News20 Aug 2006


Lysenko's hot streak continues- Birmingham International Match Day 2

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Tatyana Lysenko in action in Gothenburg (© Getty Images)

There was no World Record for Tatyana Lysenko on the second day of the Norwich Union International in Birmingham but the Russian dominated the women’s hammer, breaking the UK all-comers’ record five times to win with a best of 76.24m and help her country secure a commanding points win in the four-way match between Britain, USA, Russia and China.

Continuing her brilliant form, the newly crowned European champion produced her best in the final round but also threw further than anyone else has ever done in Britain in the first, second, fourth and fifth rounds to wipe Olga Kuzenkova’s four-year-old record from the books.

Lysenko, one of 15 European championships gold medallists to compete this weekend, ended the competition with a series that read 72.23, 75.06, x, 75.22, 75.67, 76.24.

“I came her to win and that is what happened,” said Lysenko modestly. “The crowd helped because they kept responding to the throws, that made it good for all of us.”

Lysenko wasn’t the only record-breaker on a warm but windy afternoon, as Allyson Felix returned to Europe in fine form, winning the women’s 200m by a streak to remove Debbie Ferguson’s two-year-old all-comers’ record by just one hundredth of a second.

The world champion left Sanya Richards floundering to win in 22.19, more than half a second inside her previous best for 2006, only 0.08s outside her lifetime best, making her the second fastest 200m runner in the world this year.

“It’s been a rough season for me this year,” said Felix. “I went home recently and just got my mind together to get it right on the track.”

If the first day had belonged to Russia, the second was USA’s as the Americans racked up 11 wins from the day’s 17 events.

Felix was the best of those, but another American 200m runner, Wallace Spearmon has also returned to Europe in winning form. Aided by a +2.3 wind, Spearmon geared up for his forthcoming Brussels Golden League clash with Xavier Carter and Tyson Gay by holding off Britain’s Marlon Devonish to win the men’s 200m in 20.30.

Devonish, the European bronze medallist, got a great start to put pressure on the world silver medallist, but Spearmon was too strong in the straight. “I wanted the stadium record of 20.27,” said Spearmon. “I didn’t get it but I was close.”

There was a stadium record in the women’s High Jump, though, thanks to Russia’s Yekaterina Savchenko, who cleared 1.95m to equal the height jumped by Russia’s Yelena Yelesina and USA’s Jan Wohlschlag in 1989. Anna Chicherova was second with a best of 1.90 while USA’s Amy Acuff was a lowly fifth with 1.79m.

Another stadium record fell in the women’s 3000m to the European 5000m silver medallist Liliya Shobukhova who ran away from Britain’s Jo Pavey, the long time leader, over the final lap. The Russian won in 8:38.42, Pavey was second in 8:42.35, and the European 10,000m champion, Inga Abitova, finished fourth in 9:02.88, a personal best for the Russian.

There was a fine two-way race in the men’s 3000m too, as Bernard Lagat celebrated his first appearance in a USA vest with victory over Mo Farah, the new hope of British distance running. Farah, who won the European 5000m silver medal in Gothenburg, shadowed Lagat for the whole race but couldn’t find a finishing kick to defeat the former Olympic 1500m silver medallist in the home straight.

Lagat took the lead with two laps to go with only Farah in attendance, and the American made his bid for home 150m out to win in 7:50.49. “I know I am not getting any younger,” said Lagat. “But don’t count me out of running very well over the next couple of years. I want to win medals for my new country.”

USA dominated the men’s 400m hurdles, as Keron Clement dipped just 0.03s ahead of his domestic rival, Bershawn Jackson, in 48.64, and the women’s 100m hurdles, which Jenny Adams won easily in 12.94.

There were other American victories for Khadevis Robinson, in the men’s 800m (1:47.48); Brianna Glenn in the women’s 100m (11.34), with world champion Lauryn williams finishing fourth in 11.46; and Brad Walker, who won a low key pole vault with 5.61m.

Russia’s Olga Kotlyarova won the women’s 800m in 2:02.09 from Britain’s Jemma Simpson. Simpson, who failed to make the European final in Gothenburg, outsprinted the European silver medallist Svetlana Klyuka to take second in 2:02.31.

China’s one victory came through Qi Chen in the men’s javelin, with 80.04m. Russia’s Aleksandr Ivanov finished second with 79.48m after suffering the unusual fate of seeing his javelin break into two pieces while mid-air after he’d launched his second round throw.

Britain had only one victory too, through triple jumper Phillips Idowu. The Commonwealth Games champion overcame a sore back to win with a best of 17.10m before retiring after three rounds.

European silver medallist Greg Rutherford was close to victory in the men’s Long Jump, but had to be satisfied with second after losing by three centimetres to Brian Johnson’s 7.99m. World and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips finished fifth with 7.75m, although he passed his fifth and sixth attempts.

Russia’s domination of the first day ensured they had built an unassailable lead in the match before the final 4x400m relays. And despite two easy victories by USA quartets – the women in 3:24.54, the men in 3:04.10 – they won the Norwich Union International trophy with 349 points from USA (312.5), Britain (269) and China (158.5).

Matthew Brown for the IAAF 

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