WRITTEN FOR THE IAAF WEBSITE
Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast soared to an emphatic victory in a blistering 6.97 world-leading performance, to finally step atop of the medals podium following her silver medal runs in the 2012 and 2014 editions of these championships.
The 30-year-old world outdoor 100m fourth-placer sped to a superb lifetime best to register the sixth fastest time ever indoors, which is subsequently the fastest indoor time in the world for eight years.
With a lightning fast start, she followed up her 7.01 world leading run in the semi final stage earlier in the afternoon with a time that bettered her 6.99 personal best, set in the same Birmingham venue back in 2013.
For US-based Ahoure, the time signifies the joint third-fastest time in the history of the IAAF World Indoor Championships behind 1993 champion, Gail Devers of the USA who clocked 6.95 and Katerina Thanou of Greece – the 1999 winner with 6.96.
She now shares the honour with Slovenia’s Merlene Ottey, the victor in 1995 and Russia’s Irina Privalova, the silver medalist behind Devers 25-years ago.
The winner revealed afterwards:
“I’m so happy – I’ve trained so hard for this and this medal is for my coach and my team that have trained me so hard. The most important thing I knew would be getting out of the blocks and executing my race, focusing on my race, focusing on my lane.
“It’s huge to get gold and silver. The Ivory Coast is on top, we’re so happy and hopefully soon we’ll be able to take over the whole podium.
“This last year has been so difficult with my father (who died of cancer). I knew he was watching from up there. I was talking to him before the race, saying ‘Please Dad, help me in the race’. I couldn’t get a gold medal when he was alive, I have so much pent-up emotion now.”
With no Americans in the first World indoor Championship final for the first time since 1985, her Ivorian compatriot, Marie-Josee Ta Lou scorched to a 7.05 silver medal to claim the nation’s fourth medal in the 32-year history of the event, behind her team mate’s 2018 gold and silver double.
The 29-year-old world outdoor 100m and 200m silver medalist is now accustomed to being the ‘bridesmaid’ in recent global championship competition, but the Senegal-based sprinter will be pleased with her lifetime best this evening.
The Ivory Coast one-two represents the first time a nation has claimed the top two positions in this event since the USA enjoyed Me’Lisa Barber and Lauryn Williams’ gold and silver medal-winning performances in the 2006 event.
Ta Lou explained afterwards:
“I’m just happy because when I came here, I just wanted a medal. The indoor season is not my best, I hit that when the summer comes around. For me, I have a big finish – I just did what I needed to do and when I finished, I had a wonderful feeling.
“Every day, I say that the Ivory Coast is good and I really believe that. I was happy to see Murielle in gold and I’m happy to see two girls representing us on the podium.”
Taking a surprise bronze medal in the same 7.05 clocking was Switzerland’s Mujinja Kambundji, whose first international championship medal consolidates her 7.03 national record set a fortnight ago.
The 25-year-old European 100m bronze medalist progressed from 7.10 in the semi final stage to burst onto the global stage – on her world championship debut, to boot.
She spoke afterwards:
“I am happy, this is amazing. To win a medal in a field that was so fast. My career has not always been easy but I am happy it has turned out so well.”
Jamaica’s Olympic 100m and 200m champion, Elaine Thompson had to settle for fourth position, having registered 7.08 just ahead of two-time world outdoor 200m champion, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands who clocked 7.10 for fifth place.
Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago ran a 7.13 season’s best for sixth, whilst the French breakthrough star of this event – Carolle Zahi placed seventh in 7.19, following her two impressive 7.11 lifetime best performances in the earlier in the qualification rounds.
Jamaica’s Remona Burchell completed the field with 7.20, in a race which will surely live long into memory of athletics afficianadoes around the globe.
