NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Record participation in Seville

A total of 203 countries have confirmed their participation in the 7th IAAF World Athletics Championships -- the last of the Millenium -- scheduled to take place in Seville, Spain from August 20 to 29.

This is a record figure. No other sporting competition has been attended by so many different nations. The previous record was set at the 6th IAAF World Championships, in Athens in 1997, with 198 nations participating. The 1996 Olympic Games involved the participation of 197 nations, in itself a record for the Olympics.

Approximately 2000 athletes – 1159 men and 785 women - will compete in Seville. Over 1000 officials will also be present.

Two events will debut in Seville -- women's pole vault, and women’s hammer throw.

Thanks to the extraordinary performances of Maurice Greene this summer, the Americans should have the fastest 4x100m team in the world in Seville, and could well break the world record of 37.40, equalled in 1993 in Stuttgart.

But as one US sprinter once memorably said: "You've got to get that stick around."

The flat speed of Greene (9.79), Tim Harden (9.92 in '99), Tim Montgomery (10.01 in '99) and Jon Drummond (10.04 in '99) count for nothing if the Americans don't improve the baton-exchanging skills they showed in the last three World Championships. Fumbles in all those editions handed victories to their great Northern rivals Canada, who have, indeed, won the last three major titles that matter: the '95 and '97 World and 1996 Olympic Games titles.

But of course, Canada's success in that period owed almost everything to the rampant form of former world record holder Donovan Bailey. Still recovering from his achilles operation, the sprinter is at least three tenths of a second slower than in 1997 and without him, Canada could only finish behind Brazil in the recent Pan American Games. Ironically, while Bailey is struggling, his team-mate Bruny Surin is having an excellent season and is a realistic contender for a medal in the individual 100m event.

With Canada showing some weaknesses, the biggest challenge to the Americans (apart from their butter fingers) will come from the young lions of Great Britain. Led by two young men who have broken 10 seconds for the first time this summer -- Jason Gardener (9.98) and Dwain Chambers (9.99) -- the Britons can also count on last year's European 100m champion Darren Campbell and the Commonwealth 200m champion Julian Golding. A British team composed of Gardener, Campbell, Golding and Marlon Devonish ran 38.16 in Paris recently, the fastest in 1999 by a national team. The French proved in 1990 that a highly trained team could break the 4x100 world record, and the Britons have been carefully honing their skills in recent training camps.

Brazil clocked 38.18 at the Pan Americans and will be led in Seville by the two Da Silvas, Andre Domingos (10.06 in '99) and Claudinei Quirino (10.12 in '99). Other outsiders are likely to be Nigeria and Ghana.

Mihaela Melinte of Romania competed here in her last competition before the forthcoming 7th IAAF World Championships. The current world record holder for the women's hammer throw will compete in Seville in the inaugural World Championship presentation of this event.

On May 13 she bettered the world record twice, with throws of 75.29 and 75.97 metres, and her best throw in Poiana Brasov was of 74.20 metres.

Interestingly enough, the athlete also made three throws using a heavier than normal implement (five kilos against the regulatory four kilo hammer) and achieved a best performance of 66.18 metres.

In the course of the meeting, George Guset set a new Romanian record in the shot put, with a throw of 20.84 metres. There was an excellent performance in the women's discus, with Nicoleta Grasu throwing 68.80 for the third best mark of the season after the 70.20 of Natalya Sadova and Franka Dietzsch's 69.51 mark.

Six years after she became the first athlete from Mozambique to win a World Championship gold, Maria Mutola starts as favourite for the 800m title again in Seville. Curiously, although she has been the world's most consistent two-lap runner for many years, she has not won a gold outdoors since that first success. In 1995 she was disqualified at the World Championships in Gothenburg for running out of her lane in a semi-final, thus helping Cuba's Ana Quirot achieve a fairy-tale victory. In 1997 Mutola was beaten fair-and-square by the same athlete, while the year before at the Olympic Games, it was Russia's Svetlana Masterkova who took the coveted gold.

Mutola has an extra incentive to show that she is still capable of winning at the highest level. Indoors, of course, Mutola has been near invincible, winning World Championship golds in 1993, 1995 and 1997. Only an inspired performance by the Czech Ludmila Formanova prevented Mutola gaining another victory in Maebashi earlier this year. Formanova was injured soon after that event and competed for the first time only at the end of June. But she has been improving with each race and ran 1:56.56 three days ago at the Weltklasse in Zürich - an improvement of nearly two seconds on her personal best at the start of this season. But although another European athlete, Stephanie Graf, has also improved a lot this season, setting a new national record of 1:57.07 in Zürich, it is Masterkova who may hold the key.

Although the Russian has been beaten by Mutola at the last two Golden League meetings, she is the year's fastest at the distance with 1:55.87 and has one of the best tactical brains in the sport. In championship conditions, without pacemakers, the pressure will be on Mutola to set a fast tempo and take the sting out of the Russian's sprint finish. Although Masterkova has been entered in both the 800m and 1500m, she has been troubled by an ankle injury so she is unlikely to match her glorious Olympic double of 1996.

A "dark horse" contender will be Jearl Miles-Clark, a former World Champion - but in another event, the 400m. Miles-Clark's progress in the longer event has been steady and in Zürich she gave Mutola a tough race to improve the North American Area record to 1:56.40. She is also still in sub-50 second shape for 400m as she proved with her 49.98 in Monaco. Like Mutola, Miles-Clark also won her last gold in 1993, and, on her championship debut at the distance, is now aiming to become the first American to win a global 800m title since Madeline Manning in 1968.

One of the best javelin throwers ever, Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic, is going to the World Championships in Seville with the highest goals. He is not even worried about getting a place on the podium: nowadays he is happy to be back after last year's accident and surgery.

What is your health situation?

"It is very good, I do not have any problems at all. But I must admit it is not 100%, but that was also the case in the past. With some things it cannot be better, we are getting older."

Did you expect to compete again?

"It was very hard. Last year after the accident and surgery, I would not believe that in July next year I will throw over 89 metres."

Can you win in Seville?

"I hope so, but it is even. We are some seven throwers and any one of us can win. My advantage is that I'm coming back. I mean psychologically. I won that title already twice. Nothing will happen in case I will not win. The others have not won this title, so they are under bigger pressure. I must add that in the javelin winning is also a matter of luck."

What is your motivation after so many years and so many medals?

"My motivation is last year's accident. As everybody knows I broke my arm and the whole career was in danger. Now I am back earlier than expected. This is my motivation - to show everybody that I can come back. In 1997 I was tired, also mentally. It really was hard to find any motivation. Now I had my challenge after the accident. I am now enjoying athletics. I like to compete. But if I need something else - I go fishing. There is no more stress and pressure. The win in Paris helped me a lot. Now athletics is giving to me something - in past years I gave something to athletics. I am happy I got this feeling. "

Happy at everything that went before the worlds?

"Yes, I wanted to compete in Monaco and London, I never had Zurich in my plan. The first one was one of the competitions where I did not have enough luck. I tried, but it did not work. In the last attempt I got some small problems with my leg, but this is now ok."

Can you throw all the six attempts in one competition?

"Of course, the problem is I'm not as consistent as before. That needs more time in training of technique. Also Mondo surfaces are a problem for me: they are a little too hard. I'm also little bit afraid about the qualification and final in Seville with one day between. There should not be injury problems, but I can feel the pain in my hand."

What do you think will be necessary for a gold medal?

"I think 90 metres will be enough, maybe even not that. It is not a Grand Prix meeting. Mentally the World Championships final is far tougher. In mental strength I feel very strong. I want to surprise all of them with my first throw. As I did in Barcelona at the Olympics. It is good to see that my opposition is still respecting me. "

Who is for you the main opposition?

"I think Sergey Makarov is looking very good. He never had in the past a big medal, it could be his time. Also the Greek Gatsioudis and the Germans seem in great shape. Parviainen is the strongest of us, on Mondo he can be very good. But with him you never know. Excellent thrower for competitions is Steve Backley. As I said there are like 7 of us, who could win."

This year javelin was part of Golden League, but not you...

"I think the idea of Golden League is good. I will be also at the Grand Prix finals. But this year I really was unable to throw everywhere. No secrets, I want to better my financial situation and so I´m looking at the meetings. The World Championships is something different. That is above everything, above every economic consideration."

What about your business activities?

"I stopped them for a while. Everything is directed for Seville. And I want also to give time to my family. By the way, my son Jan (he will be eleven years old in September) and daughter Katka (9) are playing badminton and it is not bad."

When will be the end of your career?

"I do not think about it. I'm happy I'm back. To compete in Sydney will be very nice, a fourth Olympics is something special."

Do you think you can still in future throw over 100 metres?

"Never say never. This year I was able to throw 89 metres and it was technically very bad. Maybe the ideal attempt will come..."

Interviewed by Alfons Juck for the IAAF