It's been nearly five years since the planet has seen any woman run as fast as Jolanda Ceplek's 1:55.19 in the two-lapper. The Slovenian is now tied for No. 7 on the all-time list with rival Maria Mutola.

Ceplak recently surprised many by pulling off the feat in stormy conditions in a small meet in Belgium, holding to a steady 57.4/57.8 pace for her laps.

Ceplak's breakthrough marks a revival in the event that was underlined when Mutola demolished the field at the Commonwealth Games a week later with one of the biggest winning margins in the history of that meet. It's not that her meet record of 1:57.35 stunned anyone (though it's worth writing home about). It's that behind her six more women broke the two-minute barrier (five of them for the first time). One of them, England's Charlotte Moore, just 17, ran 1:59.75.

Will the event's improvement result in a new assault on Jarmila Kratochvilova's world record of 1:53.28, now 19 years old? Says Ceplak: "The world record is not impossible if all of the circumstances are good -- weather, pace, and so on. But it won't happen this year."

Other Commonwealth highlights
The quadrennial contest between the British Commonwealth nations also has seen the emergence of new talents. Australia's Jana Pittman, only 19, had no problem defeating a more experienced 400-meter hurdle field, finishing her semi in 54.14 and winning the final in 54.40. Said Pittman, "This is just the beginning of something. My goal is to the best I can be, and for me, that is to be world champion."

Another newcomer to the top level is Texas Christian University alum Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis, who surprised many by winning the 100 final in 9.98, as favorites Dwain Chambers and Mark Lewis Francis both were injured.

Not that the veterans fared badly in Manchester. Namibia's Frank Fredericks rekindled his flagging career by winning the Commonwealth 200 meters in 20.06. After a major roll in the '90s, Fredericks had to withdraw from the 1999 Worlds with injuries, and sat out the Olympic year. Jonathan Edwards, all of 36, had to leap 58-7.25 to capture the triple jump after falling far behind teammate Phillips Idowu.

Idowu leapt 58-0.25, a personal record and the second-farthest in the world this season, in round one. Said Edwards, "When Phillips jumped [that] I thought, 'Oh no, here we go.' "

In other highlights, Paula Radcliffe produced the seventh-best 5,000 meter in history with a 14:31.43 solo run, breaking the British record. Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas won a 10.91/22.20 sprint double. One of the most exciting races was the men's 10,000, which saw four men leaning for the finish at the same time. Kenya's Wilberforce Talel, last seen winning bronze at the world cross country meet, triumphed in 27:45.39. "With 15 meters to go I thought I was going to be second or third," he said.

Other meets
A few other meets slipped in before the break in Grand Prix action as the big stars focused on the Commonwealth and European Championships. In the same meet where Ceplak cruised in her fast 800, world champion Zhanna Pintusevich-Block showed she is plenty fast, even if her agents can't seem to get her into competitions with Marion Jones. She won the 100 in a world-leading 10.83, then pulled from the 200 because of hamstring concerns.