World Champs (Day 7): Borzakowskiy Sends a Warning

Olympic Champion Yuri Borzakowskiy sent a warning to his rivals at the World Championships in Helsinki in the 800-meter semi-final. The Russian won the first of three heats in 1:44.26 minutes. He beat the 1500m World Champion Rashid Ramzi (Bahrain) who came in second and also qualified for the final. Ramzi additionally ran a new personal best of 1:44.30 minutes in the race. The Canadian Gary Reed surprisingly won the third heat in a new national record of 1:44.33 minutes. One also has to watch the Kenyans Wilfred Bungei and William Yampoy.

Furthermore there were the women’s 1500m heats on the program on Friday. Yuliya Chizhenko (Russia/4:07.26 minutes) and the former Ethiopian Maryam Yusuf Jamal (4:10.58) from Bahrain won the heats. The final will take place on Sunday together with the men’s 5,000m final.

On Saturday the men’s marathon race will take place. The Olympic Champion from Athens, Stefano Baldini, will be running, as well as the Japanese Toshinari Takaoka (PB: 2:06:16 hours) and the Kenyan Robert Cheboror (2:06:23). The number two of the real,- Berlin Marathon 2004, Joseph Riri (2:06:49), will also run. South Africa’s New York Marathon winner of 2004, Hendrick Ramaala, will have to be watched as well. And finally the heroic bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in Athens will run: Vanderlei de Lima. The Brazilian was in a leading position when a spectator stopped him. Nevertheless he then finished third.