Cyprus' Ioannou wins historic bronze medal in high jump

Dinesh Weerawansa reporting from Japan

ATHLETICS: Remember, Susanthika Jayasinghe winning Sri Lanka's first ever World Championship medal in Athens ten years ago? That was a feat that the Lankans hardly expected in the big league.

Cyprus' Kyriakos Ioannou achieved a similar feat here at the 11th IAAF World Championship at the Nagai Stadium last night. He won a historic bronze medal for Cyprus in the men's high jump, clearing 2.35m.

Like Jayasinghe did in Athens 1997 by marking Sri Lanka prominently in the world athletic map, the 23-year-old has put his country Cyprus onto the map of world athletics with a medal which even the most optimistic pundit from Cyprus would have hardly predicted at the beginning of the season. Just what many Lankans thought ten years ago.

It was by a whisker that Ioannou missed the gold medal. He, along with Russian Yaroslav Rybakov and Donald Thomas of Bahamas achieved the 2.35m mark.

But Thomas did that in his first attempt to that height while Ioannou and Rybakov did so in the second.

"It is the first medal ever for my country in athletics. My dream has come true," said Ioannou immediately after the competition.

His feat is also somewhat similar to what our own Jayasinghe experienced in 1997. In a cricket-crazy subcontinent country like Sri Lanka, athletics does get its due recognition and financial backing from sponsors.

"In Cyprus football is still the number one sport. Tennis has become very popular since Marcos Bagdathis reached the final at the Australian Open in 2006. I cannot be compared to him. But this is a big success for me and my country.

The medal is unexpected and shows that anyone can do something special in sport," continued Ioannou.

He started his early sporting career as a football p[layer, a goal keeper. It was at the age of 11 years he decided to try with high jump. "In my family only my father was an athlete but in a different discipline.

He was a half marathon runner. I began training in Cyprus but moved to Athens to study at the University." Ioannou's result is remarkable especially because Cyprus sent a very small team to Japan made up of just two athletes. Athletics fans in Cyprus hope that this medal will inspire future generations of athletes, just what took place in Sri Lanka after Jayasinghe won the World Championship medal and an Olympic medal three years later.

The bronze medal was unexpected to many but Ioannou's coach expressed his confidence that something special could happen. "We expected a good result. After the University Games in Bangkok we came to Osaka in time to adjust to the difficult weather conditions," he said.

Lagat - the men's 1,500m champ

Meanwhile, the new men's 1,500m World Championship gold medallist, Bernard Lagat dedicated his title to his brother-in-law, who died an year ago.

"My No 1 fan, my brother-in-law, passed away last year with complication of diabetes. He would have loved to have been here and I told my sister coming here (to the track) that this is for William Lagat, my brother-in-law. This was my dedication to him," he said.

Even then, the 32-year-old American champion middle distance runner had to face many challenges during his lead up to the tile. Two years after gaining the US citizenship, one year after the early death of his brother-in-law, and only six weeks after he was suffering a sickness, Lagat made personal history in Osaka last night. He clocked three minutes and 34.77 seconds to strike gold.

Watched from the stands by his wife and son - 17-month-old Miika Kimutai could be easily seen in his bright yellow tee-shirt with LAGAT! emblazoned on it - Lagat ran a faultless tactical race. After dedicating his victory to his brother-in-law, he praised his coach, James Li, as "a genius at laying out strategies".

Thomas leaps to a fairy tale ending

Donald Thomas was a college basketball player in Bahamas 18 months ago. He had only a little or no knowledge or interest in athletics. But he was blessed with a talent for winning the occasional dunking contest.

But at the Nagai Stadium under lights last night, Thomas was crowned the new men's high jump champion Similar to many talented but poor athletes in Sri Lanka, Thomas did not have a pair of spikes even. Instead, he has been using basketball shoes until recently. Instead of jumping spikes, Thomas' wore pole vault shoes for his jums in Osaka.

In his first competition since dabbling at High School back in Grand Bahama, Thomas jumped 2.23m, wearing basketball shoes. One year later, wearing pole vault shoes, as he has proved his courage could beat all odds to reach the top. It's not only a classic example to Lankans but all those poor but talented athletes all over the world.

Thomas does not lack in ambition or self-belief. "When you show up, then you show up in great shape, so I'm not surprised I won. I always want to be on top.

I took it like everyday competition. And it was a nice one, I hope people in Bahamas will celebrate even more than me. If somebody would clear 2.37 I would do the same, believe me. I never doubt in myself," he said.

OSAKA, Thursday