From Gary Tim in New York

Guyana’s best chance of scoring its first medal at a global track and field meet has been put into the slot by world-ranked athlete Aliann Pompey as she covets a berth in the Women’s 400m final at the IAAF 13th World Indoor Championships.

The three-time Olympian has already written her name into the history books becoming the first Guyanese to reach the final of a world track competition.

Running a demanding two rounds at the Aspire Dome in Doha, Qatar, yesterday, the world number nine ranked quarter-miler secured two third place finishes in the heats and semifinals. Now, she looks to do similarly or better when she matches strides with the five other finalists for the three metals.

In the meet’s first event during the morning session, Pompey ran a comfortable, tactical 400m to return 52.76 seconds in a blanket finish in the second of four heats. She was edged out by Czechoslovakia’s Denisa Rosolova (52.75s) and American Dee Dee Trotter (52.75s) to take a secondary qualification into the semis. Ten hours later, Pompey (52.29s) locked herself into the reckoning in her semi-final for one of the ‘top-three’ places to the final. She staved off the trademark late charges by Bahamas’ Christine Amertil and Trotter, to finish behind Russian world leader Tatyana Firova (51.36s) and Jamaica’s world and Olympic medalist Novlene Williams-Mills with a season best 51.77s.

For the Guyanese multiple record holder, getting to the final is ‘true to form’ with the experts’ prediction. In a pre-meet preview the IAAF media arm had listed Pompey as one of six ‘ones to watch’, and as one of two spoilers (along with Williams-Mills) who could disturb the perceived USA versus Russia showdown in the women’s race.

Pompey had been churning consistently high performances since barely missing the final of the 400m at last year’s outdoor version in Berlin. Earlier in this undercover season, she had registered the world’s fastest two-lapper, and came into this meet as the overall ninth fastest runner with her national record of 51.83s done in New York on February 26. At that time, the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion had stated that “for the way I’ve been running this season, this race was really about running my own race, whatever that means.” “I didn’t pay attention to what anyone else was doing which is a mistake I’ve made this season,” she added, recounting her unexpected loss at the New Balance Games in January. “To PR before Worlds is great,” she said. “Hopefully I can do it again.”

Those expectations are rife with her kin and track fraternity, especially those at the USA home base of the previously two-time semifinalist. “Aliann made the final … that was just great. She looked good,” yelled an excited Marian Burnett, a fellow world indoor semi-finalist who missed this year’s championships due to injury. Burnett, who makes up the other half of the nicknamed ‘IAN Factor’ duo that has sterlingly represented Guyana for the past 10 years, is confident of her compatriot’s determination to get a medal. “Yep, I am excited for her. She just need to run through the line. She’s strong (and) if not a medal, a PB. Thank God, I am happy for Aliann. She will represent Guyana to the fullest.”

For today’s final, only two of the eight with better seasonal performances than Pompey’s will be in a lane for the race.

With bated breath, the history writers await as Pompey lines up Botswana’s Amantle Montsho, Williams-Mills, Vania Stambolova of Bulgaria, gold medal favourite Debbie Dunn of the USA, and Firova in lanes 1 through 6, respectively. The race runs at 10:30 hrs (Guyana time).