Libor Charfreitag in Uberlandia (© Bruno Miani/CBAt)
Uberlandia, BrazilSlovakian Hammer thrower Libor Charfreitag, the 2007 World Championships bronze medalist, achieved the best performance of the “2nd Grande Prêmio Sul-Americano Caixa/Sesi de Atletismo”, an Area Permit Meeting and South American GP event held in the Brazilian city of Uberlândia on Sunday (11).
Charfreitag threw 78.17m to capture the victory.
The Caixa/Sesi de Atletismo is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 13-14 September in Stuttgart.
The event in Uberlândia marked the opening of a series of five Brazilian meets which will conclude on 25 May in Belém at the “Grande Prêmio Brasil de Atletismo”, which is part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour.
The 30-year-old Charfreitag, who currently sits in second place on the 2008 world lists with a 79.46m mark (Walnut, California, 20 April), dominated the event in Minas Gerais with his opening throw of 77.16m, which was followed by his lowest of the day – 76.56m.
His best effort came in the third round, and then closed a consistent series with 77.31m, 77.44m and a foul. “I’m competing again in Fortaleza, on Wednesday 14 May, so I expect to do better, throwing in the evening,” said Charfreitag. Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Cerra was a distant second in Uberlândia, with 68.94m.
Menéndez upset by Cruz
One of the biggest attractions of the meet was the presence of Cuba’s Osleidis Menéndez. The 28 year-old Javelin thrower from Martí, Province of Matanzas, reigning Olympic Champion and World Record holder, is coming back to international competition after a heel problem.
In her second tournament of the season, Menéndez showed signs of progress, but was beaten by the leader of a new Cuban generation: 20-year-old Yanet Cruz, who won with 60.84m, a PB mark that came in her fifth round.
Menéndez was the leader until then, with 60.35m and 60.68m from her second and third throws, but could not improve after Cruz’s attack.
The whole Cuban team of throwers is just coming from a period of training in Guayaquil, and the results seem encouraging for them. “I was not expecting to go over 60m yet, so I’m very happy”, said Cruz.
In the Discus Throw, it was another fine display by the Cubans, with the victory going to the 2007 World Championship’s bronze medalist, Yarelis Barrios with a 63.64m throw, her second best ever after the 63.90m which gave her the third place in Osaka.
Barrios beat her compatriot Yania Ferrales, who threw 62.21m. Ferrales (66.00m ’06) has a better PB than Barrios and has reached 65.02m in February in Havana, but Barrios seems to be obtaining the best throws at the right time, having also triumphed over Ferrales at the 2007 Rio Pan-Am Games.
Argentina’s Rocío Comba (20-years-old) was third with a new national record of 59.86m, a mark that qualifies her for the Beijing Olympic Games. Comba, fifth at the 2006 World Junior Championships held in the same city of the 2008 Games, had a previous best of 58.78m from 2006
de Lima equals Brazilian High Jump record
Also with the Olympic Games in mind, Jessé Farias de Lima took the Uberlândia meet as an opportunity to reach the qualification standard for the Beijing Games, and in the process the 27-year-old from Brasília equaled his own Brazilian High Jump record with a third-attempt clearance over 2.30m.
“I was only hoping to jump 2.27m, which is the B standard, but this is much better,” said de Lima, who entered the contest with a SB of 2.17m outdoors and 2.20m indoors.
American Adam Shunk was second with 2.24m, the same performance as third place Fábio Baptista, from Brazil. Surprisingly, Englishman (Jamaican born) Germaine Mason, who has a 2.34m PB, was a distant fourth with 2.21m.
Victory for Gregório
The 2008 debut for Osaka’s Triple Jump silver medalist Jadel Gregório was a victorious one, although with a modest mark of 16.86m (wind +0.2). Afterwards, the Brazilian and South American record holder (17.90m) declared that “It was a good beginning of the season for me. I still have lots of details to review, especially in the approach, but I’m hoping to do it at the next meets, here in Brazil.”
Ecuadorian Hugo Chila, silver medalist of the 2006 World Junior Championships, was second with a windy 16.68m (+2.9), not recording a single jump with legal wind. Puerto Rico’s Allen Simms was third with 16.57m (+1.1).
In the female version of the Triple, Brazilian Gisele de Oliveira saw her fine 14.31m winning performance ruined by a +2.4 wind. In spite of not recording a single jump with readings below 2.0 m/s, de Oliveira had a very fine day, with all her five valid attempts over 14.10m.
Ukraine’s Svetlana Mamyeyeva was second with 13.89m (+2.9), while Brazilian Laurice Félix was third with 13.60m (+1.1).
At the 1500m, Ethiopian Meskerem Assefa took a convincing victory with a remarkable solo effort in 4:08.29, a PB, although she later declared herself disappointed for not running under 4:06.
Fine 4x100 relay display by Brazilians
The sprints have always been an area of great satisfactions for Brazil, and lately the relays have followed that tradition with World Championships and Olympic Games medals. Because of that, two 4x100 races were contested in Uberlândia, with great results for the locals.
In the male event, the team composed by Vicente de Lima, Sandro Viana, José Carlos Moreira and Jorge de Sena won with 38.94. The “B” team from Brazil was second with 39.17, while Portugal was third with 39.30.
In the women’s race, Brazil also took the victory with 43.36, and a team integrated by Rosemar Coelho Neto, Thaíssa Presti, Vanda Ferreira Gomes and Rosângela Santos. Colombia followed with 44.24.
The rest of the female winners of the day were Brazilian Rosângela Santos at 100m (17 years-old; silver medalist of the 2007 World Youth Championships) with 11.38 (+2.2), American Sheena Johnson Tosta, who took the 400m (52.26 PB) and the 100m hurdles (13.28/+2.6 wind), and Colombian Caterine Ibargüen, who won the High Jump with a SB of 1.88m.
The other male victors were: Barbados’ Andrew Hinds at 100m (10.16/+3.7 m/s), Americans Erison Hurtault (46.02 at 400m) and Jesse Roberge (19.62m at SP), Brazilian Leandro de Oliveira (3:45.13 at 1500m), and Argentina’s Guillermo Chiaraviglio (5.20m at PV). In the Pole Vault, the Pan-Am Games Champion and Osaka finalist, Brazilian Fábio da Silva recorded three fouls at his initial height of 5.20m.
The Brazilian series of meets will continue on Wednesday, 14 May in Fortaleza, and will continue on 18 May in Rio de Janeiro, 22 May in São Paulo, and 25 May in Belém.
Elsewhere in South America
Meanwhile, at the “Brígido Iriarte” meet in Caracas, Venezuela, on 9 May, 17-year-old Jamal Bowen, from Panama, stretched to 7.89m (+0.8) in the Long Jump. Bowen improved his own South American U-18 record he had set in Panama City 0n 3 May with a 7.84m (+1.2) leap, and seems to be assuring his country the succession of 2007 World Champion Irving Saladino.
In Caracas, Bowen was second to Cuban Dayron Fuentes, who jumped 7.91m (+1.4).
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
