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Mutola closes in on historic gold

From Sports Illustrated • SI Images: Photos from the Games • Michael Farber: Cuba, U.S. renew hostilities on the baseball field • SI For Women's Kelli Anderson: Arab women make breakthrough • Richard Hoffer: Johnson-Jordan follows in father's Olympic footsteps • Grant Wahl: U.S. men more than a soccer story • Brian Cazeneuve: A look at the Games' top swimming moments • Medal Picks: SI's Predictions More Features • Day at a Glance: Fast company • Wake-up Call: Tracking the day in sports • CNNSI.com's Luba Vangelova: Sydney Scene • Viewers' Guide: What to watch for • Statitudes: Mourning By The Numbers • Quiz: Today's Tester Athletes • 10 Questions: Cathy Freeman • Just Checking IN: U.S. baseball assistant Ray Tanner • Head Games: U.S. swimmer Tom Malchow • Athlete Bios: U.S. Rosters Multimedia • Photo Gallery: Fast track • Photo Gallery: Shots of the Day • Multimedia Central: Photo Galleries, Video and More

SYDNEY, Sept 23 (AFP) - A supremely confident Maria Mutola moved to within one race of securing Mozambique's first ever Olympic gold when she powered to victory in her 800m semi-final heat here on Saturday.

The 28-year-old 1998 Commonwealth Games champion pushed to the front in the final 20 meters to come home in 1:58.86, well outside her personal best of 1:55.19 but faster than her opening round 1:59.88secs.

"Everything is coming together. I like this track. It is fast and suits me. Now I just have to keep it going," Mutola said.

Austria's Stephanie Graf, the European indoor champion and a major threat to Mutola, had an impressive victory in her semi-final, racing home in a fast 1:57.56, ahead of England's Kelly Holmes and the Czech Republic's Helena Fuchsova.

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