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As a lead up to her successful track season in 1987, Ingrid Kristiansen
won her third London Marathon on 10 May in 2hr 22min.48sec, the fastest
time of the year and the 4th fastest in history. In the 10000m at the
Bislett Games in Oslo on 4 July, she was timed through 5000m in 15min
19.76 sec, but she couldn't maintain that pace, winning in 31min 15.66
sec. In the 10000m at the 1987 World Championships in Rome on 4
September, Kristiansen ran what was arguably her greatest and bravest
race.
Copying the tactics employed by Joan Benoit (USA) when she had
beaten Kristiansen in the 1984 Olympic marathon, Kristiansen surged away
from the field on only the second lap and by 1000m had a lead of 20
seconds. The chasing pack just seemed content to race for the silver
medal and no moves were made to catch her. She still had a 15 second
lead at the bell, at which time the chasing pack suddenly came alive and
a furious sprint ensued led by Yelena Zhupiyova (USSR). With a 61
second last lap, Zhupiyova came tantalisingly close to Kristiansen, but
at the end was still 3.55sec behind, and the Norwegian’s brave tactics
had earned her a well-deserved gold medal (see photo above).
Kristiansen’s winning time of 31min 05.85sec was the fastest run in
1987.
In the following year Kristiansen attempted the same tactics in
the Olympic 10000m final at Seoul. Again she had broken the field up
early, but suddenly at 2800m, she stepped off the track in agony from
what was later diagnosed as a bone fracture on the arch of her right
foot. Earlier in the year at Auckland, she had won the World Cross
Country championship for the first time, having finished in the first 6
on four previous occasions. (Ron Casey)
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