5000m and 10,000m in a single edition in the history of the World Championships. It was Bekele’s first world title in the 5000m, adding to his tally at the World Championships after four consecutive 10,000m titles (2003, 2005 and 2007), matching the achievement of his compatriot Haile Gebrselassie (four titles at World Championships from 1993 to 1999). Bekele also holds three Olympic titles in the 10,000m in Athens and the 5000m and 10,000m in Beijing, plus 11 world cross-country titles. Bekele deserved the title fully, having taken the initiative from the start after the rest of the field declined to move to the front, so the pace of the race was slow before Bekele himself lifted it with every lap, then waited for the final 300m to increase his speed in a heated contest with defending champion Lagat, which intensified in the last 50 metres before the Ethiopian settled it thanks to his finishing speed. Moroccan runner Chakir Boujattaoui finished 11th (13:23.05), and his compatriot Anis Selmouni finished 14th (13:44.59).
The Nigerian runner had gone out in the semi-final after setting her personal best in the first round at 55.80 seconds, though she withdrew from the 400m semi-final
Kwalia: bronze is motivation for better things
For his part, Qatari runner James Kwalia expressed, after the race, his delight at winning bronze in the world championship… stressing that the race was marked by high tactics from the champions, especially E
thiopia’s Bekele, whom everyone fears springing a surprise, so I preferred to watch him closely… waiting for the right moment to launch my effort. Indeed, the race saw a decisive turn on the final lap, with an exciting battle for the gold medal… overall, I am very satisfied with finishing third at the World Championships, and it is motivation for me to do better in the future.
Al Zaini: runner Kwalia deserves recognition
Abdullah Al Zaini, president of the Qatar Athletics Federation, considered “runner Kwalia’s bronze” at the closing “the best consolation for our athletes, who faced unusual circumstances at the Berlin World Championships, where the ambitions and hopes were high for achieving better results and fulfilling our aspirations of seeing our stars on the podium.” Al Zaini paid special tribute to runner Kwalia for the high spirit with which he ran the race and his determination to take on major stars such as Bekele and Lagat, stressing that the federation would carefully study the fruits of Qatar’s national team’s participation at the Berlin World Championships in order to address shortcomings and identify areas of weakness. He noted that the Olympic Committee and the federation had not fallen short with the athletes in any way, having provided all the facilities and support needed to prepare for the Berlin World Championships and other international championships, stressing that the federation is pressing ahead with its future plans by relying on the junior national teams, where promising talents have emerged whose level bodes well for Qatar’s national team in the future. He revealed that a place on the national teams in the coming period would go to those who deliver and achieve.
Olympic medallist Suleiman: Kwalia fought bravely
Olympic medallist Mohammed Suleiman, our national team’s manager, commented on the race, saying: “First, we thank God for runner Kwalia’s world medal; he made a superhuman effort to take on the big names and proved himself by keeping pace with them right up to the final metres, fighting bravely. In my personal assessment, the result is satisfactory given the presence of more experienced runners like Bekele and Lagat in finals of this kind, which demand a high level of mental and physical presence and the ability to prove oneself in decisive moments. Overall, we hope runner Kwalia continues to develop and raise his level to achieve better results for Qatar’s national team in the future. As for our results at the World Championships, we had certainly hoped for better from our participating athletes such as (Shaheen and Shami), but the two were unsuccessful for several reasons: Shaheen was competing in a race outside his specialty after a long absence, while Shami was injured in the marathon and withdrew, unable to complete it.”
Abdulmalik: the bronze does not satisfy our ambitions
Khalifa Abdulmalik, Qatar’s national team official and the federation’s executive director, congratulated our champion James Kwalia on winning the world bronze, noting that he ran the race with great courage, executing a smart tactic by staying within the leading pack behind Bekele and not taking the initiative for fear of surprises. Khalifa added that the results of Qatar’s national team undoubtedly did not satisfy our ambitions, as we had hoped for better from our experienced athletes with great field experience. Overall, he said, we will carry out some soul-searching to correct and fix some of the mistakes exposed by “the Berlin World Championships”, and we must learn from them so they are not repeated in the future, especially since Qatar’s national team has a wealth of international experience and must set off in every championship towards a better horizon in pursuit of confirming its international standing.
Berlin bids farewell to the world’s youth
Following the conclusion of the competitions on the final, ninth day, the mayor of Berlin, together with IAAF General Secretary Diack, kindly handed over the “2011 World Championships flag” to the mayor of the Korean city of (Daegu), amid folk and heritage
performances presented by a South Korean arts troupe on the pitch of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, in a clear show of celebration by the South Koreans for the sporting youth from every corner of the world. Diack, for his part, on behalf of the international family, extended the highest expressions of thanks, appreciation and gratitude to the German government and people for their fine hosting and the great facilities they provided for the success of the World Athletics Championships, Berlin 2009, describing it as flawless in every respect, and paid special tribute to the volunteers who contributed significantly to the championships’ success.
Top spot for the Americans, runners-up Jamaica
The American team, “men and women”, topped the overall standings of the championships with a haul of (22) medals, comprising (10) gold, (6) bronze, (6) bronze, while Jamaica finished runners-up with (13) medals, comprising (7) gold, (4) silver, (2) bronze, and Kenya came third with ( 11) medals, comprising (4) gold, (5) silver, (2) bronze. Bahrain entered the list of the big nations by finishing (11th) in the world with (3) medals, comprising (two golds and a bronze), while Qatar finished (32nd) in the world, level with the teams of (Estonia, Mexico, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey), all with a single bronze medal.
Bahraini brilliance at the World Championships
The closing day of the Berlin World Championships saw extraordinary Bahraini brilliance from runner Maryam Yusuf Jamal, who retained her world title in the 1500m by winning the race’s gold medal. Jamal owed her triumph to the IAAF’s disqualification of Spanish runner Natalia Rodriguez, who had won the gold but was stripped of it after pushing Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka, who finished the race 11th after falling a lap from the finish as a result of the push. Jamal covered the ra
ce distance in 4:03.74, ahead of Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey, the silver medallist, in 4:03.75, and American Shannon Rowbury, who took the bronze in 4:04.18. Meanwhile, runner Yusuf Saad Kamel won the 800m bronze, raising Bahrain’s medal tally to (3) medals, comprising two golds and a bronze, to finish 11th in the world.
Jamal: my joy at the gold is indescribable
Jamal expressed her great happiness at retaining the title, saying, “The result I achieved is good given the conditions of the race, which saw a strong contest and jostling between the runners, especially Spain’s Rodriguez,” adding, “I struggled a great deal to find a place among the leading runners, which affected me in the final metres.” She continued, “My goal was gold, and I succeeded in achieving it.” It was Bahrai
n’s second medal, after Yusuf Saad Kamel’s gold in the same event. It was also the fourth medal for Arab athletes in Berlin, after Kwalia’s bronze in the 5000m.
“American invincibility in the 4x400m relay
The American quartets asserted themselves in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay finals, sitting worthily on the throne and retaining both world titles (men and women). In the men’s race, the American team of Angelo Taylor, Jeremy Wariner, Kerron Clement and LaShawn Merritt covered the distance in 2:57.86, claiming the United States’ third consecutive world title after 2005 in Helsinki and 2007 in Osaka, having got the better of the Bahamas on both occasions. It should be noted that the United States also hold the Olympic title. The silver went to Britain in 3:00.53, and the bronze to Australia in 3:00.90. In the women’s race, the Americans covered the distance in 3:17.83, ahead of Jamaica (3:21.15) and Russia (3:21.64). The American women retained the world title, adding it to the Olympic title. American brilliance continued into the long jump, where Brittney Reese (22) won gold, claiming her first major title after recording 7.10 metres on her third attempt, the best mark of the current season. The silver went to Russia’s Tatyana Lebedeva, the defending champion, after she managed only 6.97 metres, while the bronze went to Turkey’s Karin Mey Melis (6.80 metres). Reese, who finished eighth at the Beijing Olympics, became the second American to win the world title in the event, after compatriot Tianna Madison in 2005. Brazil’s Maurren Maggi, the Beijing Olympic champion, finished seventh (6.68 metres).
Norway’s Thorkildsen, king of the javelin
Norwegian giant Andreas Thorkildsen was crowned champion of the javelin throw, winning gold and adding the world title to the Olympic one he won last summer in Beijing, at the time becoming the first Norwegian athlete to successfully defend his Olympic title. Thorkildsen made up for finishing second at the previous two editions, in 2005 in Helsinki and 2007 in Osaka. Thorkildsen succeeded in achieving 89.59 metres on his second attempt, ahead of Cuba’s Guillermo Martinez, the silver medallist, who recorded 86.41 metres on his sixth and final attempt, and Japan’s Yukifumi Murakami, the bronze medallist, with a throw of 82.97 metres on his second attempt. Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki, the defending champion, finished fifth after recording 81.90 metres on his first attempt.
China’s Xue wins the marathon title
China’s Bai Xue (20) won the marathon gold, covering the 42.195km race distance in 2:25:15, giving her country its first world marathon title in the history of its participation in the World Championships.
It was also the first major title of Xue’s career, and China’s first gold medal in Berlin, after compatriot Wang Hao’s silver in the 20km race walk and compatriots Liu Hong’s bronze in the 20km race walk and Gong Lijiao’s bronze in the shot put.
The silver went to Japan’s Yoshimi Ozaki (2:25:25), and the bronze to Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia (2:25:32). Fellow Chinese runner Zhou Chunxiu, third at Osaka 2007, finished fourth (2:25:39).
Final medal table of the 12th World Athletics Championships in Berlin 2009
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total points Rank
United States 10 6 6 22 First
Jamaica 7 4 2 13 Second
Kenya 4 5 2 11 Third
Russia 4 3 6 13 Fourth
Poland 2 4 2 8 Fifth
Germany 2 3 4 9 Sixth
Ethiopia 2 2 4 9 Seventh
Britain 2 2 2 6 Eighth
South Africa 2 1 – 3 Ninth
Australia 2 – 2 4 Tenth
Bahrain 2 – 1 3 11th
Cuba 1 4 1 6 12th
China 1 1 2 4 13th
Norway 1 1 2 4 14th
Spain 1 – 1 2 15th
Qatar – – 1 1 32nd place
