Germany
takes first 2 gold medals in Maebashi
By Steven Downes
Maebashi, Japan, March 5 - Germany, through Nastja Ryshich and Charles Friedek, took the first gold medals of the seventh International Amateur Athletic Federation World Indoor Championships here this morning.
Friedek, aged 27, the 1998 World Cup winner from Leverkusen, took the men's triple jump with his first effort, 17.18 metres, equal to his personal best, and the best jump of this indoor season, although it represented the poorest winning mark in the history of these championships.
Ryshich, the 21-year-old daughter of a Russian emigré, set a championship best 4.50 metres with her final attempt in a dramatic and high-quality women's pole vault. Before this season, only eight women had ever managed to clear 4.35 metres; this morning, in a single competition that lasted a gruelling four hours, eight women vaulted 4.35 or higher.
Vala Flosdottir, of Iceland, twice improved her national record, ending on 4.45 metres to take silver and finish just ahead of Nicole Rieger-Humbert, the world indoor record-holder, who tied for bronze with Zsuzsa Szabo of Hungary.
Emma George, the Australian who has set a total of 17 world records in her career, and was one of the favourites for the title, was forced to withdraw from the competition after clearing 4.35 metres because of injury.
It is only the second time that the women's pole vault has been included in these championships, and because of its developmental status, unlike all other events which have 50,000-dollar first prizes, Ryshich stood to collect only 37,500 dollars together with her gold medal. "The prize money didn't even enter my mind," she said. "I knew what it was going to be before the event."
In the triple jump, Yoelbi Quesada, Cuba's outdoor world champion, went into the final three rounds in second place, but was unable to improve his mark significantly, finishing with 16.92 metres and slipped back to finish in fifth place, behind Bulgaria's Rostislav Dimitrov (17.05) and LaMark Carter, of the United States (16.98).
In the heats of the women's 200 metres, Ionela Tirlea, from Romania, the European champion at 400 metres outdoors, posted the fastest time in the world this year in her heat, 22.64sec.
