Svetlana Feofanova in action in the women's pole vault final (© Getty Images)
Four gold medals were at stake on the first day of the Russian National championships which took place yesterday (16) in the Vladimir Kuts sports hall in the Russian capital. The championships continue today, and conclude on Saturday (18).
Feofanova continues comeback
In the absence of Yelena Isinbayeva it was Svetlana Feofanova, the Olympic silver medallist who was considered as 100 per cent favourite in women’s Pole Vault, and so it turned out to be. Feofanova, 25, the reigning European outdoor champion, continued her victorious comeback after serious injury with a 4.55m clearance for gold. This win follows victories in Bydgoszcz (4.64m - 25 Jan) and at the IAAF indoor permit meeting in Valencia last weekend (11 Feb) when the former World indoor and outdoor champion cleared 4.52m.
Another well-known Russian vaulter athlete Tatyana Polnova, who was fourth at last summer World Championships was second with 4.50m. The bronze medal was shared by two young pole vaulters – Anastasya Shvedova and Anastasya Kirianova – 4.20m.
National under-23 record
The European U-23 champion Anton Lyuboslavskiy won the Shot Put setting the national record for his age group with a fine put of 20.75m. The 21 –yea-old has on outdoor PB of 20.71m from last summer but more dramatic is the fact that his previous best indoors was the 19.95m which he produced to win in Samara on 10 February!. The silver medal winner was Pavel Sofin with 20.17m, and the experienced Grigoriy Panfilov finished third – 18.86m.
The favorites win 60m
The joint fastest in the world this season at the women’s dash, Marya Bolikova won the 60m without much effort with a good 7.20 seconds, with Larisa Krugloba a well beaten second in 7.23. There was a keen struggle for bronze between the sisters Marina and Oksana Kislova. This time it was the younger sister Oksana who won the medal – 7.29. Marina Kislova who has returned to the track after maternity leave, lost only two hundreds to her sister – 7.31.
The men’s 60 m were easily won by Andrey Yepishin who confirmed one more time that he is the definitive leader of the Russian sprint. His result in the final was 6.62 seconds. The silver medal winner Aleksandr Smirnov lost too much ground at the start to come nears the favorite, finishing in 6.72. Aleksandr Volkov got the bronze – 6.74.
Borzakovskiy runs 1500m
Yuriy Borzakovskiy made his fifth outing of the current indoor season after 800m victories in Moscow (1:46.65 – 25 Jan), Karlsruhe (1:45.82 – 29 Jan), Stockholm (1:46.99 - 2 Feb) and Shchelkovo (1:45.4 - 11 Feb) but this time he chose the 1500m. The Olympic 800m champion, who was also World Indoor gold medallist in 2001, has a habit of keeping the world guessing as to his racing intentions, and won his heat in 3:47.13. The 24-year-old middle distance racing enigma - remember this is the athlete who chose to run the 400m at the last outdoor European Championships in 2002 - has still not answered the question as to which distance he will race at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow next month.
There was a very impressive record set in Moscow yesterday, albeit an unofficial one. 84 runners lined-up to contest the men’s 400m heats. That quantity is really amazing.
12 medals are at stake on Friday and 12 on Saturday.
Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF
