Yomi Omogbeja (07/08/2004)

The World and Olympic 800m champion Maria Lurdes Mutola of Mozambique has won for the 12th time at the Weltklasse TDK Golden League meeting in Zurich.

The Maputo Express improved her season’s best from 1:57.72 to 1:57.47, leaping from sixth to fourth place on this season’s world list.

Just like Crystal Palace a week before, Mutola powered home in the last 80 metres to totally destroy fitness fears about the successful defence of her Olympic title in Athens.

American Jearl Miles-Clarke was third in 1:58.03 with Russian Svetlana Cherkasova, who defeated Mutola in Lausanne, third in 1:58.34.

World Indoor 3000m champion Bernard Lagat of Kenya got the rare satisfaction of beating the world 1500m champion Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco winning with a world season’s leading time of 3:27.40.

The Moroccan world record holder ended with 3:27.64 after succumbing to his arch-rival’s sustained pressure about 15 metres before the line.

Kenyan Isaac Songok, 20, was third in a new personal best time of 3:30.99 - shaving almost a second off his previous PB 3:31.54.

Million Dollar Hestrie

Hestrie Cloete rose to the occasion to win the women’s high jump clearing the bar at 2.04m after a tense struggle with young Blanka Vlasic of Croatia.

The impressive South African made it four out of four to remain with three other athletes in contention for the IAAF's jackpot of one million US dollars with two meets to go.

Kenyan champion and former World silver medallist Wilfred Bungei was impressive in winning the men’s 800m in a new 2004 world lead of 1:43.06.

Second and third position went to his compatriot and newly crowned African champion William Yiampoy who ran a season’s best of 1:43.29 and Joseph Mutua with a season’s best of 1:43.85.

Former Kenyan runner and world record holder Wilson Kipketer of Denmark was fourth in 1:43.89.

Edith Masai of Kenya repeated her London feat with a fast run in the women’s 3000 metres. The World 5000m bronze medallist won in 8:36.43, the fourth fastest time in the world in 2004.

In second place was Ethiopian Tola Kotu Zenebech with a personal best of 8:40.32 while the Olympic 5000m silver medallist Sonia O’Sullivan of Ireland was third in 8:41.42.