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 Slow going Bolden has doubts about breaking 100 record; Maina wins 10,000
Posted: Wednesday September 16, 1998 01:23 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Ato Boldon cruised into the semifinal of the Commonwealth Games 100 meters with a fastest time of 10.05 seconds Wednesday and then said he doubted that he was running on a world record track. Surprised that no one had gone below 10 seconds in two rounds of heats, the Trinidad sprint star admitted that he might fall short of his bid to break Donovan Bailey's world mark of 9.84 in Thursday's final. Boldon had said earlier he thought the “Caribbean-style” heat and humidity of Kuala Lumpur were ideal for a world record performance. But after watching big rival Frankie Fredericks run 10.15 and Obadele Thompson of Barbados clock 10.09, he believed the brand new track at the 100,000-capacity National Stadium might not be fast enough. ”I'm starting to have my doubts about the track. It's not just me, it's the times the other guys are running,” said Boldon, who runs the semifinals and final on Thursday. ”I think Frankie should have run faster so I'm having a few questions about whether it's a world record track. ”If I'm going to have a chance for it I must aim for a very good semifinal tomorrow.” The opening day of athletics saw Kenyans 1-2 in the men's 10,000 meters, with Simon Maina beating William Kalya and Australia's Steve Moneghetti taking bronze to gain a medal for the fourth Commonwealth Games in a row. Maina ran virtually alone for the last 6,000 meters after making a break and he won the race by some 250. Moneghetti, usually a marathon expert, threatened to take silver with a late burst but Kalya held on. Australia's Deborah Sosimenko made a little bit of Games history by winning the first women's hammer with a heave of 66.56 meters ahead of England's Lorraine Shaw, who threw 62.66, and Canada's Caroline Wittrin, who had 61.67. Waving to his fan club in the stands, Boldon, who is world champion at 200 meters and has twice run 9.86 for the 100 this season, said he was still targeting a first Commonwealth Games gold medal. ”I've having fun, seeing the sights and talking to you guys,” he told reporters. “Tomorrow's all business.” Fredericks' modest 10.15 resulted from a poor start. ”I was a little slow out. That's not a problem today. But I can't afford to do it in the final,” he said. The Namibian only decided to compete in the Games Sunday night. He threatened to pull out after hearing Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob no longer considered him the nation's top sportsman. ”I was upset. But I thought t was the best thing to come here and compete for my country,” the two-time Olympic 200 silver medalist said. With his country dominating the Games in other sports, notably swimming, Australia's Matthew Shirvington ran a personal best 10.13 to win his heat and follow Boldon and Thompson as third fastest qualifier. Fredericks was fourth. But countryman Damien Marsh pulled out of the second round with an Achilles tendon injury. Of the Canadian trio, running in the absence of world and Olympic champion and world record holder Donovan Bailey and countryman Bruny Surin, Bradley McCuaig was only 12th fastest, Glenroy Gilbert was the slowest qualifier and O'Brian Gibbons didn't make it. With four going through from each heat, Gibbons finished fifth even though his time of 10.32 was much faster than Gilbert's, whose 10.42 got him fourth behind Shirvington. In the first round of the women's 100 meters, Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas clocked a fast 11.14 seconds as fastest qualifier, with Canada's Philomena Mensah winning her heat in 11.20.
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