/ 27 August 1997

Fredericks gets gold with 9,99

WEDNESDAY, 1.30PM:

NAMIBIAN Frankie Fredericks won the 100m race with an event-record time of 9,99sec and a share in the 20kg gold at the IAAF Berlin Grand Prix meeting on Tuesday. Fredericks surged in the final meters and powered past world record holder Donovan Bailey of Canada, who shared the second spot with Tim Montgomery of the US.

He will share the gold with Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, who won the mile and Romanian Gabriela Szabo, who won the women’s 5 000m.

Fredericks trailed Bailey but used terrific accelaration to pass the Olympic champion. An enthusiastic Fredericks said after the race: “It was a great race in front of a fantastic crowd.” He reached an impressive milestone as no-one has ever won all four 100m.