El Guerrouj looks for fourth title

PARIS (Reuters) -- Age and injury have taken their toll on a host of defending champions at the athletics world championships this week.

Haile Gebrselassie was outsprinted by a younger compatriot in the men's 10,000 meters final and Maurice Greene pulled up lame in the 100 meters semifinals.

Gail Devers was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100 meters hurdles and the injured Konstadinos Kederis did not even make it to the start line in the 200.

The decline of so many of the great track and field athletes of the past few years, puts extra pressure on Hicham El Guerrouj who defends his 1,500 title on Wednesday.

El Guerrouj withdrew from the London grand prix this month with a minor back injury but recovered in time to set the fastest time of the year at the Zurich Golden League meeting.

The 28-year-old Moroccan will overtake Nourredine Morceli's mark of three consecutive world 1,500 titles if he wins. He has also entered the 5,000 meters, which would complete a unique double in 20 years of the world championships if he succeeds.

Mexican Ana Guevara, who won each of her 12 races last year including the World Cup in Madrid, has done nothing in Paris to indicate that she will not be an overwhelming favorite in the women's 400 final.

Already looking for new challenges, Guevara has said she may attempt to step up a distance and attempt the world 800 meters record set by Jarmila Kratochvilova 20 years ago.

The fifth day begins with the men's 50 km walk and defending champion Robert Korzeniowski is the clear favorite.

Other titles to be decided Wednesday are the women's shot put and the decathlon, where Kazakhstan's Dmitry Karpov set four personal bests in the opening day's five events to take the lead with 4,599 points.

Wednesday's Finals

MEN'S 50 KM WALK

Defending champion Robert Korzeniowski has dominated the event since winning Olympic gold in 1996 and is aiming for his third world title before retiring after the Athens Olympics.

His run of medals at the world championships stretching back to bronze in 1995 was only interrupted in 1999 in Seville when he was disqualified just before the 40-metre mark.

But he came back stronger at the 2000 Sydney Olympics where he won an unprecedented 20-50 km double. The 35-year-old did not attempt the double here but is the clear 50 km favorite.

His main rivals will be Spain's Mikel Odriozola, who has the best time in the world this year (3:42.03), and Russian champion Denis Nizhegorodov, who has the second best time (3:43.27).

Russians Aleksey Voyevodin, European silver medalist behind Korzeniowski, and German Skurygin, stripped of his world gold in Seville for doping, should also challenge for a medal.

World champion: Robert Korzeniowski (Poland)

Olympic champion: Robert Korzeniowski

World best: Robert Korzeniowski 3:36.39 Munich August 8, 2002

World leading: Mikel Odriozola (Spain) 3:42.02 Ourense February 16

WOMEN'S SHOT PUT

Russia's Svetlana Krivelyova, who has the best put this year, is favorite to add gold to the silver she won in 1993 and the bronze medals she picked up in 1991 and 1999 respectively.

The 1992 Olympic champion is now 34 but still has the edge over compatriot and European champion Irina Korzhanenko, who has the second best put (20.17) this year but is some way behind.

Ukrainian Vita Pavlysh, who took silver in 1997 and bronze in Edmonton two years ago, should mount a challenge along with Germany's Astrid Kumbernuss, world champion from 1995 to 1999.

World champion: Yanina Korolchik (Belarus)

Olympic champion: Yanina Korolchik

World record: Natalya Lisovskaya (Russia) 22.63 Moscow June 7, 1987

World leading: Svetlana Krivelyova (Russia) 20.77 Tula August, 10

WOMEN'S 100 METERS HURDLES

Three-times champion Gail Devers surprisingly failed to qualify for the final after finishing third in her semifinal heat behind Canadian Perdita Felicien on Tuesday.

That scuppered her chances of a fourth 100 hurdles world title at 36, and has left Jamaica's Brigitte Foster, fastest in the world this year and in the semifinals, as the favorite.

Devers elimination has not ended the American challenge, however. Miesha McKelvy and Jenny Adams had the third and fourth fastest times in qualifying respectively and could medal.

Glory Alozie, once of Nigeria but now Spain, was silver medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympics but is struggling for form and only just made the final as one of the fastest qualifiers.

World champion: Anjanette Kirkland (U.S.)

Olympic champion: Olga Shishigina (Kazakhstan)

World record: Yordanka Donkova (Bulgaria) 12.21 Stara Zagora August 20, 1988

World leading: Brigitte Foster (Jamaica) 12.45 Eugene May 24

MEN'S 1500 METERS

Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj shrugged off a back injury to clock the fastest time of the year in Zurich this month to prove he was fit ahead of his bid for a fourth world title in a row.

If successful the 28-year-old would surpass Algeria's Noureddine Morceli, who won three golds from 1991 to 1995. It would also set him up nicely for a 1500-5,000 double.

That has only been achieved once in a major championships -- by Finland's Paavo Nurmi at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Kenya's Bernard Lagat, runner-up in Edmonton two years ago and the second fastest in the world this year, would have been the Moroccan's chief rival but pulled out of through illness.

Kenya's bid for glory now rests with little known Paul Korir and teenager Isaac Songok

The main challenge will be from home crowd favourites in the shape of European champion Mehdi Baala, who won Monday's second heat, and Fouad Chouki, third on the world leading list.

World champion: Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco)

Olympic champion: Noah Ngeny (Kenya)

World record: Hicham El Guerrouj 3:26.00 Rome July 14, 1998

World leading: Hicham El Guerrouj 3:29.13 Zurich August 15

WOMEN'S 400 METERS

Mexican Ana Guevara, bronze medalist in Edmonton, is one of the hottest favourites here to win gold after a long unbeaten run of six finals this year after a 12-race streak in 2002.

Worryingly for her rivals, the 26-year-old is also hitting top form at just the right time after running a personal and season-leading time in Zurich this month.

Guevara, the first Mexican woman ever to win a world track title two years ago, also comes to Paris just a few weeks after breezing to victory at the Pan American Games.

Jamaica's Lorraine Fenton, silver medalist two years ago, is the main threat to Guevara despite coming second in her semifinal here behind Tonique Williams of the Bahamas.

The only other woman besides Guevara and Fenton to break 50 seconds this year is Russia's Natalya Nazarova, silver medalist at the Sydney Olympics and the 2001 worlds in Edmonton.

Defending champion Amy Mbacke Thiam of Senegal was a real surprise package two years ago and, while she has since been troubled by injury, her form has returned at the right time.

World champion: Amy Mbacke Thiam (Senegal)

Olympic champion: Cathy Freeman (Australia)

World record: Marita Koch (East Germany) 47.60 Canberra October 10, 1985

World leading: Ana Guevara (Mexico) 49.11 Zurich August 15

MEN'S DECATHLON

Newcomer Dmitry Karpov set four personal bests in the opening day's five events to take a surprise lead halfway through the decathlon on Tuesday with 4,599 points.

The 22-year-old from Kazakhstan, a modest sixth on the 2003 list and not among the favourites, ended the day narrowly ahead of world indoor heptathlon champion Tom Pappas.

American Pappas, the second best performer of the year, collected 4,546 points, while Czech world record holder Roman Sebrle recovered from a poor start for third place on 4,423.

Olympic champion Erki Nool pulling out of the final after three events because of a thigh injury, and Czech Tomas Dvorak, the defending world champion and former world record holder, struggled for equal sixth place overall on 4,145.

The expected duel between Sebrle, the first decathlete to break 9,000 points, and Pappas should materialise on Wednesday, unless Karpov maintains his unexpected run of form.

World champion: Tomas Dvorak (Czech Republic)

Olympic champion: Erki Nool (Estonia)

World record: Roman Sebrle (Czech Republic) 9026 Gotzis May 27, 2001

World leading: Roman Sebrle 8807 Gotzis, June 1

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