WITH FURIOUS SPRINT, CASADO WINS EUROPEAN 1500M TITLE
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

BARCELONA (30-Jul) -- In a slow and tactical race, Spain's Arturo Casado gave the home country their first gold medal of the 20th European Championships by winning the 1500m here tonight in a furious sprint finish.  Casado, 27, who was knocked out of the 2008 Olympic Games when he finished 11th in his heat, waited for the final 100 meters to burst clear of the pack and win in 3:42.74.

"It's been my dream for many, many years to win a medal like this," Casado told reporters.  "It's a worthy reward after many years of hard work."

Britain's Andy Baddeley, whom Casado said was one of his top rivals, was well positioned in second position behind Casado's teammate, Manuel Olmedo, coming out of the final turn.  But when the sprint began in earnest, Baddeley faltered and would fade to sixth place at the line.

"Yes, I think he had not a good day today," said Casado of Baddeley.  "He was one of the best in the final.  I was thinking about him."

As the others scrambled to answer Casado's sprint, Germany's Carsten Schlangen found enough space through the pack to push ahead and grad the silver medal. 

"Fifty meters to the end I came in front a little more, and I said, 'I can make it, I can make it,'" Schlangen recounted.  "I just sprinted the hell out."

Schlangen was clocked in 3:43.52, just 2/100ths of a second faster than Olmedo, who took the bronze.

In the women's 800m, Russia's Mariya Savinova, the reigning world indoor champion, took the title with a fast final 200 meters.  She let Britain's Jenny Meadows, last year's, IAAF World Championships bronze medallist, lead the race through 400m in 59.17 with the Netherlands' Yvonne Hak close behind.  Meadows said that she had not planned to lead the race and had been bothered recently by an Achilles injury.

"I kind of found myself in the lead," said Meadows still wearing her pink-framed sunglasses.  "When I found myself in the lead, I was a reluctant leader."

Meadows continued to lead on the backstretch, then Savinova made her bid for victory on the penultimate turn.  She got past both Hak and Meadows, quickly established her lead, and won with relative ease in 1:58.22. 

"I was very confident," said Savinova through a translator.  "There was no question that I would win this race.  I would find the way from any place to win."

Hak rallied in the final 50 meters to pass the tiring Meadows to get the silver in 1:58.85, a personal best time.

"It felt so easy," said the smiling Dutchwoman.  "I've never felt like this before."

The tiring Meadows held off a fast-closing Lucia Klocova of Slovakia to get the bronze.

The women's 3000m steeplechase final quickly turned into a duel between last summer's IAAF World Championships gold and silver medallists, Spain's Marta Domínguez and Russia's Yuliya Zarudneva.  With four laps to go in the seven and one-half lap race, Zarudneva had towed Domínguez to a 4-second lead over their nearest chasers.  Domínguez, who is known to have a strong kick, stayed one step behind the Russian as she upped the pace on the final lap.  The Spaniard was two steps behind heading into the final water jump, and the partisan crowd was roaring in anticipation of her sprint to victory.

"Mentally, it was really tough," said Zarudneva.  "All the stadium was for Domínguez and it made me angry.  Before the Championships I thought: it would have been great to defeat the world champion Domínguez at home."

Zarudneva got her wish.  She hurdled the final barrier cleanly, then turned on her own speed to win in a championships record 9:17.57.  Domínguez, wearing her signature headband to tame her blonde hair, strained to catch her but had to settle for silver, 17/100ths of a second back.

"She took a small advantage after the water jump and I couldn't catch up with her in the last meters," Domínguez said.  "I cannot complain, as I have already been European champion before, and I am the current world champion, and you cannot always win, so I am very satisfied with my silver medal."

Russia got a second medal from Lyubov Kharlamova who overcame a challenge from Britain's Hatti Dean to win bronze, 9:29.82 to 9:30.19.  Wioletta Frankiewicz, the bronze medallist from these championships four years ago, finished fifth.

In the women's 1500m qualifying, Russia's Anna Alminova, the world leader with a 3:57.65 mark from Paris, led all qualifiers with a 4:04.14 win in the first heat.

"Yes, I had control," Alminova said in English.  "It was the plan of mine and my coach, and I think that I did it well."

Turkey's Asli Cakir won the second heat, while the other medal favorites --France's Fanjanteino Felix, Spain's Natalia Rodríguez and Nuria Fernández, and Britain's Lisa Dobriskey-- all made it through to Sunday's final.  Britain's Hannah England, who finished eighth in the first heat in 4:06.03, was the final time qualifier.

"Thank God," said England putting her hand to her chest.

ENDS