Ottey leads athletics old-timers

GOTHENBURG – Merlene Ottey rolled back the years to qualify for the semi-finals of the women’s 100 metres as the ‘old-timers’ showed age was no barrier to success yesterday.

In the women’s discus, 38-year-old world champion Franka Dietzsch of Germany topped qualifying with 65.93 metres. She will be joined in Thursday’s final by Olympic bronze medallist Iryna Yatchenko, 40, and twice world champion Ellina Zvereva of Belarus, who is 45.Ottey, still going strong at 46, tied up late in her heat but finished third to qualify for Wednesday’s semi-finals and equalled her own world age group record with a time of 11.41 seconds.Belgium’s Kim Gevaert was the quickest in qualifying with 11.19 to qualify easily for the semi-finals.Olympic champion Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus has not been in form this season and scraped through to the next round with fourth place in her heat in 11.33.Crowd favourite Carolina Kluft stretched her overall lead in the heptathlon to 170 points over Britain’s Kelly Sotherton with the best long jump of 6.65 metres – the fifth of the seven disciplines.The world and Olympic champion appears almost certain to retain her European title after arch rival Eunice Barber of France pulled out of the competition on Monday with a sore left thigh.The javelin and 800 metres take place later on Tuesday.Gold medal favourite Tatyana Lebedeva asserted her authority on the triple jump competition, qualifying for Wednesday’s final with her first effort.The Olympic long jump champion leaped 14.36 metres, a distance only bettered by Greece’s Hrisopiyi Devetzi with 14.64.Bulgarian Vanya Stambolova and Russia’s Olga Zaitseva, the two fastest women in Europe this year, led qualifying in the first round of the 400 metres.Nampa-ReutersShe will be joined in Thursday’s final by Olympic bronze medallist Iryna Yatchenko, 40, and twice world champion Ellina Zvereva of Belarus, who is 45.Ottey, still going strong at 46, tied up late in her heat but finished third to qualify for Wednesday’s semi-finals and equalled her own world age group record with a time of 11.41 seconds.Belgium’s Kim Gevaert was the quickest in qualifying with 11.19 to qualify easily for the semi-finals.Olympic champion Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus has not been in form this season and scraped through to the next round with fourth place in her heat in 11.33.Crowd favourite Carolina Kluft stretched her overall lead in the heptathlon to 170 points over Britain’s Kelly Sotherton with the best long jump of 6.65 metres – the fifth of the seven disciplines.The world and Olympic champion appears almost certain to retain her European title after arch rival Eunice Barber of France pulled out of the competition on Monday with a sore left thigh.The javelin and 800 metres take place later on Tuesday.Gold medal favourite Tatyana Lebedeva asserted her authority on the triple jump competition, qualifying for Wednesday’s final with her first effort.The Olympic long jump champion leaped 14.36 metres, a distance only bettered by Greece’s Hrisopiyi Devetzi with 14.64.Bulgarian Vanya Stambolova and Russia’s Olga Zaitseva, the two fastest women in Europe this year, led qualifying in the first round of the 400 metres.Nampa-Reuters