Romain Mesnil of France in the Pole Vault qualifications (© Getty Images)
SottevillelèsRouen, FranceRomain Mesnil, with 5.70, beat the new Pole Vault sensation Renaud Lavillenie during the 5th meeting of the Alma Athlé Tour (French professional circuit), held on Sunday night in Sotteville (5).
For Renaud Lavillenie’s first appearance since his French record (6.01m) set during the European Team Championships in Leiria on 21 June, the public came to Jean Adret stadium in the hope of seeing another record. Instead, they saw a new episode of the great dual between the 22-years-old revelation and the experience Romain Mesnil, 31 and silver medallist at European (2006) and World Championships (2007). Since 2006, the head to head statistics are in favour of Lavillenie, who won 13 to Mesnil’s 11.
Yesterday, Mesnil opened the competition with a low bar of 5.35, but needed two attempts to clear it. A confident Lavillenie opened at 5.60, but also needed two tries, and let Mesnil, Denys Yurchenko (UKR, Olympic Bronze medallist last year), Leonid Andreyev (UZB) deal with the 5.70 bar.
Yurchenko failed and eventually placed 4th with 5.45. Andreyev, whose personal best stands at 5.65, was successful at his 3rd jump, so was Mesnil.
Lavillenie, whose small morphology (1.76m, 69kg) contrasts with his rivals, went back on the runway for 5.80m but unfortunately failed three times.
“There’s no need to worry”, he said. My run-up is still very fast but today I had marks problems but I was close to clear the bar”.
Andreyev was also unsuccessful at 5.80 and was ranked 2nd. Already certain to win the competition with 5.70, Mesnil failed once at 5.80 and saved his last two attempts at 5.90, but in vain.
The next dual between the French pole-vaulters will take place on 17 July in Paris for the Meeting Areva.
Payne the winner; Doucouré has work to do
The men’s track performance of the night came with the 110m Hurdles. A strong line-up included 12.95 performer David Payne (USA), 2005 World champion Ladji Doucouré (FRA) and Dwight Thomas, a 10.00 dash sprinter and 4x100m Olympic Champion as a reserve of Jamaican relay, who is coming back to the hurdles.
Doucouré, who is yet to confirm the form that took him to his indoor European title in March, had probably his best start of the outdoor season so far, but accumulated the mistakes over the hurdles in the last part of the race. He left Payne and Thomas lean at the tape for the win. The photo-finish declared the American as the winner, but gave 13.36 for both (wind +0.7). Thomas approached his personal best set in 2004 by only 0.02.
Doucouré, a distant third, told his frustration: “there are some good things, but my abdominals are too weak when I need to accelerate. I know this race could have been mine, but I have still work to do.”
McLellan beats Cherry
Sally McLellan, Olympic silver medallist at the 100m Hurdles, was up against the Oslo and Berlin Golden League winner, American Damu Cherry. The Australian did well for her first European appearance in 2009, after an intense Australian season of no less than 40 races (dash, hurdles and relay races) since January. In Sotteville, she led from the start to win in 12.75 (wind +0.8) and Cherry, coming straight from Oslo, was never a factor (12.84).
Martin Scott provided the other Australian win of the day, taking the Shot Put with 20.17m, from Dorian Scott (JAM), 19.61 and French Yves Niaré (19.58).
Wlodarczyk - 73.29, but only valid mark
In the women’s Hammer Thrower Anita Wlodarczyk confirmed that she has reached a new level in 2009. A 72.80m performer and Olympic finalist (6th) last year, the Polish won with 73.29 in Sotteville, her 8th meeting this season over her 2008 personal best. Her erratic competition (her 3rd throw was the only one validated) prevented her getting close to the 76.59 mark, set in Ostrava in June, which places her currently in second position in the world season list.
Kenyans dominated the distances races, as victories came to Jackson Kivuna Mumbwa at 800m (1:47.23), Joseph Kiplimo at 3000m (7:44.18) and Elisabeth Mueni at 3000m Steeplechase (9:35.26).
During the Triple Jump, the young national record holder (17.58) Teddy Tamgho, after two modest attempts at 16.63 and 16.62, stopped his competition due to calf cramps during his 3rd jump. Leevan Sands (BAH) won with 16.89 from Nathan Douglas (GBR), 16.80 and Karl Taillepierre (FRA) 16.73.
P-J Vazel for the IAAF
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