OLYMPICS / Barcelona 1992: Athletics: Tulu's long trek breaks McColgan

LIZ McColgan's hopes of an Olympic gold medal to add to her world title expired in the heat here last night as the girl who had sat on her shoulder for so long at the World Championships in Tokyo last year, Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia, played the waiting game once again with greater success.

But this time it was Elana Meyer, of South Africa, who found the 21-year-old Ethiopian padding behind her. And while, in Tokyo, McColgan had simply broken Tulu with more of the same relentless pace, Meyer - grimacing and glancing constantly at the huge television screen which confirmed her unhappy position - was unable to resist. Twice she gestured to Tulu to come through and share the pace. No response.

Tulu took the lead on her own terms. As she approached the bell, having looked utterly relaxed throughout, she dived towards the line like a sprinter and opened up a gap that had become 20 metres by the time she had entered the back straight. She increased the gap to around 50 metres before crossing the line with a wave of triumph in 31min 06.02sec.

Meyer was about six seconds behind her to claim the silver, and Lynn Jennings, the world cross- country champion, came through for the bronze. Then came the Chinese girl, Zhong Huandi; then, elbows barely pumping, faltering to the finish, came McColgan, all her worst fears confirmed.

The hardest of it was that she must have realised what was going to happen - and what was not going to happen - half-way through. McColgan moved dutifully into the lead from the start, stretching the field into an increasingly attenuated line.

The pace was fast and steady, rather than killingly fast, as she went through in 74 seconds, 75 seconds. But there was no increase in pace. McColgan's face started to look strangely contorted as the strain drew her features taut.

It was only a matter of time before Meyer, who had tracked her from the start, went past. The South African chose her moment with nine and a half laps left; it was so nearly the decisive move. She openened a gap of 10 metres, the field struggled to cope, but out of it came Tulu, running gently and easily, to settle on the South African's shoulder like grim destiny.

'I'm disappointed,' McColgan said afterwards. 'There's no reason for it. It was just a bad race. I was quite relaxed until six laps to go. Then I found my breathing getting tight. I'd been drinking water all day, so I shouldn't have been dehydrated. But my legs just went tingly on me.'

Tulu professed herself very satisfied to be the first African woman to win the title. Upon being asked if she thought she was the female equivalent of Ethiopia's 5,000m and 10,000m gold medallist in the Montreal Olympics, Miruts Yifter, otherwise known as Yifter the Shifter, she replied: 'I've never seen him run but my coach speaks of him endlessly.' Somewhere in Ethiopia now there is a young female athlete who will hear tales of Tulu years from now.

The 3,000m steeplechase, as expected, was dominated by the Kenyans, and won by another exuberant performance from a 21- year-old - what is more, a 21- year-old who ran the majority of the race for all the world like Alf Tupper, Tough of The Track, with a shoe sole flapping off following a close encounter with someone else's spikes.

The Kenyans were without their world record holder, Moses Kiptanui, who had failed to qualify after being struck by illness at the trials. No matter - at least, no matter for Kenya. Matthew Birir, their world junior champion of two years ago, was the one who came through to take the gold in 8min 8.85sec despite taking a fall at a hurdle on the back straight during the fifth lap.

Birir, who won the Kenyan trial at altitude in Nairobi in the superb time of 8:12.9, got straight back up and into the race before taking over the lead from fellow countryman, William Mutwol.

At the bell it was three red shirts, Birir, Patrick Sang and Mutwol, with Alessandro Lambruschini, of Italy, the nearest European. They finished in the same order, Birir clapping himself with delight as he crossed the line. Tom Hanlon, of Britain, finished an honourable sixth.

(Photograph omitted)