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News21 Aug 2004


Heptathlon - Event Five - Long Jump

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The nerves started showing this morning, even from Carolina Klüft.

Sweden’s outstanding leader of the Olympic Heptathlon went into the second day with a 240-point lead.

But a no jump with her first attempt in the fifth discipline, the Long Jump, was unsettling, if not for Klüft, then for the huge morning session crowd..

A year ago, at the World Championships in Paris, Klüft had taken things to the edge, enduring two red flags and risking elimination from the overall competition.

This time, Klüft was not prepared to stretch her nerves so far, and on her second approach run, she tip-toed down the runway with care and precision, but relatively little speed. Her virtual standing jump still went out to 6.54 metres, the best of the competition thus far.

With less pressure on her third leap, Klüft nailed an effort at 6.78m for another 1099 points. Effectively, barring a disaster in the Javelin, the gold medal is as good as hers.

But the edginess also affected Britain's Kelly Sotherton, who held the silver medal position overnight. Another strong long jumper, Sotherton had two foul jumps. With everything resting on her final effort, she too took the careful approach. She held her head in her hands in relief when the judge raised the white flag to signal a good jump, and the measurement showed 6.51m.

Klüft’s five-event tally is therefore 5208pts, with Sotherton on 4879, extending her advantage over her rivals to 176pts, as Lithuania’s Austra Skujte moved into third from fifth place, on 4703, thanks to a 6.30m best jump.

Sonja Kesselschlaeger, of Germany, took delight in her best jump in the final round, 6.42m, a personal best, which propelled her to within sight of a medal, on 4672, ahead of Portugal’s Naide Gomes on 4646 after only managing 6.10m, well down on her best.

Karin Ruckstuhl, the overnight third placer, also saw her medal hopes fade, as a modest 5.90m jump was followed by two fouls - 819pts only from the Long Jump leaves the Dutchwoman on 4596, with just the Javelin and the 800 metres to come in tonight’s session. 

NOTE Britain's defending Olympic Games Heptathlon champion  Denise Lewis withdrew from the event after the fifth discipline. Lewis could only reach a modest 5.89 metres in the Long Jump.
 
"I'm physically and emotionally devastated. I can't do myself
justice," said Lewis. She was lying 18th with 4504 points when she withdrew."

SD

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