Chris Boyles (USA) in the Long Jump in Salò Multistars (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
The US decathlete Chris Boyles and the British heptathlete Jessica Ennis lead overnight at the Multistars – IAAF World Combined Events Challenge - meeting in Salò on the Lake Garda in Northern Italy.
Boyles climbed to the top after setting two PBs in the High jump (his strongest event) first from 2.13 to 2.15 and then to 2.18 to end day one in the lead with 4087 points with a margin of 55 points over Tunisia’s Hamdi Dhouibi (4032 points). Third is Boyles's compatriot and training partner Paul Terek (4003 points).
Ennis scored two PBs in the High Jump (1.85 m) and the Shot Put (11.88 m) and two solid performances in the 100m Hurdles (13.82) and the 200 metres (24.79) to clinch the lead with 3604 points ahead of Janice Josephs from South Africa (3567 points) and Margaret Simpson (3457 points) of Ghana.
Men’s Decathlon
The US Ryan Olkowski took the early lead after running the 100 metres in 10.85 (894 points), three hundredths of a second faster than Hamdi Dhouibi. Olkowski mantained the lead after leaping to 7.15 in the Long Jump.
Former Decathlon World record holder Tomas Dvorak had a below-par start and ranked eighth in the first two events after 11.43 in the 100 metres and 7.15 in the Long Jump. The Decathlon legend from the Czech Republic bounced back with a solid 15.66 in the Shot Put (830 points) taking the provisional lead after three events with 2447 points over the surprising italian Paolo Mottadelli and the US Paul Terek. Olkowski faded to fourth place after a low-key 12.23 in the Shot Put.
Chris Boyles, who was sixth after the Shot Put, improved the High Jump meeting record to 2.18 (973 points) to climb to the top of the ranking with 3303 points overhauling Dvorak, who did not jump higher than 1.91. The US decathlete had a margin of 133 points over the Czech star after four events.
Boyles defended his leading position running 50.68 in the 400 metres. Hamdi Dhouibi ran the fastest time in the one-lap event with 47.99 and rose to second place. Terek remained in third place with a total of 4032 points after his 49.26. Dvorak faded into sixth place after clocking 50.78 in the 400 metres.
“I am absolutely delighted today because it is the first international meeting of my career. I had a previous PB of 2.13 and improved twice to 2.18. I set a goal of 8150 points but I have to improve my speed and my running mechanics to achieve this result. I am good at hurdles, high jump and javelin but honestly I don’t think it is very easy to qualify for the World Championships because there are so many strong guys in the US. I took up Decathlon in 2002 after finishing my professional soccer career and graduating in marketing in Pennsylvania”, said Boyles.
Women’s Heptathlon
South Africa’s Janice Josephs took the early lead in the 100m Hurdles with 13.36 (1027 points) over Jessica Ennis (13.82 - 1004 points).
Ennis went into the lead after a 1.85 PB (1041 points) in the High Jump. Behind the young Briton, Margaret Simpson from Ghana, who ran 13.93 in the 100m Hurdles, took second place in the overall ranking with 1.76 in the High Jump.
Ennis improved her PB to 11.88 to defend the first spot ahead of Vera Yepimashko who won the shot put, her strongest event, with 15.88 and rose to second place. Before the 200 metres Tiia Hautala from Finland was in third after 14.05 in the 100m hurdles, 1.76 in the High Jump and 13.11 in the Shot Put. Simpson, winner of the Multistars in 2003, faded into fourth after producing a 12.73 release in the Shot Put.
Janice Josephs ran the fastest time in the 200 metres with 24.02 and climbed to runner-up position behind Jessica Ennis who kept the lead after running 24.79.
"I am really happy with my two PBs in the High Jump and the Shot Put. I came to Salò to get the qualifying mark of 5350 points for the European Junior Championships in Kaunas, so I did not expect to finish day one in the lead. The High Jump, the 100m Hurdles and the 200 metres are my strongest events but I have a weaker day two. I hope to improve in the Javelin Throw tomorrow. I enjoyed competing here in a picturesque environment and in nice weather conditions", said Jessica Ennis, a student of psychology at the University of Sheffield.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
