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Last jump gives Montalvo and Spain gold

Nick Davies

Seville’s partisan crowd told the story – or rather clapped and sang as Cuban-born Spaniard Niurka Montalvo brought the stadium to life by grabbing gold with her last effort in the women’s long jump.

It was Spain’s first – and least expected gold – of the World Athletics championships. "Normally I’m good with my last attempt and I proved this again tonight. The whole competition was tough for me. I was so worried that Fiona May might beat my mark with her last jump. .."

Until Montalvo smacked her foot down, perilously close to the plasticine line, and soared high into the air, it looked as if this event would be remembered for the failure of Marion Jones to achieve her ambitious target of four gold medals. But the speed that saw Jones win gold over 100m last night is not yet allied to good jumping technique and she could only achieve 6.79 for the bronze medal.

Still, the young American was extremely gracious when she realised she had lost her chance. Getting up from the sand, her face cracked into a big smile as she waved to the crowd. The jump may have been long enough to win too, but she fouled on the take off board.

"Of course I am a little disappointed. This time it didn’t go my way. I am not concentrating on long jump though. I will continue in the future exactly as I have been doing things. I congratulated Montalvo. Her huge last jump showed great character. She earned her victory."

It seemed as if Fiona May, who won this title back in 1995 with 6.98, had repeated her feat with an even poorer mark of 6.94 – the worst at global level since the 1976 Olympics. May’s best effort had come in the first round which killed the contest for drama until the final round and Montalvo’s crowd-aided leap into history.

As Montalvo was savouring the applause and her new national record of 7.06, the Italian team lodged an official protest saying the it was a "no-jump", but an IAAF jury of appeal comprising Alberto Juantorena, Eisha Al Dashti, Igor Ter Ovanesian and Hasan Agabani, confirmed that the original result stood.

Following the verdict, May decided to retire.

''She's had enough,'' said her husband and coach Gianni Iapichino. ''That's the end.''

A tearful May said: ''I saw it was a foul. I don't want to sound unsportsmanlike but everybody saw it. I can't go on like this.''

May, who turns 30 this year, formerly competed for Britain and was a World junior champion in 1988.

She has competed for Italy since 1994 and became Italy's first women's World champion in any event at the 1995 Gothenburg championships.

Her husband, who was born in the United States, is a former Italian pole vault record holder.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the last IAAF Golden League Meeting in Zurich, when Bernard Barmasai was alleged to have asked his Kenyan countryman Christopher Kosgei not to beat him, gave the final of the 3000 metres steeplechase extra spice last night. But although the lead changed hands many times in a frantic last lap sprint, there was no doubt about the winner – Christopher Koskei, and it was not Barmasai who was outkicked so emphatically but Wilson Boit Kipketer, the defending World champion.

Barmasai could only finish fifth behind Elarbi Khattabi of Morocco and Damien Kallabis of Germany. Koskei was so delighted to continue a Kenyan win streak in major championships that began in 1984, that he began celebrating, punching a finger into the air, long before he stopped the clock at 8:11.76.

"We had a pre-race plan," confirmed Koskei after the race. "It was quite simple. We were to work together as a team until 2000 metres then it was every man for himself. As we reached the finish I waited for either Barmasai or Kallabis to make a break but there was no reaction."

When the race began, with a temperature of 32 degrees and humidity at a clammy 43%, the Kenyans were content to let Damien Kallabis and Romania’s Florian Ionescu take up the early pace. But the conditions soon took their toll and by the halfway point first Barmasai, then Kosgei, began to pull away. With three Kenyans in single file at 2000 metres (reached in 5:33.54), it was a case of who would grab the glory. With Barmasai dropping back, a clean sweep was denied, but it was not Kallabis doing the giant-killing this time but Khattabi – so Europe was kept off the podium.

Franka Dietzsch gathered herself for her penultimate throw. Focused and alert, she spun across the concrete circle with balletic grace before releasing the discus at the optimum moment. During its flight she looked anxious, but as the steel disc exploded into the turf, her expression changed – she had breached the 68 metre barrier and improved her lead. Dietzch punched the air and waved to her fans in the stand. Her closest rival, the Greek Anastasia, had earlier thrown 66.05 but was not able to improve and settled for silver.

In two seasons, the 31-year-old has won all the major titles available – from the European Championship and World Cup last year to this, her first World Championship title.

"I felt very nervous entering the infield before the competition began but I was lucky enough to get a good throw out. But when the Greek threw 66 metres I thought that maybe my first round mark would not be enough. But I was able to calm myself and throw that winning mark in the fifth round. I am feeling super because I came as the second best in the world. I would have been satisfied with bronze."

Discovered and developed by the sports system of the former German Democratic Republic, the fall of the Berlin wall brought great changes to the life of the 1.83 tall discus thrower. Only in 1998, did it all click as Dietzsch broke her nine year-old personal best and began collecting major honours.

With the withdrawal of Javier Sotomayor and Artur Partyka, the high jump may have lacked two star performers but it was still an enthralling contest and confirmed the emergence of a great new Russian – Vyacheslav Voronin – who had a faultless competition. Starting at 2.20, he needed just five jumps at five heights to win gold with 2.37. Silver went to the young Canadian Mark Boswell, an extrovert performer with his dreadlocks and knee-length white socks, in 2.35. The former world junior champion set a new national record to overtake Germany’s Martin Buss who had also cleared without problems until 2.32, but then failed three times at 2.35.

"These great championships are all about your psychological strength," said Voronin. "We all train to the same level so it is the mind that decides the medals."

Voronin, who trains at the Russian health resort of Sochi, dedicated his victory to his wife (watching from the stands) and the people of his home city Vladikavkaz.

Because of an achilles injury, Steve Smith only started jumping when the bar was raised to 2.35 – but he limped away in pain after failing once, passing to the next height, and failing his remaining two attempts.