The Electronic Telegraph Saturday 4 August 2001 Owen Slot THE WORLD Athletics Championships can probably only go downhill from here. If they manage to maintain the standard set by their first event, the rest of the week will be spellbinding because the men's marathon on Friday night was an astonishing race with the closest finish in championship history. After 26 miles, the race had become a two-man head-to-head between the eventual winner, Gezahegne Abera, the Ethiopian Olympic champion, and Kenyan Simon Biwott. Abera and Biwott had not separated once, they began together in a group, they shed the entire field together and, as they ran into the Commonwealth Stadium, they were together still, Biwott just ahead. You hope for exciting, close finishes in the distance events, but in the marathon? This was too much to ask. It had come down to a sprint finish and there was nothing to indicate who had more left to give. With 200 metres to go, Abera moved up on Biwott and just edged past. With 100m to go, he had put a metre between them, but even then it was not over. Biwott returned fire with one last surge, forcing Abera to give everything to remain ahead. This last 200m was completed in 28 seconds - the world's best sprinters will only do it eight seconds quicker - and though Abera won it, Biwott had every right to behave as though he was the champion too. Biwott has an incredible appetite for the marathon. He made a name for himself last year when he was one of the pacemakers for the Berlin Marathon, but enjoyed the ride so much that he stayed in the race and won it. Abera is a brave competitor too; last year in Sydney he lost his footing and fell over just before halfway but got back on his feet to win the gold medal. Yet even before the dramatic finish, this marathon had a wonderful, tactical narrative. A large leading pack remained undivided until just after halfway when Abdelkader el Mouaziz, of Morocco, winner of the London Marathon this year and one of the favourites, made a break. El Mouaziz was chased down by Giacomo Leone, the Italian, and though Leone could not stay with him, the effect was suddenly to spread the field. El Mouaziz could not sustain it either and was chased down to remain briefly in a leading pack of six. Then, one by one, they started to drop off, Stefano Baldini, of Italy, and Tasfaye Tola, the Ethiopian, the last to go, claiming third and fourth respectively. Thus the last 12 minutes of the race became a duel. Abera appeared to have edged ahead with three kilometres remaining, but Biwott dragged himself back to set up the finish inside the stadium. The mindsets of the two runners at this stage told the story that was to play itself out inside. "When I came close to the stadium, I thought I was going for the gold medal," Biwott said. "I was also ready to accept the silver. I tried to pull away but he was sticking to my steps. I knew anything could happen." Abera, now the first man to hold the world and Olympic titles simultaneously, seemed a little more sure of himself. "When I reached the stadium, I was definite I would win the race because of my sprinting ability," he said. Abera did not win in a particularly fast time - two hours 12 minutes 42 seconds - but this was irrelevant. It was the fascinating element of man-to-man competition that provided one of the finest marathons ever. "He was very strong," Biwott said. "I respect him. He has won." Eamonn Condon www.RunnersGoal.com
