Sunday, 21 June 2009
Lavillenie joins 6m club as Germany takes inaugural European team title in Leiria
Renaud Lavillenie after joining the 6m club with his 6.01m clearance in Leiria (Getty Images)
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Leiria, Portugal – Renaud Lavillenie joined the Pole Vault’s six-metre club while a powerful German team took the inaugural title at first edition of the Spar European Team Championship in Leiria.
Lavillenie, 22, the European indoor champion arrived in Leiria as the world leader at 5.96, sailed over 6.01 with his second try at the height to add three centimetres to Jean Galfione’s French national record set in 1998.
“I'm very tired, it was a very long competition, in a very hot place, and with an amazing public,” said Lavillenie, who began the season with a 5.65m career best outdoors. “The mark was great, my personal record, so I'm very happy with that. In Berlin I expect a medal, to be honest. There will be hard competition and a good fight, but I really have some hopes.”
Malte Mohr, with a 5,75m leap, was second, just one of several solid performances across the board which gave Germany the team title with 326.5 points to top Russia (320) for overall team honours. Great Britain finished third with 303 points, just two ahead of France who was fourth.
Germany took five wins, five second place finishes and three thirds – and were last in only one event while Russia won five, finished second eight times and fourth three times, but finished last three times, wherein lied the difference.
Emotional high points came in the 4x400m relay, where the British where the British men won in 3:00.82, the fastest in Europe this year to finish on the podium, while France finished fifth.
Sadly for the vociferous home crowd, Portugal wasn’t able to improve and will be relegated to the First League in 2010, along with the Czech Republic and Sweden.
In classic duel, Évora takes Idowu
But there was a high point for the Portuguese crowd, and it came from Olympic Triple Jump champion Nelson Évora who out-battled Olympic silver medallist Philips Idowu of Great Britain.
Èvora began the competition with a 17.47m leap, which Idowu overtook with a 17.48 jump to take the lead. In the second round the Briton improved to 17.50m, but the Portuguese, to the joy of the crowd, fought back with a 17.59m leap to win the competition.
“I felt relaxed and with the support of this spectacular crowd I felt this could be my day,” said Èvora, who is the currently world leader at 17.69m. “I tried to beat my personal record but it wasn’t my day.” He produced a long foul with his last attempt, reportedly near 17.90m.
Another great moment for the Portuguese came in the women’s Long Jump, where Naide Gomes, the former World and European indoor champion, who won the event with a jump of 6.83m, near her season best (6.90m), beating Russian Olga Kucherenko, the 2009 European indoor bronze medalist (6.73).
Despite illness, Friedrich tops 2.02m
But other events clearly made the crowd emotional, such as the women’s High Jump, where German Ariane Friedrich cleared 2.02m, before taking two attempts at 2.07 before ending the competition. In a quality competition, behind her, indoor European medallist Ruth Beitia of Spain, and Italian Antonietta di Martino, the 2007 world co-silver medallist, both topped out at 2.00m.
“I'm feeling really bad, now,” said Friedrich. “I just want to rest. I got a cold in Berlin, last week, so I wasn't in my best shape. But my goal was the 12 points, so at least that went very well.”
In the 200m, Dwain Chambers completed a sprint double for Great Britain with his 20.55 win, ahead of Portuguese Arnaldo Abrantes, the winner of the first section with 20.62. In the women’s race Russian Olympic relay double medallist Yulia Gushchina won with 23.01, ahead of Poland's Marta Jeschke (23.34) and Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu (23.40).
There was a close race in the women’s 100m Hurdles, with Czech Lucie Skrobakova, the 2009 european indoor silver medallist, winning in 12.94, just ahead of Yulia Kundakova who was credited with the same time.
In the women’s Shot Put German Nadine Kleinert won with a 19.59 toss, more than a metre ahead of Italy’s Chiara Rosa. In the women’s hammer, Poland Anita Wlodarczyk, who was sixth in the Olympic final, threw 75.23m to beat Germany’s reigning World champion Betty Heidler (SB 74.97m) into second.
In the men’s discus, Poland’s Olympic silver medallist Piotr Malachowski won with a 66.24m toss, ahead of German Robert Harting (65.40m). In the javelin, German Mark Frank took the win with 78,63m with his last attempt, topping Ilya Korotkov to second place (77.56m).
Finally, in the 110m Hurdles, Britain Andy Turner took the win in 13.42, beating Spaniard Jackson Quiñones (13.53), while Frenchman Ladji Doucure was fourth (13.65) behind German Mathias Buhler (13.57).
Middle distance highlights
As predicted, Spain was strong in the middle distances, with Miguel Quesada taking the 800m (1:47.76), Jesus España the 3000m (8:01.73), and women 5000 m, by Dolores Checa the women’s 5000m (15:28.87).
Anna Alminova, the European indoor champion, won the 1500m in 4:07.59, with a strong front-running performance, ahead of Spaniard Nuria Fernandez (4:08.00). Mustafa Mohamed gave Sweden it’s only win of the weekend with his 8:28.09 victory in the 3000m Steeplechase.
António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Final Standings -
1. Germany 326,5
2. Russian 320
3. Great Britain 303
4. France 301
5. Poland 289
6. Italy 278
7. Ukraine 265,5
8. Spain 257
9. Greece 216,5
10. Czech Republic 213,5
11. Portugal 200
12. Sweden 138
Click here for full results
Lavillenie, 22, the European indoor champion arrived in Leiria as the world leader at 5.96, sailed over 6.01 with his second try at the height to add three centimetres to Jean Galfione’s French national record set in 1998.
“I'm very tired, it was a very long competition, in a very hot place, and with an amazing public,” said Lavillenie, who began the season with a 5.65m career best outdoors. “The mark was great, my personal record, so I'm very happy with that. In Berlin I expect a medal, to be honest. There will be hard competition and a good fight, but I really have some hopes.”
Malte Mohr, with a 5,75m leap, was second, just one of several solid performances across the board which gave Germany the team title with 326.5 points to top Russia (320) for overall team honours. Great Britain finished third with 303 points, just two ahead of France who was fourth.
Germany took five wins, five second place finishes and three thirds – and were last in only one event while Russia won five, finished second eight times and fourth three times, but finished last three times, wherein lied the difference.
Emotional high points came in the 4x400m relay, where the British where the British men won in 3:00.82, the fastest in Europe this year to finish on the podium, while France finished fifth.
Sadly for the vociferous home crowd, Portugal wasn’t able to improve and will be relegated to the First League in 2010, along with the Czech Republic and Sweden.
In classic duel, Évora takes Idowu
But there was a high point for the Portuguese crowd, and it came from Olympic Triple Jump champion Nelson Évora who out-battled Olympic silver medallist Philips Idowu of Great Britain.
Èvora began the competition with a 17.47m leap, which Idowu overtook with a 17.48 jump to take the lead. In the second round the Briton improved to 17.50m, but the Portuguese, to the joy of the crowd, fought back with a 17.59m leap to win the competition.
“I felt relaxed and with the support of this spectacular crowd I felt this could be my day,” said Èvora, who is the currently world leader at 17.69m. “I tried to beat my personal record but it wasn’t my day.” He produced a long foul with his last attempt, reportedly near 17.90m.
Another great moment for the Portuguese came in the women’s Long Jump, where Naide Gomes, the former World and European indoor champion, who won the event with a jump of 6.83m, near her season best (6.90m), beating Russian Olga Kucherenko, the 2009 European indoor bronze medalist (6.73).
Despite illness, Friedrich tops 2.02m
But other events clearly made the crowd emotional, such as the women’s High Jump, where German Ariane Friedrich cleared 2.02m, before taking two attempts at 2.07 before ending the competition. In a quality competition, behind her, indoor European medallist Ruth Beitia of Spain, and Italian Antonietta di Martino, the 2007 world co-silver medallist, both topped out at 2.00m.
“I'm feeling really bad, now,” said Friedrich. “I just want to rest. I got a cold in Berlin, last week, so I wasn't in my best shape. But my goal was the 12 points, so at least that went very well.”
In the 200m, Dwain Chambers completed a sprint double for Great Britain with his 20.55 win, ahead of Portuguese Arnaldo Abrantes, the winner of the first section with 20.62. In the women’s race Russian Olympic relay double medallist Yulia Gushchina won with 23.01, ahead of Poland's Marta Jeschke (23.34) and Olympic 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu (23.40).
There was a close race in the women’s 100m Hurdles, with Czech Lucie Skrobakova, the 2009 european indoor silver medallist, winning in 12.94, just ahead of Yulia Kundakova who was credited with the same time.
In the women’s Shot Put German Nadine Kleinert won with a 19.59 toss, more than a metre ahead of Italy’s Chiara Rosa. In the women’s hammer, Poland Anita Wlodarczyk, who was sixth in the Olympic final, threw 75.23m to beat Germany’s reigning World champion Betty Heidler (SB 74.97m) into second.
In the men’s discus, Poland’s Olympic silver medallist Piotr Malachowski won with a 66.24m toss, ahead of German Robert Harting (65.40m). In the javelin, German Mark Frank took the win with 78,63m with his last attempt, topping Ilya Korotkov to second place (77.56m).
Finally, in the 110m Hurdles, Britain Andy Turner took the win in 13.42, beating Spaniard Jackson Quiñones (13.53), while Frenchman Ladji Doucure was fourth (13.65) behind German Mathias Buhler (13.57).
Middle distance highlights
As predicted, Spain was strong in the middle distances, with Miguel Quesada taking the 800m (1:47.76), Jesus España the 3000m (8:01.73), and women 5000 m, by Dolores Checa the women’s 5000m (15:28.87).
Anna Alminova, the European indoor champion, won the 1500m in 4:07.59, with a strong front-running performance, ahead of Spaniard Nuria Fernandez (4:08.00). Mustafa Mohamed gave Sweden it’s only win of the weekend with his 8:28.09 victory in the 3000m Steeplechase.
António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF
Final Standings -
1. Germany 326,5
2. Russian 320
3. Great Britain 303
4. France 301
5. Poland 289
6. Italy 278
7. Ukraine 265,5
8. Spain 257
9. Greece 216,5
10. Czech Republic 213,5
11. Portugal 200
12. Sweden 138
Click here for full results