By John Bagratuni Aug 23, 2008, 15:12 GMT
Beijing - Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia completed a rare Olympic long distance double while Belgium's Tia Hellebaud shocked one of the biggest pre-Games favourites when she beat Blanka Vlasic for high jump gold on Saturday.
Bekele, who added the 5,000m gold to the 10,000m a week ago, is only the fifth man overall to get the distance double, the last being compatriot Yifter in 1980.
The European champion Hellebaud handed world champion Vlasic a first defeat after 34 wins since June 2007 on the countback rule after the classiest competition in high jump history as both soared 2.05 metres.
There was double joy for Kenya as Nancy Jebet Langat won the nation's first ever women's 1,500 metres Olympic gold and Wilfred Bungei ended Kenya's 16-year wait for another 800m victory.
The United States, meanwhile, made amends for a poor showing in Beijing by winning the men's and women's 4x400m relays for a total seven golds, one more than the six they took from their worst Olympic athletics performances in 1972 and 1976.
Andreas Thorkildson won the javelin for Norway as he did in 2004.
Bekele joined the distance running greats Emil Zatopek (1952), Vladimir Kuts (1956), Lasse Viren (1972, 1976) and Yifter with the double as he shocked his rivals with a deadly sprint at the bell.
The Ethiopian clocked 12 minutes 57.82 seconds for victory. The 2003 world champion Eliud Kipchoge added silver to 2000 bronze for Kenya in 13:02.80 and compatriot Edwin Cheruiyot Soi took bronze in 13:06.22 minutes.
'It is very special for me. It was a fantastic race and a fantastic day for me,' said Bekele.
Ethiopia had also claimed the women's distance double, with Tirunesh Dibaba.
There was disappointment again for the Kenya-born 1,500m and 5,000m world champion Bernard Langat of the US as he had to settle for ninth place after going out in the 1,500m semi-finals.
Bungei, 28, led from start to win the men's 800m in 1:44.65 seconds. Sudan's Ismail Ahmed Ismail took silver in 1:44.70 while Kenyan world champion Alfred Yego had to settle for bronze in 1:44.82 minutes.
The 2004 gold medallist Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia and season leader Abubaker Kaki of Algeria had crashed out in the semi-finals.
Bungei's win ended Kenya's gold medal drought in the 800m that stretches back to William Tanui's win in Barcelona in 1992.
'It's a great evening for us Kenyans. We came her not knowing what we could do and now we have two gold medals tonight,' said Bungei.
Kenya's first gold came when Nancy Jebet Langat surged ahead of world champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain on the final back straight to claim the women's 1,500m in a personal best 4:00.23 minutes a day after her 27th birthday.
Ukrainians Iryna Lishchynska, in 4:01.63, and Nataliya Tobias, in 4:01.78 minutes took silver and bronze. The Ethiopia-born Jamal, who had raised the tempo with 500m to go, faded dramatically to finish fifth.
After failing to win a single sprint gold and suffering mediocre results in other events in the Bird's Nest, the US at least saved face in the longer relays.
Sanya Richards did better than in the individual race when she beat Russia's Anastasia Kapachinskaya on the home stretch to get the women's gold with Mary Wineberg, 200m silver medallist Allyson Felix and Monique Henderson in 3:18.55 minutes.
Russia took silver with 3:18.55 and Jamaica bronze on 3:20.40.
The US men got their seventh straight 4x400m gold from 400m winner LaShawn Merritt, 400m hurdles 2000 and 2008 gold medallist Angelo Taylor, 400m bronze medallist David Neville and 400m 2004 gold and 2008 silver medallist Jeremy Wariner in 2:55.39 minutes.
The Bahamas took silver in 2:58.03 minutes and Russia got bronze in 2:58.06 minutes.
'A lot of things happened here that weren't expected. We have a lot to work on,' admitted Wariner.
That also applied in the high jump, where Hellebaud shocked Vlasic in a competition which resembled the 2006 Euro event where the Belgian also won against a dejected Vlasic.
Both leaped 2.05m but Hellebaud won on the on the cruel countback rule because she made the height on her first attempt while Vlasic took two jumps. Olga Chicherova took bronze with 2.03m and fellow-Russian 2004 champion Elena Slesarenko came up empty-handed despite 2.01m.
'I am always ready at big events. I did everything I had to do,' said Hellebaud.
Vlasic admitted to the pressure from her home country and, with her silver medal in her hand dangling close to the ground, was clearly feeling dismayed.
'What can you do, this is sport. I am proud but at the same time disappointed,' she said.
Thorkildsen won his second Olympic gold with a fifth-round javelin throw of 90.57m. Einars Kovals of Latvia took silver with 86.64m and world champion Tero Pitkamaeki of Finland took bronze with 86.16m.
The Olympic athletics events end with the men's marathon on Sunday.
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