Wijekoon achieves rare feat

One of 41 who broke national records at Daegu 2011:

Dinesh Weerawansa reporting from South Korea

Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Wijekoon has joined the elite club of athletes who broke their respective countries’ national records during the 13th IAAF World Championships concluded at the Daegu Stadium here Sunday night. Though over 2,000 athletes from 203 countries took part in the nine-day world athletic extravaganza, only 41 of them were able to shatter their countries’ national records. Asian Championship gold medallist Wijekoon achieved this rare feat during the quarter final heats of the men’s 1,500m, returning a timing of three minutes and 39.61 seconds to better his own Sri Lanka national record.

There was only a solitary world record at the Daegu World Chamoionships, that too coming only in the last event of the championship schedule last night when Jamaica’s men’s 4 x 100m relay team shattered the world mark, clocking 37.04 seconds.

Three IAAF World Championship records too were shattered in Daegu – all by women. New Zealander Valerie Adams (21.24m in shot put), Russian Maria Abakumova (71.99m in javelin throw) and Australian Sally Pearson (12.28 seconds in 100m hurdles) accounted for new World Championship records, winning gold medals in their respective events.

Four area records (continental records) too were broken during the 13th edition of the World Championship – by Fabiana Murer of Brazil (4.85m to win women’s pole vault gold), Sunette Viljoen of South Africa (68.38m to win the bronze in women’s javelin throw), Andres Chocho of Ecuador (three hours, 49 minutes and 32 seconds to finish 11th in men’s 50km race walk) and Brazil’s 4 x 100m women’s relay team which clocked 42.92 seconds in heats.

There were 17 of this year’s world’s leading performances in Daegu. Interestingly, Americans accounted for eight of the 17 world’s leading feats. All in all, a total of 166 athletes achieved their personal bests while 341 competitors accounted for their season’s best performances.

But the most popular athlete in town is undoubtedly that Jamaican sprint merchant Usain Bolt. In fact, he is the most popular athlete of the week if the reaction of the South Korean crowd is anything to go by. It was all so reminiscent of how Tokyo greeted the then sprint king Carl Lewis exactly 20 years ago, the same ripples of excitement every time he appeared on the track or even simply on the television screens in shots from the warm-up track or call room.

“I always do my best and run as hard as possible, so I’m happy,” was his initial brief assessment of Bolt when asked about his performance to secure men’s 200m gold medal, clocking 19.40 seconds - the fourth fastest 200m time in history.

Asked what he thinks about in the course of the 200m, double the length of the short sprint where thinking time is more limited, Bolt said that he takes “every event seriously”. “Lots of things go through my mind. But I keep talking to myself, coaching myself through the race,” he said. “It was a little bit different running in lane three, I don’t think I have ever run in lane three before, normally it’s five or six, there’s a tighter turn. I was slowest out so that is not good, I was a bit tight and more conscious it was not a perfect start,” he explained the path to success.

His start, of course, has become a point of discussion after his faux pas and disqualification in the 100m. “I have worked hard on my start all season. In the first round of the 100m it was perfect, in the second it was OK? But in the final I think I was suffering from anxiety, I was ready to go and get on the track and run.

“I think anxiety got the best of me,” he explained the circumstances that led to the biggest blunder in his career.

Some news outlets think they found the key when they detected a twitch in the leg of eventual winner and team-mate Yohan Blake who started alongside Bolt. But now Bolt was here to set the record straight. “It was all my fault. People are saying that Yohan twitched, but that is not the case.

He has worked hard all season and if anybody deserves to win it was Yohan. Right from the moment he came to work with us he has worked hard,” said Bolt.

Bolt says that he has learnt a good lesson after the false start which cost him the men’s 100m gold.

Asked whether he agreed that the false start rule should be changed back to what it was, he answered. “The false start in the hundred was my fault, so for me it has taught me a lesson to wait and listen because the gun gives the command.

“I could not work harder than I do. I know my limitations, I know what my body can take,” he added. The United States led the team tally with 12 gold and 25 medals in all. Russia was next with nine gold and 19 total, followed by Kenya with seven gold and 17 in all. Jamaica will take home nine medals - four of those gold - while Germany and Great Britain and Northern Ireland each won seven medals apiece. In all, athletes from 41 countries took home medals.

Tears came to everyone’s eyes as they felt the sad feeling of leaving Daegu, ending the new bonds and friendships they have developed during the past two to three weeks in South Korea. But they had one hope, that’s to meet once again at the next IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia in two years time.

“See you in Moscow,” were the last words they exchanged, as the stadium’s giant electronic screen showed the countdown for the 14th IAAF World Championships in 2013. The next edition of the IAAF World Championship would begin exactly 712 days from today.

DAEGU, Monday.