Freeman's Winning Streak Ends
10 July 1998Cathy Freeman's two year winning streak in the women's 400 metres came to an end at the Bislett Games Golden League athletics meeting in Oslo overnight.
The Australian world 400 metre champion clocked 50.92 seconds -- 0.79s behind winner Charity Opara of Nigeria.
Athletics Australia spokesman Damian Booth said Freeman had won 20 major finals in a row before the loss in Olso.
He said the runner had not lost a 400 metre race overseas last year and it was her first defeat since the Atlanta Olympics when she finished second to Frenchwoman Marie-Jose Perec.
Freeman powered out of the blocks but ran out of steam near the finish.
Falilat Ogunkoya, also of Nigeria, came second with Grit Breuer of Germany third.
Booth said Freeman, who also runs in the 100m and 200m, had not contested the 400m for a while and had only ran in three races at that distance this year. It was also a disappointing day for another Australian, Rohan Robinson, who came last in a six-man field in the 400m hurdles.
Robinson was running equal second approaching the final hurdle but Russian Russian Mashchenko clipped his hurdle in the next lane.
Maschchenko's hurdle hit Robinson's hurdle and the Australian went tumbling and finished the race in 53.62s, four seconds behind the fifth place getter.
