| 1998 IAAF World Road Relay Championships | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18–19 April 1998 |
| Host city | Manaus,Brazil |
| Level | Senior |
| Type | Marathon relay |
| Events | 2 |
| Participation | 222 athletes from 28 nations |
| Individual Prize Money (US$) | 1st:US$20,000 2nd: $10,000 3rd: $5000 |
| Team Prize Money (US$) | 1st: $120,000 2nd: $60,000 3rd: $30,000 |
The1998IAAF World Road Relay Championships was the fourth and final edition of the global, internationalmarathon relay competition, organised by theInternational Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).[1] The event took place on 18–19 April inManaus,Brazil with the participation of 222 athletes from 28 nations. The women's race took place on Saturday 18 April, starting at 9:00 AMAmazon Standard Time, and featured twelve national teams comprising a total 72 athletes.[2] The men's race took place on Sunday 19 April, also starting at 9:00 AM Amazon Standard Time, and featured 25 national teams comprising a total 150 athletes.[3]
Each national team consisted of six athletes, who alternately covered six stages to complete the 42.195 kmmarathon distance. The first, third and fifth stages were of5 km, the second and fourth stages were of10 km, and the final stage covered the remaining 7.195 km.[4] Rather than using the traditional baton associated withrelay races, athletes passed a wrist band to their compatriots at end of each leg.[5] Prize money totallingUS$420,000 was awarded to the athletes of the medal-winning teams: $120,000 for the winning team, $60,000 for the silver medallists and $30,000 for third place, with the winnings split evenly between the team's six athletes.[6][7]
TheEthiopian andKenyan teams took the top two spots in both races, with the Ethiopian women being victorious in a time of 2:21:15 hours and the Kenyan men coming out on top in a time of 2:01:13 hours. These represented two title defences, as both teams won those races at theprevious edition in 1996.Romania took the bronze medals in the women's race and the host nation, Brazil, came third in the men's race – the second time it reached the podium after being men's runners-up at the 1996 championships.[8][9]
The women's race took place in difficult weather conditions, with high humidity and a temperature around 34 °C (93 °F). Kenya'sJackline Maranga led the pack in the first stage at 15:39 minutes, with Ethiopia'sYimenashu Taye 19 seconds in arrears and Japan'sTakako Kotorida another 20 seconds back. On the second legGete Wami overhauled Kenya'sJane Omoro to put Ethiopia in first place, whileAlina Tecuţă had the second fastest time to bring Romania into third place. Ethiopia extended its lead in the third leg through stage winnerGenet Gebregiorgis andMiyo Nakano brought Japan to third again.[6]
A strong leg four byCristina Pomacu returned Romania to third place andAlla Zhilyaeva won the stage to bring Russia back up the ranks.Ayelech Worku cemented Ethiopia's lead by completing the fifth stage eleven seconds faster than Kenya'sNaomi Mugo, now over a minute behind, while Romania'sConstantina Diță pulled further away from fourth-placed Japan. Kenya'sSally Barsosio attempted to close down Ethiopia'sMerima Denboba in the final leg, but was unable to do so, finishing over half a minute behind the Ethiopian despite her leg of 24:09 minutes. The conditions severely affected some of the teams: Russia trailed by three and a half minutes in the first leg due toYelena Motalova struggling,[6] Mexico'sJudith Ramirez took nearly seven minutes longer than Russia's Zhilyaeva to finish her 10K fourth leg, and Ecuador'sSara Nivisela took nearly four minutes longer to complete the 5-kilometre fifth leg than did Ethiopia's Ayelech Worku.[8]
The following morning, the weather conditions proved a little more amenable to the male runners, with humidity dropping to 85% and the temperature falling to 28 °C (82 °F).John Kibowen led off the Kenyan team as front runner and was narrowly edged out by Ethiopia'sMillion Wolde in the first stage, with both recording 13:44 minutes for the 5 km, and a battle for third emerged between Brazil'sElenilson da Silva and Portugal'sHélder Ornelas some 15 seconds adrift. Stage two saw Kenya emerge as clear leaders asPaul Koech gained 49 seconds on his Ethiopian rivalAyele Mezgebu. Behind them, Japan'sTomoaki Kunichika pulled levelAlberto Maravilha (Portugal) andTomix da Costa (Brazil) in the chase for third as the athletes neared the mid-point.[9][7]
Benjamin Limo completed the fourth leg 24 seconds faster than the rest of the field to keep Kenya's lead. Brazil'sRonaldo da Costa gained a ten-second gap in third, with Japan (Masatoshi Ibata) and Portugal (Angelo Pacheco) both slowing in fourth and fifth.Tom Nyariki made it three consecutive stage wins for Kenya in the fifth leg, gaining over 40 seconds over second placed EthiopianTesfaye Tolla.Elijah Mutandiko's 33-minute 10K leg (second fastest of the stage) broughtZimbabwe into fifth place, as Portugal fell back. Ethiopia rallied in the fifth stage withFita Bayisa running 5 km in 14:16 minutes to draw nearer to Kenya'sJohn Kosgei. A poor run from Ethiopia'sAlene Emere saw KenyanPaul Malakwen Kosgei ease to victory with over two and a half minutes to spare. Consistentcy saw Brazil claim third place, withSergio Goncalves da Silva finishing around a minute after the Ethiopian. Zimbabwe'sAbel Chimukoko had the second fastest time of the final stage, which saw his mostly-barefooted team overhaul Japan for fourth place by a margin of three seconds. Denmark'sJorgen Gamborg failed to complete his last leg – the only athlete at the competition to do so – meaning his team was eliminated.[9][7]
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Key: Fastest in stage
Key: Fastest in stage
Argentina (6)
Bolivia (6)
Brazil (12)
Chile (6)
China (6)
Colombia (6)
Denmark (6)
Ecuador (12)
Ethiopia (12)
France (12)
Great Britain (6)
Guyana (6)
Japan (12)
Kenya (12)
Mexico (12)
Panama (6)
Papua New Guinea (6)
Paraguay (6)
Peru (6)
Portugal (6)
Romania (6)
Russia (6)
South Africa (12)
Suriname (6)
United States (12)
Uruguay (6)
Venezuela (6)
Zimbabwe (6)World Championships organised byWorld Athletics | |
|---|---|
| Outdoor | |
| Indoor | |
| Continental Cup* | |
| U20 | |
| U18 | |
| Cross Country | |
| Race Walking | |
| Women's Road Race | |
| Marathon | |
| Half Marathon | |
| Road Relay | |
| Relays | |
| Ultimate | |
| Road Running | |
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