News23 Apr 2014


Melnychenko and Schippers added to Gotzis fields

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Hanna Melnychenko at the 2013 Decastar meeting in Talence (© Iris Hensel)

The heptathlon at the IAAF Combined Events Challenge meeting in the Austrian town of Gotzis on 31 May will feature Ukraine’s world champion and IAAF Combined Events Challenge winner Hanna Melnychenko, the Hypo-Meeting organisers announced on Wednesday (23).

In a repeat of the podium from Moscow, Melnychenko will face Canadian silver medallist and Gotzis defending champion Brianne Theisen-Eaton, who had been previously announced, and The Netherlands’ Moscow 2013 bronze medallist Dafne Schippers.

Melnychenko finished seventh in Gotzis last year, but rebounded to win the world title in Moscow before securing the IAAF Combined Events Challenge victory with her triumph in Talence.

After a disappointing seventh-place finish at last month's IAAF World Indoor Championships, the Ukrainian will be looking to improve on her best-ever finish in Gotzis, having finished second in 2009.

Although beaten by Melnychenko at last year's World Championships, Schippers finished comfortably ahead of her Ukrainian rival in Gotzis 12 months ago by placing third, a position she would go on to replicate in Moscow.

The 21-year-old hasn't contested a combined events competition since the World Championships, but showed great form indoors earlier this year with an indoor long jump PB of 6.43m and reaching the 60m semi-finals at the World Indoor Championships.

Organisers for the IAAF

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