article by Nicola Pucci
The Russian Irina Privalova has a track record as a specialist in fast events, i.e. 100 metres, 200 meters and 4×100 relay, among the best of the nineties. You started with the 1991 World Indoor Championships in Seville with gold in the 60 meters and silver in the 200 meters (beaten by the Jamaican Marlene Ottey), for then collecting a silver in the 4×100 relay (behind the United States) and a bronze in the 100 meters (beaten by a whisker by Gail Devers and Juliet Cuthbert) at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where she was also fourth in the 200 meters, a total of 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze at the World Championships, and 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze at the European Championships. But she failed at the Atlanta Games in 1996, eliminated in the semifinals in the 100 meters and even in the quarterfinals in the 200 meters, as well as at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, where she failed to overcome the heat hurdle in the 100 meters. In addition, a delicate operation was performed on the Achilles tendon, so that in 2000 he diverted to the 400 meter hurdles and competed in the Sydney Olympics in this discipline which open the New Millennium, fifth distance race in her career for her.
In Australia there is the reigning champion, the Jamaican Deon Hemmings, who beat the two Americans Kim Batten in Atlantawho is also in the running for a medal and holds the world record, 52″61, although dated 1995, and Tonja Bufordanother hot American at the Games, together with compatriot Sandra Glover. The Romanian Ionela Tarlea and the Cuban Daimi Pernia won the 1998 European Championships and the 1999 World Championships and therefore advance their candidacy for the podiumlike the Moroccan Nezha Bidouane, world silver medalist in Seville and world champion two years earlier in Athens, while the Ukrainian Tetyana Tereshchuk is not excluded from the forecast, with the Italian Monika Niederstatter who has the objective of qualifying for the second round.
The five heats will be held on September 24th, ending with the victories of Bidouane, who clocked the best time in 55″38, Pernia, Hemmings, Glover and Privalova himself.while Tonja Buford, Niederstatter and the very young Australian Jana Pittman, just 17 years old, who will be future world champion in Paris in 2003, are eliminated.
Deon Hemmings and Irina Privalova dominate the day after the two semi-finals, 54″00 and 54″02who fail Glover and surprisingly Kim Batten, so disappointing that she finishes with a very high time, 55″73, in a first semi-final which also promotes Pernia and the British Natasha Danvers, while in the second semi-final Bidouane is in the wake of Privalova and announces herself as third wheel in a final with Hemmings and Privalova as the two favourites and Tereshchuk, Tirlea and Icelandic Arnardottir are the other athletes in the running.
In the final, on September 27, Irina Privalova, who will turn 32 in November, in one Stadium Australia packed in every seating order nails the perfect race and wins with the best time of the year, 53″02, beating Hemmings and Bidouane in a race that sees five athletes go under the 54″ wall.
For Privalova, who had always chased Olympic gold in the fast events without ever managing to achieve victory, it was finally the apotheosis at the Games, when perhaps even she no longer believed in it.
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2023-11-22 18:00:00
#IRINA #PRIVALOVAS #SYDNEY #DISBUST #OLYMPIC #CURSE #SportHistoria
