News08 Mar 2009


MEN’s Summary - European Indoor Champs, Day THREE

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Sebastian Bayer punches the air after leaping to an incredible European record of 8.71m in the long jump (© Getty Images)

Sebastian Bayer’s 8.71m European Long Jump record, the second greatest indoor performance of all-time, provided the final afternoon of competition at the 30th European Athletics Indoor Championships in Turin’s Oval Lingotto with an historic, somewhat Beamonesque moment of brilliance.

“Right now I cannot tell you how I managed to jump that far”

Bayer, 22, whose only previous moment of international recognition had come in 2005 when he captured the silver medal at the European Junior Championship, started 2009 with an indoor career best of 7.88m (2007) and an outdoor mark of 8.15m (2008). With three improvements of his indoor PB this winter prior to coming to Turin the furthest being the 8.17 with which he took the national title on 27 February in Chemnitz, Bayer qualified for today’s final with an 8.12 performance yesterday.

Third in the jumping order Bayer was ultimately to win the gold by virtue of his opening effort of 8.29m which itself smashed his PB and established a new world season lead. In the process of trying to play catch-up compatriot Nils Winter (8.22) and Poland’s Marcin Starzak (8.18) set a personal best and a national record respectively. In fact the top-6 all achieved career bests this evening.

A high quality competition by continental indoor championship standards it already was but as Bayer sat out his next three jumps and then fouled his fifth, no one was expecting what would come on the very last jump of the final.

8.71 metres!

This was the second longest indoor Long Jump of all-time behind the 8.79m World record of Carl Lewis which was set in 1984. This was the sensational result of these entire championships in Turin.

Bayer who had moved his home from Leverkusen to Bremen this winter and was said to be much happier with his new base for training has been troubled by injury in the past, missing the 2007 summer with an ankle injury.

“There was no stress for me after the first jump,” said Beyer, “so I felt relaxed and it felt like the perfect jump, I knew it was far and hoped for 8.30 to may be 8.40, but I did not expect 8.71, I was speechless.”

“It has to sink in yet, so I can’t say anything now regarding on the significance of this jump for German athletics history.”

“After my first jump I asked Nils (Winter) if he knew what the European record was – when he answered that it is 8.56m I replied, oh ok, that is a bit too far for today.”

“Right now I cannot tell you how I managed to jump that far, but the run-up and the set-up of the Long Jump was very good – we also saw that yesterday in the women’s event – additionally right before my final jump the German anthem was playing for Ariane Friedrich, that was very motivating for me.”

“Italia, Italia, Italia…”

Bayer’s epic jump was missed by most in Turin’s Oval Lingotto because the audience were at the time watching the award ceremony for the men’s 60m which included two medals for Italy – see later – but one moment the crowd did follow to a man was the last lap of the men’s 4x400m Relay which closed these championships. A last ditch attack by Claudio Licciardello brought home gold for the host nation's squad in 3:06.68.

Behind the celebratory outstretched arms of Licciardello as he crossed the line, Britain did enough to hold on for silver (3:07.04) ahead of Poland who took bronze with the same time.

The stadium quickly began to reverberate to the chant, “Italia, Italia, Italia…” as the championships closed on the perfect note.

Inspirational Majewski

At the end of what has been a generally low key winter for European shot putters, Tomasz Majewski, whose form throughout has been the one exception to the continent’s poor performance list, again bucked the trend. The Polish Olympic champion who is a class apart from the rest of Europe at the moment and the one athlete able to mix it with our American cousins across the Atlantic, came within 8cm of his recently established national indoor record (21.10m, 27 Feb) with a 21.02m fifth round release. This effort put the championship beyond doubt with one round of efforts to go.

The presence of the Pole in Turin - he had not even been considering these championships until setting his national record - was clearly an inspiration to his competitors as behind him France’s Yves Niaré set a French record for silver (20.42) and Germany’s European outdoor champion Ralf Bartels put a season’s best of 20.39 for bronze.

Why clearly an inspiration? Well coming into these championships shot putting in Europe had been so poor this winter that aside Majewski’s performances no other athlete had bettered 20.27m!

Lavillenie’s lucky number

Renaud Lavillenie has been the find of the continental pole vaulting season. Lost behind the global headlines being set by Australia’s Olympic champion Steve Hooker this winter, the 22-year-old Frenchman has been building a solid reputation.

Lavillenie first came to international attention when improving his indoor personal best by 11 centimetres to 5.81m on 5 December last year in Aulnay-sous-Bois, and Lavillenie repeated that height when winning at the Moscow IAAF indoor permit meeting on 1 February.

Today was third time lucky as he topped out an immaculately clean jumping card through 5.51, 5.71, 5.76, with a first time success at 5.81. With the title secure at his favourite height Lavillenie later made three failed attempts at 5.91m.

The best of the rest were Russia’s Pavel Gerasimov and Germany’s Alexander Straub, with the silver and bronze decided in that order on count-back at 5.76m.

Controlled Borzakovskiy; Silva savours surprise victory

The 800m final was set to be a two way contest between Russia’s 2000 champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy and the much improved Swede Mattias Claesson, the 2005 European junior champion. However, while these two did join in battle it was Borzakovskiy who was always in command. With 400m passed in 56.79 sec, it was soon after that the Russian moved into overdrive taking the race through 600m (1:23.55) and he wasn’t seriously challenged again.

In any case by the middle of the final lap Claesson had had other problems on his mind when he found himself under attack for silver from Spain’s Luis Alberto Marco, and around the last bend and into the final straight with his strength deserting him he was passed, Marco crossing in 1:49.14 and the Swede, third in 1:49.32.

The better of today’s middle distance races for excitement was the men’s 1500m. After beginning at a pedestrian place it was Rui Silva of Portugal, the 2001 World Indoor champion, who took up the job of pace maker and held the inside lane doggedly until with 400m to go he was forced to relinquish the lead as Spain’s Arturo Casado went past. Game over for the Portuguese we all believed, an opinion presumably shared by the trio of Spanish athletes who were now among those ahead of the Silva, Alvaro Rodriguez and Diego Ruiz having joined Casado upfront.

But while not in pole position anymore Silva always remained in contact running close to the curb, invisible to all in the stadium who were now concentrating on the leaders. Then as if by magic with about 110 metres to go, Casado started to falter and a gap opened up on the inside and Silva, 31, a veteran of these championships pounced.

By the time that his opponents had realised he had broken back into the lead the race was over with Silva far from hanging on for victory actually pulling away swiftly with every stride to the finish.
 
Silva who has previously won this title twice, the first time over a decade ago in Valencia in 1998 and then again seven years ago in Vienna, finished today in 3:44.38, with Ruiz coming in for silver (3:44.70) and France’s Yoann Kowal taking the bronze (3:44.75).

“I knew that the Spanish team were very strong,” said Silva. “I took the risk to go to the front and it paid off. I have been sidelined by four years of injury…. This was a return to my best shape seven years after my previous European indoor medal.”

Chambers of course; silver and bronze for Italy

At the second time of asking the 60m final got underway, and as was clear from the heats and semi-final yesterday there was only ever going to be one winner, Britain’s Dwain Chambers. Again he was supreme and running what amounted to an exhibition, clocking 6.46 sec which if anything was a slight anti-climax after his European record of 6.42 last night, which had made him the third fastest of all-time.

As with any championship sprint final the crowd roared loud throughout the dash but the level of their support was of nothing compared to the volley of sound which rocked the stadium a few minutes later when it was announced that the photo-finish had confirmed two medals for the hosts; Fabio Cerutti and Emanuele Di Gregororio both with 6.56 had headed off Britain’s Simeon Williamson (6.57; fourth).

Pahapill pounds established combined event elite into submission

Estonia’s Mikk Pahapill this afternoon became a worthy successor to the Czech Republic’s three-time champion Roman Sebrle, with a 2:45.69 run (811pts) in the 1000m, the final event of the Heptathlon.

The 25-year-old set personal bests in six of the seven events over the two days for a final total of 6362pts. His previous best was 5969pts which he set in Tallinn, Estonia on 5 Feb 2006. Pahapill’s progression has been held back by an ankle injury which required an operation in February last year.

Pahapill’s total today was a world season lead and just 12 points short of Erki Nool’s national record of 6374pts (7 March 1999) set at the 1999 World Indoor championships. The new champion is coached by women’s 1997 World Heptathlon bronze medallist Remigija Nazaroviene from Lithuania.

Ukraine’s Oleksiy Kasyanov who had been in second overall since the end of the fourth event last night confirmed the silver medal with a 2:44.48 run (846pts) which extended his advantage over third placed Sebrle, whose 2:45.60 (812pts) finish in seventh just ahead of Pahapill, took bronze. Russia’s Aleksey Drozdov who had been contesting third with Sebrle finished immediately behind the Estonian winner in the 1000m garnering 810 pts (2:45.81) for fourth.

“Finally I have reached what I was looking for,” said Pahapill who has a Decathlon best of 8178pts from finishing 11th in Beijing last summer. “I owe all this to my family and to my coach. They have made me how I am now…. My father used to be a decathlete too. His PB is 7388 pts set when he was 19”.

Early Morning start…Hurdles and Pole Vault

Sunday had begun early for the combined eventers. At 9.15am the first heat of the 60m Hurdles, the fifth event saw Kasyanov who had led for three of yesterday’s four disciplines make up ten of the points which overnight leader Pahapill had established on the first day. But it could have been a lot worse for the Estonian had it not been for his sheer drive and determination. Running in the second of two races he had had first to watch Kasyanov execute a PB clocking of 7.99 secs (984pts), an 0.1 improvement on his previous best. Pahapill’s response had the mark of a future champion as he responded by producing a PB of his own – 8.03 secs (910pts).

Defending champion Sebrle who was lying in bronze medal position overnight but not very comfortably given his slender three points cushion over Drozdov in fourth was able to inflate that padding to 39 points, as his hurdles performance was substantially quicker – 8.24 to the Russian’s 8.39.

The fastest of the day was Eelco Sintnicolaas of the Netherlands with 7.98 to win Kasyanov’s race but any hopes the then European season leader had of climbing up the rankings in this championship was immediately dashed with his no height in the next event the Pole Vault.

Another big movement also occurred in  the vault as Kasyanov could only rise to 4.60m (790pts) while the man he was pursuing for gold, Pahapill set his coronation as European champion virtually in stone by vaulting a PB of 5.10m (941pts) which gave him a sixth event total of 5551pts.

The gap between Sebrle and Drozdov did not alter as both men jumped 5.00m for 910pts, but due to Kasyanov's lower vault which saw him still lie second overall with 5359, these two men were now convincingly in the battle with the Ukrainian for the silver, Sebrle having 5330 and Drozdov 5291 pts with the final event the 1000m to come in the evening session.

Chris Turner for the IAAF

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