December 2001 Issue

El Guerrouj Voted Men's Athlete Of The Year

Hicham El Guerrouj was an overwhelming choice as Men's Athlete of The Year, capturing 24 of 36 votes for No. 1. The 27-year-old Moroccan returned to the AOY position he also earned in '99. Most of the rest of the votes for the top spot, 7, went to American sprinter Maurice Greene, whose season was cut short by injury.

The Top 10:
1. Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco), 1500 meters/mile;
2. Maurice Greene (US), sprints;
3. Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic), javelin;
4. André Bucher (Switzerland) 800 meters;
5. Jonathan Edwards (Great Britain), triple jump;
6. John Godina (US), shot & discus;
7. Tomás Dvorák (Czech Republic), decathlon;
8. Felix Sánchez (Dominican Republic), 400 hurdles;
9. Brahim Boulami (Morocco), steeplechase;
10. Koji Murofushi (Japan), hammer…

(for the complete results of the voting, including the voting breakdown, see the December issue of Track & Field News)

2001 Men's World Rankings

Edition No. 55 of the definitive T&FN World Rankings has now been finalized. Reflecting the increasing internationalization of the running/jumping/throwing world, only 3 American men--Maurice Greene in the 100, Allen Johnson in the 110 hurdles & John Godina in the shot--were able to earn No. 1 spots, the lowest U.S. total ever.

The Men's Leaders:
100 METERS--Maurice Greene (US)
200 METERS--Konstadínos Kedéris (Greece)
400 METERS--Avard Moncur (Bahamas)
800 METERS--André Bucher (Switzerland)
1500 METERS/MILE--Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco)
STEEPLECHASE--Brahim Boulami (Morocco)
3000 METERS--Paul Bitok (Kenya)
5000 METERS--Richard Limo (Kenya)
10,000 METERS--Charles Kamathi (Kenya)
110 HURDLES--Allen Johnson (US)
400 HURDLES--Felix Sánchez (Dominican Republic)
20K WALK--Roman Rasskazov (Russia)
50K WALK--Robert Korzeniowski (Poland)
HIGH JUMP--Stefan Holm (Sweden)
POLE VAULT--Dmitriy Markov (Australia)
LONG JUMP--Iván Pedroso (Cuba)
TRIPLE JUMP--Jonathan Edwards (Great Britain)
SHOT PUT--John Godina (US)
DISCUS--Virgilijus Alekna (Lithuania)
HAMMER--Koji Murofushi (Japan)
JAVELIN--Jan Zelezny (Czech Republic)
DECATHLON--Tomás Dvorák (Czech Republic)

(for the Top 10 choices in each event--with details on their seasons--see the December issue of Track & Field News)

Dragila Voted Women's Athlete Of The Year

Stacy Dragila, the first woman vaulter ever to achieve AOY honors, was named No. 1 on 25 of the 34 ballots cast by an international panel of experts in scoring a runaway victory over sprinter Marion Jones. This marks the first time American women have gone 1-2 in the voting since balloting began in 1977. Jones was the AOY choice in 2000, as well as '98 and '97.

California native Dragila, 30, set 8 World Records in the pole vault in 2001, 4 indoors and 4 outdoors. The world champion's highest mark, 15-9 1/4, was set at the Peregrine Systems U.S. Open at Stanford University in June.

The Top 10:
1. Stacy Dragila (US), pole vault;
2. Marion Jones (US), sprints;
3. Olga Yegorova (Russia), distances;
4. Osleidys Menéndez (Cuba), javelin;
5. Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia), triple jump;
6. Violeta Szekely (Romania), 1500 meters/mile;
7. Catherine Ndereba (Kenya), marathon;
8. Maria Mutola (Mozambique) 800 meters;
9. Olimpiada Ivanova (Russia), walks;
10. Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia), distances.

(for the complete results of the voting, including the voting breakdown, see the December issue of Track & Field News)

2001 Women's World Rankings

U.S. women fared much better than their male counterparts, matching their best total ever with four No. 1s: Marion Jones (100 and 200), Gail Devers (100 hurdles) and Stacy Dragila (pole vault). The Russian women were dominant at the top end, claiming no fewer than 9 No. 1s.

The Women's Leaders;
100 METERS--Marion Jones (US)
200 METERS--Marion Jones (US)
400 METERS--Ana Guevara (Mexico)
800 METERS--Maria Mutola (Mozambique)
1500 METERS/MILE--Violeta Szekely (Romania)
STEEPLECHASE--Justyna Bak (Poland)
3000 METERS--Olga Yegorova (Russia)
5000 METERS--Olga Yegorova (Russia)
10,000 METERS--Derartu Tulu (Ethiopia)
100 HURDLES--Gail Devers (US)
400 HURDLES--Nezha Bidouane (Morocco)
20K WALK--Olimpiada Ivanova (Russia)
HIGH JUMP--Hestrie Cloete (South Africa)
POLE VAULT--Stacy Dragila (US)
LONG JUMP--Tatyana Kotova (Russia)
TRIPLE JUMP--Tatyana Lebedeva (Russia)
SHOT PUT--Larisa Peleshenko (Russia)
DISCUS--Natalya Sadova (Russia)
HAMMER--Olga Kuzenkova (Russia)
JAVELIN--Osleidys Menéndez (Cub)
HEPTATHLON--Yelena Prokhorova (Russia)

(for the Top 10 choices in each event--with details on their seasons--see the December issue of Track & Field News)

In Search Of The Perfect Race
by Sieg Lindstrom

Despite all the swagger, the grim game-face, the sticking-out of his tongue and Olympic Trials trashtalking that Maurice Greene says at times have made him misunderstood, when you talk one-on-one with the world's top sprinter a likeable matter-of-factness carries the day. That and the World Record holder's unwavering determination to run even faster than the 9.79 he recorded in '99.

Though old-school types have been known to wince when Greene announces-as he often does-that "above all" he wants "to put on a show," the World's Fastest Human's definition of "a show" amounts to something any fan can appreciate: simply all the speed the U.S. AOY can muster.

"I've always said that people don't come to see you train when they come to a track meet," he says on an autumn day shortly after his return to light running in the wake of his injury-imposed layoff. "They want to see the best show that they can get. And that's what I try to give them each and every time that I step on the track…

(for more see the December issue of Track & Field News)

U.S. Athletes Of The Year: Greene & Dragila

Deposed by Michael Johnson last year after winning in '99, Maurice Greene was an almost unanimous choice as the leading U.S. man; After two straight years as the runner-up, Stacy Dragila convincingly ended Marion Jones's 4-year run as the top U.S. woman

(for complete details on all the voting for USAOY see the December issue of Track & Field News)

World Record Marathon: Takahashi 2:19:46
by Duncan Mackay

Berlin, Germany, September 30--The 2:20 barrier in the women's marathon, looming ever since Norway's Grete Waitz broke 2:30 in the '79 New York race, took more than 20 years to crack. At the Berlin Marathon, it took Japan's Naoko Takahashi just 2:19:46 to smash through it.

The 29-year-old Olympic champion took 57 seconds off the previous World Record of 2:20:43 set by Kenya's Tegla Loroupe on this course in '99. Loroupe was also in the race, and finished nearly 2M behind in 2nd in 2:28:03.

Sub-2:20 had looked imminent when Ingrid Kristiansen ran 2:21:06 in London in 1985, but not until the first of Loroupe's two World Records did any woman run faster.

"It was a great challenge," Takahashi said. "The course was good, the weather was good and I wanted to cut the record…

(for more, see the December issue of Track & Field News)

World Record Marathon: Ndereba 2:18:47
by Sean Hartnett

Chicago, Illinois, October 7--As a lead pack of the world's marathon elite hit The Loop an hour into their annual a.m. commute, it appeared this year's edition of the Chicago Marathon had lost its magic. But it was nothing a successful World Record assault by Catherine Ndereba (see p. 52) couldn't cure.

Starting in brisk 39-degree conditions, the defending champ waltzed through the first 5km at a pedestrian 5:40/mile pace--worth only 2:28:34 for the full distance--in the company of fellow Kenyan Lornah Kiplagat and Ethiopian Elfenesh Alemu.

On the men's side, Kenyan legend Paul Tergat eschewed the four rabbits and their near-WR 4:50 tempo and ran a block in arrears, with the rest of the lead pack lined up diligently behind.

The plots would change quickly, though, as rabbit Ben Kimondiu stayed the course to prevail in a sprint over Tergat, while Ndereba shifted gears to a clip that delivered her to the Grant Park finish line in a remarkable 2:18:47--59 seconds better than Naoko Takahashi's week-old World Record.

"I wanted to cross the 10th mile in 53:20," said Ndereba. "That was my plan. But I crossed it in 54:17. I said, 'This is too slow…

(for more, see the December issue of Track & Field News)

New York Marathon: Big Debut For Drossin
by Jim Dunaway

New York City, November 4--In a New York City Marathon with the pain of the World Trade Center attack still fresh and the race doubling as the USATF Championships, Deena Drossin ran the fastest-ever first-time marathon by an American woman, 2:26:58, to place 7th.

The mark put Drossin behind just AR holder Joan Samuelson (2:21:21 in '85), Julie Brown (2:26:26 in '83) and Kim Jones (2:26:40 in '91) on the all-time U.S. list. No American woman has ever run faster in New York, although this year's route was made a little easier. Lesley Lehane held the previous U.S. debut record…

(for more, see the December issue of Track & Field News)

Geb Moves Up To Half-Marathon
by Steven Downes

Bristol, England, October 7--Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie showed there is no reason why he may not add the World Record for the marathon to his career total of 15 track WRs, and Britain's Paula Radcliffe defended her women's title at the World Half-Marathon Championships.

Gebrselassie started as an unknown quantity--his only previous half-marathon having been run in 64:47 at altitude in Addis Ababa. Otherwise, his form in '01 had been enigmatic…

(for more, see the December issue of Track & Field News)

Pre-NCAA Cross Country Sparks Debate
by Dan Lilot

Greenville, South Carolina, October 13--What if they had a race and everybody came? That possibility came close to reality at the Pre-NCAA meet as more than 70 collegiate teams showed up to test the nationals course. Colorado was there. So were Stanford and BYU. Dominant Kenyans David Kimani and Boaz Cheboiywo were in the field.

So how could anyone find fault--and many did--with a meet that brings together so many of the nation's top teams?

Quite simply, the field outgrew the Furman course's ability to hold all the runners. The NCAA Championship Committee thus made the decision to split the meet into two "equal" races…

(for more questions and all the answers see the November issue of Track & Field News)

From The Editor: Rankings Belong To Readers
by E. Garry Hill

(for more, see the December issue of Track & Field News)