Jadel Gregório competing in Belem (© Wander Robert/CBAt)
Once again triple jumper Jadel Gregório was the top performer and the city of Belém also produced another record crowd - 42,640 - at the 20th edition of the “Grande Prêmio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo” - IAAF Grand Prix - which took place on Sunday (23 May) at the “Estádio Mangueirão”, in a very hot (over 35ºC) and humid conditions.
The 23 year-older from Jandaia do Sul (State of Paraná) who is the World Indoor silver medallist produced an outdoors personal best with a jump of 17.25 metres (wind 0.3). His competition was opened with 16.65m, then 17.25, he past his 3rd and 5th attempts, and recorded 17.16m in his 4th, and 17.05m on his last.
“I’m still at a part of the season where I’m training with weights, loading up for the rest of the season. After Belém I’ll compete in 2 weeks in São Paulo at the Troféu Brasil, and then my first competition in Europe will be in Oslo on 11 June, so I will be back home only in September, after the Olympic Games.”
“I believe I can go further than 17.50m this season (he has jumped 17.46m indoors last February), but I want to be cautious and take one step at the time. I still have little things to improve in my technique, especially in the second jump of my sequence”.
“Many people put emphasis in my height (2.02m), but I think it’s actually a disadvantage, because my legs have to move a big body as well (95Kg)”.
After recording a personal best of 8.10m this season in the Long Jump, Jadel points out that: “I only do the event as a part of my training. I’m not trying to achieve anything special there.”
National event history
Yesterday he jumped before the eyes of Nélson Prudêncio, double Olympic Brazilian medallist in Mexico City ’68 and Munich ’72, and still second in the all-time Brazilian and South American lists (with 17.27m) behind João Carlos de Oliveira (17.89m).
Regarding the national history and tradition in the event, Jadel added “It’s great to be close to them, and I hope I can also earn a medal in Athens, to put my name next to theirs and the late Adhemar Ferreira da Silva, our greatest athlete ever”.
South American record in 110m Hurdles
Redelen Melo dos Santos broke the South American record in the 110m Hurdles, while winning in 13.33 (w. –0.9). Redelen, teammate of Jadel and also coached by Nélio Moura, ended his race very strongly, and clipped 1/100 off of the old record. “I believe I can go under 13.30. Today I had a poor start, and still I was able to set the record.”
“Actually I’m very surprised, so now we have to try to correct some mistakes and perhaps wait for another chance like this to keep improving”. Next week he will race in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at 2600 metres of altitude, at the next stop of the South American GP.
Jamaican Maurice Wignall, was second in 13.51, in front of a Brazilian group lead by Mateus Inocêncio (13.61), and followed by Márcio de Souza (13.64), Walmes de Souza (13.70), Colombian Paulo Villar (13.71), and also Brazilian Anselmo da Silva (13.71).
Golding-Clarke posts 12.69 clocking
The women’s race was also rich in good results. Jamaica Lacena Golding-Clarke took it in 12.69, equaling her best time of the season. Brazilian Maíla Machado was second in 12.90 (4/100 off of her pb). Another Jamaican, Vonette Dixon was 3rd in 12.91, and Canada’s Angela Whyte 4th in 12.93.
Glover – 54.91
Also in the hurdles, but in the 400m, the event favorite, American Sandra Glover won with a personal season’s best of 54.91 ahead of Andrea Blackett from Barbados (55.41) and Surita Febbraio (55.44) from South Africa, who qualified for the Athens Olympics.
Two good 400m races
The women’s 400 metres went to US Monique Hennagan in a personal season’s best of 51.10, ahead of Guyanan Aliann Pompey who set a national record of 51.11 and South African Estie Wittstock, who achieved the “A” standard for Athens with 51.48.
The men’s race was taken by another American, Derrick Brew with 45.09. Jamaican Davian Clarke (45.11), Bahamian Chris Brown (45.18) and Jamaican Michael McDonald (45.48), followed.
Vicente Lenílson de Lima won the 200m in a personal best time of 20.39, and beat World Indoor Champion Dominic Demeritte (20.45) for the second time in a week.
World leading mark for Yiampoy at 800m
Brazilian Valdinei da Silva went out very fast, with a 49.6 split for the first 400 meters, where he was some 10 meters clear from the pack. He was caught by 500 meters, and from there it was all Kenyan. William Yiampoy won in 1:45.09, the world’s best time so far this season. Henry Rotich was second in 1:45.76, and Osmar Barbosa dos Santos (BRA) was 3rd in 1:45.89, in his first outdoors race of the season.
The women’s 800 was won by Jamaica Michelle Ballentine in a personal best of 2:00.28, the second fastest time in the World so far. Brazilian Luciana Mendes lead through 400 metres in 58.9, and remained strong until the end, but was overtaken by the Jamaican in the final 50 metres. Mendes’ time was 2:00.83. 39 year-old veteran Letitia Vriesde, from Surinam, was third in 2:01.58.
Cuban Lisvany Pérez won the men’s High Jump in a personal best of 2.28m, Cydonie Mothersill (CAY) the women’s 200m in 23.09, Aretha Hill (USA) the women’s Discus in 63.43m, William Chirchir (KEN) the men’s 1500m in 3:37.55, Nadezhda Ostapchuk (BLR) the women’s Shot Put in18.90m - followed by Trinidad & Tobago’s Cleopatra Borel with a national record of 18.78m -, Peter Esenwein (GER) the men’s Javelin with 82.07m, Jarbas Mascarenhas (BRA) the men’s 100m with 10.24, and the Brazilian National Team the 4x100m relay in 38.92.
