Sport

World Champs flashback...Beckford leaps on scene

James Beckford - file

This is the fourth in a series on Jamaican athletes who have reached the finals of events at the IAAF World Championships. Today we look at the 1995 championships held in Gothenburg, Sweden. The first three articles focussed on the championships of 1983/1997, 1991 and 1993. The 10th IAAF World Championships will be held in Helsinki, Finland, August 6-14.

MERLENE OTTEY DOMINATED the track and field scene in Jamaica for 20 years and at the fifth World Championships held in Gothenburg, Sweden the former Rusea's High and Vere Technical High athlete was again in the limelight.

This time, however, she had to share some of the spotlight with James Beckford a brash 20-year-old United States-based athlete who reached the final of both the long jump and triple jump and helped Jamaica to seven medals overall. The tally was one gold, four silver and two bronze.

Ottey repeated the 100m silver and 200m gold she won in Stuttgart two years earlier. This time, however, she got the 200m gold after first-past-the-post Gwen Torrence was disqualified.

The American was thrown out of the race after overhead cameras showed that she made five steps on the line while taking the curve in the 200m final.

The American appealed but this was rejected. The rules allow automatic disqualification for such an offence because athletes would have an advantage by running less distance.

Ottey's gold

Ottey, who crossed the line second, was awarded the gold in 22.12. Russia's Irina Privalova was elevated to silver with the same time with her compatriot Galina Malchugina getting bronze in 22.37.

The 200m gold was Ottey's fifth successive world 200m medal and she became the oldest ever female world champion at 35 years and 92 days.

Torrence had earlier taken the 100m gold easily in 10.85 ahead of Ottey's 10.94 and Privalova 10.96. Another Jamaican, Juliet Cuthbert, was eighth in 11.44.

The 200m was expected to be a cinch for Torrence as everyone knew that was her better event. And so it proved until the disqualification. She was never troubled and clocked 21.77 seconds running against a 2.2 metres per second headwind.

Ottey again pocketed a third medal when she led the 4x100m quartet to a silver in 42.25 behind the Americans who got gold in 42.12. Germany, 43.01, were third.

Jamaica used the same quartet which got gold in Tokyo four years earlier. Dahlia Duhaney to Juliet Cuthbert, Beverly McDonald and Ottey. Michelle Freeman ran in the first round but made way for Cuthbert for the final.

Thirteen medals

The relay silver gave Ottey a record 13 World Championship medals.

Jamaica's women won a fourth medal when Deon Hemmings finished third in the 400m hurdles final. The event was won in a world record 52.61 by American Kim Batten. In a very close finish for the first two medals Batten and her compatriot Tonja Buford were both awarded the same time. Hemmings clocked 53.48.

Two Jamaicans reached the 100m hurdles final for the first time. Former world junior champion Gillian Russell was sixth in 12.96 and Dionne Rose seventh in 12.98. Freeman was eliminated in the semi-finals.

American Gail Devers repeated her triumph of two years earlier, winning in 12.68 ahead of Olga Shishigina of Kazakhstan, 12.80, and Russia's Yuliya Graudyn, 12.85.

Disqualification

Sandie Richards was unable to reproduce her bronze medal performance of 1993 and finished eighth in the 400m final in 51.13. Frenchwoman Marie-Jose Perec won gold in 49.28, Pauline Davis of Bahamas second in 49.96 with American Jearl Miles pocketing bronze in 50.00.

The disqualification bug bit Jamaica in the women's 4x400m. Rivoli Campbell, Merlene Fraser, Sandie Richards and Deon Hemmings crossed the line third but were disqualified because of a lane violation. Claudine Williams ran in the first round of the event.

The medallists were United States 3:22.39, Russia 3:23.98 and Australia 3:25.88.

Consistent sprinter Raymond Stewart reached his fourth consecutive 100m final but the star among the men was Beckford.

He became the first Jamaican athlete to win a field event medal at the World Championships when he took the long jump silver with a leap of 8.30m behind Cuba's Ivan Pedroso (8.70m). World record holder Mike Powell of the United States pocketed bronze with 8.29m.

Beckford was sixth in the triple jump final, an event in which Great Britain's Jonathan Edwards broke the world record twice and became the first man to go past 18m legally in the event. He eventually got gold with 18.29m. Brian Wellman of Bermuda was second with 17.62m and Dominica's Jerome Romain third on 17.59m. The last two distances were both wind-assisted.

Gregory Haughton was, like Ottey, a multiple medal winner for Jamaica. He was third in the 400m running a personal best 44.56.

American Michael Johnson became the first man to retain a world or Olympic 400m title when he won in a near world record 43.39. His countryman, world record holder Butch Reynolds, was second in 44.22.

The Jamaican men did fairly well in the relays. Haughton led the 4x400m quartet to an impressive silver in 2:59.88 as the United States won in 2:57.32. Bronze went to Nigeria in 3:03.18. Michael McDonald, Davian Clarke, Danny McFarlane and Haughton ran in the final. Dennis Blake ran in the first round but made way for Haughton.

Beckford, Michael Green, Leon Gordon and Stewart were fourth in the sprint relay final in 39.10 behind Canada 38.31, Australia 38.50 and Italy 39.07. Beckford competed in just one race, Warren Johnson ran in the first round and Robert Foster in the semi-finals.