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Journalism of Courage
Doha, October 6: Olympic gold medallists Trine Hattestad of Norway and Angelo Taylor of the United States ran out the biggest winners here on Thursday when $ 3.4 million prize money was being handed out.
Hattestad, Norway’s Olympic javelin champion, and the 21-year-old American 400m hurdler, Angelo Taylor, finished top of the overall IAAF Grand Prix standings and walked away with major cash prizes. Taylor won his event here and so collected a total of $ 250,000 for the individual wins and for heading up the final standings.
Hattestad, for once this season, was beaten, but only by one centimetre by Cuba’s Sonia Bisset, but it was still good enough to see the Oslo housewife win $ 230,000.
Under the financial circumstances, Marion Jones, the triple Olympic gold medal winner in Sydney, was reduced to a Grand Prix also-ran, although she ensured that she finished her season with a victory, clocking 11.00 sec in the 100m.
In total, she will bank $ 150,000 prize money for her night’s work.It was the 16th staging of the annual IAAF Grand Prix final, but only the second time it has been held outside Europe.
Britain’s Mark Richardson, deprived of the chance to shine in the Sydney Olympics due to a doping case hanging over his head, had the last laugh.Just 12 months after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid, Richardson left the Khalifa International Stadium with a cheque for $ 50,000 from the world governing body in his pocket.
Richardson, who pulled out of his pre-Olympic arbitration hearing in order to get more evidence to assist him in clearing his name of doping charges, was nevertheless allowed to run at the International Amateur Athletic Federation’s Grand Prix final here.
He duly won the 400 metres in 45.20 sec, passing the fading Jerome Young down the home straight and outlasting Brazil’s Sanderlei Parrela and the American, Antonio Pettigrew.
Both Richardson and Parrela have tested positive for the controversial steroid, nandrolone, in the past year, although Parrela was cleared to compete at the Olympics by his National federation.
Richardson, too, was cleared of all charges by UK Athletics, but had his case referred to the IAAF’s arbitration hearing. That case is still pending.But changes in the IAAF’s rules could mean that Richardson will still get to keep the whole $ 50,000 event winner’s prize from the Grand Prix final.Istvan Gyulai, the IAAF secretary, said, “Under our new rules, if after the hearing Richardson is banned, then the two-year suspension will begin from the date of the hearing. Until then, he can race. “He will be able to keep the money he wins here.”
Richardson was buoyed by the outcome of his night’s work.“It’s good to get back on a track and prove that I don’t need help to run," Richardson said. `
