Men's and Women's Athletics / Preliminary and Final Rounds
Women's 800m Qualifying
Fast Running in Women's 800m Qualifying:
Led by Kelly HOLMES (GBR), the top qualifier at 1:58.80, a total of 13 women ran under 2:00 in the opening round of the women's 800 meters. HOLMES pulled Patricia DJATE-TAILLARD (FRA) to the day's second fastest time of 1:58.98 in Heat 5. In addition to those two, Marie MUTOLA (MOZ), Svetlana MASTERKOVA (RUS) and Ana Fidelia QUIROT (CUB) also easily advanced to the semifinals.
Top Qualifiers: Kelly HOLMES (GBR), 1:58.80; Patricia DJATE-TAILLARD (FRA), 1:58.98; Maria MUTOLA (MOZ), 1:58.98; Yelena AFANASYEV(RUS)), 1:59.18; Natasha DUKHNOVA (BLR), 1:59.23; Toni HODGKINSON (NZL), 1:59.35.
Once Again, 100m Goes by the Book:
The major stars advanced to the semifinals of the women's 100 meters. Gail DEVERS (USA) was again the fastest of the round, running 10.94 in winning her section. Merlene OTTEY (JAM), bidding for her first gold in the 100m, easily took her quarterfinal, running a relaxed 11.02. Irina PRIVALOVA (RUS) was the last qualifier for the semifinals, finishing fourth in Heat 3 at 11.40.
Top Qualifiers: Gail DEVERS (USA), 10.94; Merlene OTTEY (JAM), 11.02; Mary ONYALI (NGR), 11.08; Gwen TORRENCE (USA), 11.11; Zhanna PINTUSEVYCH (UKR), 11.14; Marina TRANDEKOVA (RUS), 11.15.
Europeans Lead Qualifying
Felicia TILEA (ROM), Heli RANTANEN (FIN) and event favorite Trine HATTESTAD (NOR) all threw more than 64 meters to automatically qualify for Saturday's women's javelin finals. Notable non-qualifiers included Silke RENK (GER), Tessa SANDERSON (GBR) and Oksana OVCHINNIKOVA (RUS).
Top Qualifiers: Filicia TILEA (ROM), 66.94; Heli RANTANEN (FIN), 66.54; Trine HATTESTAD (FIN), 64.52; Natasha SHIKOLENKO (BLR), 62.32; Louise MCPAUL (AUS), 62.32; Odelmys PALMA (CUB), 62.30.
Big Names Run Fast in Quarterfinals
Frank FREDERICKS (NAM) and Ato BOLDON (TRI), two of the favorites for sprint gold medals in Atlanta, ran 9.93 and 9.95, respectively, to lead the quarterfinal round of men's 100m. Both eased up for easy wins, with FREDERICS just 0.01 off the Olympic record. Linford CHRISTIE (GBR) and Michael MARSH (USA) each won their heats to advance. In addition to MARSH, Dennis MITCHELL and Jon DRUMMOND advanced to the semifinals for the United States. Nigeria's Olapade ADENIKEN ran 10.38 to finish sixth in his heat, failing to move to the semifinals.
Top Qualifiers: Frank FREDERICKS (NAM), 9.93; Ato BOLDON (TRI), 9.95; Linford CHRISTIE (GBR), 10.03; Michael MARSH (USA), 10.04; Donovan BAILEY (CAN), 10.05; Davidson EZINWA (NIG), 10.08.
Harrison Leads 400m Qualifying, While Johnson is Safely Through
The United States' Alvin HARRISON was the lone runner to break 45 seconds in the first round of the men's 400m, as most of the major stars chose to conserve energy for tomorrow's quarterfinals. Roger BLACK (GBR) and world record holder Butch REYNOLDS (USA) both won their heats in relaxed fashion, while Michael JOHNSON (USA) slowed to a crawl in the last 20 meters of his race, easily qualifying with a 45.80 performance.
Top Qualifiers: Alvin HARRISON (USA), 44.69; Clement CHUKWU (NGR), 45.18; Sunday BADA (NGR), 45.19; Iwan THOMAS (GBR), 45.22; Roger BLACK (GBR), 45.28 Neil DE SILVA (TRI), 45.34.
Harrison Gets Long One in Triple Jump Qualifying
Kenny HARRISON (USA) jumped 17.58 meters into a negative wind to lead qualifying for the men's triple jump finals. His leap was just 5 centimeters off Mike CONLEY's (USA) Olympic record. CONLEY was today's second qualifier, jumping 17.20 meters. World record holder Jonathan EDWARDS (GBR) also advanced with a jump of 16.96 meters.
Top Qualifiers: Kenny HARRISON (USA), 17.58; Mike CONLEY (USA), 17.20; Yoelbi QUESADA (CUB), 17.19; Galin GEORGIEV (BUL), 17.02; Jonathan EDWARDS (GBR), 16.96.
Wang, O'Sullivan, Cheruiyot Experience Little Difficulty in Qualifying
Sonia O'SULLIVAN (IRL) used a strong finish to win her section of the women's 5000m to join 14 other contestants in the final. Five of the top six qualifying times came from O'SULLIVAN's section, after Sara WEDLUND (SWE) did most of the pace work. Italy's Roberta BRUNET took Heat 2 at 15:22.58, with WANG Junxia (CHN) safely in fourth. Pauline KONGA (KEN) led all the way in taking Heat 3 in the fastest time of the day.
Top Qualifiers: Pauline KONGA (KEN), 15:07.01; Sonia O'SULLIVAN (IRL), 15;15.80; Elena FIDATOV (ROM), 15;17.89; Lynn JENNINGS (USA), 15:19.66; Anita WEYERMAN (SUI), 15:19.91; Sara WEDLUND (SWE), 15:20.61.
Ethiopians Cruise in 10,000m First Round
Gold medal favorite Haile GEBRSELASSIE (ETH) and fellow countryman Worku BIKILA each captured 10,000 meter heats in qualifying on Friday. BIKILA led seven men under 28 minutes in the first section, while GEBRSELASSIE smiled to the crowd over the last lap of his heat.
Top Qualifiers: Worku BIKILA (ETH), 27:50.57; Paul TERGAT (KEN), 27:50.66; Mathias NTAWULIKURA (RWA), 27:51.69; Aloys NIZIGAMA (BDI), 27:53.21; Salah HISSOU (MAR), 27:53.32; Stefano BALDINI (ITA), 27:55.79.
Barnes Comes Up Big on Final Throw
World record holder Randy BARNES (USA) threw 21.62 meters on his final throw to pass John GODINA (USA) for the gold medal in the men's shot put final. GODINA took the lead in the fifth frame with a 20.79 meters throw, surpassing Paolo DAL SOGLIO (ITA), who fell out of the medals when Oleksander BAGACH (UKR) came through with a 20.75 meters put on his sixth attempt. Before his big throw, BARNES had languished in fourth place most of the evening. Final Results: Gold - Randy BARNES (USA), 21.62; Silver - John GODINA (USA), 20.79; Bronze - Oleksander BAGACH (UKR), 20.75.
Men's 20km Walk - Final
Ecuadorian Walker Takes Gold Medal In Upset Win
Jefferson PEREZ (ECU) broke away from a five-man pack with 2 kilometers remaining to win the 20km walk on Friday. PEREZ outlegged Ilya MARKOV (RUS) and Bernardo SEGURA (MEX), winning the gold medal by 9 seconds over MARKOV. Just 34 seconds separated winner PEREZ from fifth place, as the top seven finishers were all within 1 minute of each other. The walk was contested under relatively cool, but humid conditions, on a tough Atlanta course. Final Results: Gold - Jefferson PEREZ (ECU), 1:20:07; Silver - Ilya MARKOV (RUS), 1:20:16; Bronze - Bernardo SEGURA (MEX), 1:20:23.
Favorites Make it Through to Final Round
Thirteen jumpers cleared 2.28m (7-5-3/4), a record number in an Olympic Games qualifying round, to advance to Sunday's men's high jump final. Four athletes, Charles AUSTIN (USA), Tim FORSYTH (AUS), Artur PARTYKA (POL) and Dragutin TOPIC (YUG), all made it through qualifying without a miss. World record holder Javier SOTOMAYOR (CUB) and world champion Troy KEMP (BAH) also safely made the final. The only top jumper who did not advance was Dalton GRANT (GBR), who missed three attempts at the qualifying height. Top Qualifiers (all cleared 2.28m): Charles AUSTIN (USA), Tim FORSYTH (AUS), Artur PARTYKA (POL), Dragutin TOPIC (YUG).
Few Surprises in Men's Shot Qualifying
The men's shot put qualifying round went according to form, with most of the medal candidates advancing to Friday evenings final. Paolo DAL SOGLIO (ITA) led all qualifiers with a throw of 20.58m (67-6-1/4). The United States kept its hopes for a medal sweep alive, with John GODINA, Randy BARNES, and C.J. HUNTER all reaching the final. Ukraine also advanced three throwers, with Oleksander BAGACH, Oleksander KLYMENKO and Roman VIRASTYUK leading the way. The most prominent non-qualifier for Friday evening's final was Mika HALVARI (FIN). Top Qualifiers: Paolo DAL SOGLIO (ITA), 20.58m; John GODINA (USA), 20.54m; Oliver-Sven BUDER (GER), 20.43m; Randy BARNES (USA), 20.43m.
Devers Fastest in Qualifying as Dash Goes According to Form
Gail DEVERS (USA) ran 10.92 under overcast skies and cool conditions to lead the first round of the women's 100 meters on Friday. The defending Olympic champion will be joined in the quarterfinals by most of the other pre-meet medal contenders, including Merlene OTTEY (JAM), Gwen TORRENCE (USA), and Irina PRIVALOVA (RUS). Top Qualifiers: Gail DEVERS (USA), 10.92; Juliet CUTHBERT (JAM), 11.06; D'Andre HILL (USA), 11.11; Gwen TORRENCE (USA), 11.11; Merlene OTTEY (JAM), 11.17; Susanthika JAYASINGHE (SRI), 11.18.
Smooth Sailing for World Leaders
In keeping with most of Friday's preliminary rounds, the women's 400 meter heats went as predicted, with the favorites qualifying for Saturday's quarterfinal round. Marie-Jose PEREC (FRA), the only sub-49 second runner in the field, looked relaxed in finishing third in her heat with a time of 51.82. Pauline DAVIS (BAH), who trains in Atlanta, recorded the day's quickest time, winning heat one with a time of 51.00. Top Qualifiers: Pauline Davis (BAH), 51.00; Svetlana GONCHARENKO (RUS), 51.07; Maicel MALONE (USA), 51.28; Phylis SMITH (GBR), 51.29; Renee POETSCHKA (AUS), 51.55; Juliet CAMPBELL (JAM), 51.57.
Another Sprint Heat with Few Upsets
About the only surprise in the opening round of the men's 100 meter heats was the relatively modest times recorded on a track considered to be very fast. Davidson EZINWA (NIG) took advantage of shifting winds to run the day's top time at 10.03, while Ato BOLDON (TRI), Dennis MITCHELL (USA), Linford CHRISTIE (GBR) and Frank FREDERICKS (NAM) all qualified for the quarterfinals on Friday evening. Top Qualifiers: Davidson EZINWA (NIG), 10.03; Ato BOLDON (TRI), 10.06; Jon DRUMMOND (USA), 10.08; Michael Marsh (USA), 10.14; Emmanuel TUFFOUR (GHA), 10.15; Michael GREEN (JAM), 10.16.
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| Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Games involved a crew of 2,100 who worked with more than 3,500 performers as well as thousands of athletes who celebrated on the field of Olympic Stadium. |