Poland’s Olympic women’s Pole Vault silver medallist Anna Rogowska leapt to a national record and world season lead of 4.73m at the Elite Café Cup meet in Bydgoszcz, Poland, last night (26 Jan).

The 23 year-old Rogowska who opened her season in Spala on 23 January with a marvellous 4.70m clearance, which itself was a personal indoor best, took the win last night on her second attempt at the 4.73m bar, cementing her victory over compatriot Monika Pyrek and Russian Svetlana Feofanova in the process. She had already leapt 4.63m on her third try.

Pyrek, the former World indoor and outdoor bronze medallist, and Feofanova, the reigning World outdoor champion, were tied for second place with first time jumps at 4.53m, while Russia’s Tatyana Polnova was in fourth thanks to a second attempt vault at that same height.

Rogowska’s mark makes her the fourth highest jumper indoors on the all-time list. 4.73m is also an absolute national record improving on Pyrek’s 4.72m outdoor vault behind Yelena Isinbayeva’s World record (4.92m) in Brussels on 3 September last year. Rogowska’s previous personal bests were the now short lived 4.70m in Spala (indoors) and a 4.71m vault (outdoors) in Thessaloníki, Greece last July.

There was also a fine men’s High Jump competition in Bydgoszcz yesterday which was won by Russian European outdoor champion Yaroslav Rybakov with a 2.31m jump. South Africa’s World champion Jacques Freitag whose career has been beset by ankle injuries was back in reasonably competitive shape with a 2.28m performance in second place.

Chris Turner for the IAAF

Elite Cafe Cup – 26 January 2005
RESULTS – with kind thanks to Zbigniew Jonik

Pole Vault
1. Anna Rogowska POL 4.73 NR
(4.23/2 - 4.43/2 - 4.53/1 - 4.63/3 - 4.73/2 - 4.80/xxx)
2= Monika Pyrek POL 4.53
(4.23/1 - 4.43/1 - 4.53/1 - 4.63/xx - 4.68/x)
2= Svetlana Feofanova RUS 4.53
(4.43/1 - 4.53/1 - 4.63/xxx)
4. Tatyana Polnova RUS 4.53
4.23/2 - 4.33/1 - 4.43/1 - 4.53/2 - 4.63/xxx)
5= Anzhela Balakhonova UKR 4.23
5= Krisztina Molnár HUN 4.23
7. Mary Sauer USA 4.13
8. Sabine Schulte GER 4.13 Men –

High Jump
1. Yaroslav Rybakov RUS 2.31
(2.20/1 - 2.25/1 - 2.31/1 - 2.36/xxx)
2. Jacques Freitag RSA 2.28
3= Robert Wolski POL 2.25
3= Michal Bieniek POL 2.25
3= Mark Boswell CAN 2.25
3= Jamie Nieto USA 2.25
7. Aleksander Walerianczyk POL 2.25
8. Matt Hemingway USA 2.25
9= Nicola Ciotti ITA 2.20
9= Vyacheslav Voronin RUS 2.20