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Mutola takes first step towards historic gold
SYDNEY, Sept 22 (AFP) - Mozambique track queen Maria Mutola took her first step towards securing her country's first ever Olympic gold when she cruised through her 800m qualifying round here on Friday. The 28-year-old 1998 Commonwealth Games champion was never pushed as she came home in 1min 59.88secs - well outside her personal best of 1:55.19. "Everything is going well but you never know. This is the Olympic Games, anything can happen," she said. "I liked the track. It is hard and fast," she added. Her title dreams were boosted when arch-rival Ludmila Formanova failed to finish. The 800 metres world indoor and outdoor champion pulled off the track 200 meters from the end with an ankle injury. She left the track in tears but later spoke, confirming that her ankle had been hurting for several months. "I think an operation will be necessary," said Formanovo, who had not competed in two months. "The long flight to Sydney wasn't good for my ankle and two days ago I felt a big pain." The 26-year-old Formanova, who stormed to victory with a late charge at last year's world championships, admitted her Olympic dream was almost certainly over, saying she probably would start a family before the 2004 Games in Athens. Austria's Stephanie Graff, the European indoor champion and a major threat to Mutola had a comfortable debut, kicking ahead in the final 300 meters to clock 1:58.39. Britain's Kelly Holmes, who has had an injury-plagued time since the 1996 Games, secured her place in the next round when she finished ahead of America's Hazel Clarke. The former British soldier, whose medal hopes at Atlanda were dashed by a stress fracture, clocked 2:01.76. Czech Helena Fuchsova set the third fastest time of the qualifying when she finished in 1:58.97. America's Jearl Miles-Clarke admitted she struggled to book her place in the next round - clocking a lack-lustre 2:01.79. "I felt sluggish, but the first race is always the hardest," she said.
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