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US-Indoors: Favourite Hazel Clark wins 800 m

2005-03-02

In a not really thrilling 800 m final Hazel Clark won the title. Last year she had been runner-up.

The field remained together at the beginning. Hazel Clark lead the race and had a 200 m split time of 29.05. After 300 m Alice Schmidt took over and increased the pace. Hazel Clark didn’t let her go away and followed immediately.

One lap later Clark started sprinting and took the lead back again. They reached 600 m in a quick 1:30.79 minutes and it was for sure that nothing could happen anymore. Clark won the race in 2:01.98. The fight for second place was more thrilling. Kameisha Bennett tried to overtake Alice Schmidt on the finish straight but didn’t make it. Schmidt was holding on and got second in 2:02.32. Kameisha Bennett finished third in 2:02.77. „I wanted to win this race, and this is what I did”, said Hazel Clark after the race.

The men’s 800 m final was thrilling from the start to the end. Kevin Hicks, who holds the fastest indoor time this season, and Olympian Derrick Peterson were the favourites. The field was really nervous at first and everybody tried to get a position as best as possible. Fred Sharpe and Richard Smith were leading. After a 400 m split time of 52.49 seconds favourite Derrick Peterson fell in the curve. Tim Dunne then tried to get away from Fred Sharpe but failed. Sharpe increased the pace and Richard Smith, Joel Legare and Kevin Hicks followed. Hicks pulled himself past everybody at the beginning of the home straight. He brought his chest to the finish first in 1:48.73 minutes. Richard Smith and Joel Legare also made it past Fred Sharpe and got second and third. Smith was runner-up in 1:48.80 and Legare became third in 1:48.86. Fred Sharpe, who had been leading most of the time, broke down at the end and got the ungrateful fourth place.

MARISA REICH