Ed Gordon
3 June 2000Jena, Germany - It was a great day for Cuba at the 11th Zeiss meeting in Jena. A dramatic long jump competition, plus a pair of area records--all coming from Cubans training in nearby Bad Blankenburg--were among the highlights of the afternoon meet.
Luis Meliz apparently was upset in losing the Dessau long jump competition to Ivan Pedroso by a scant centimeter three days ago. Today, he started out with mammoth jumps of 8.28 and 8.43, as world champ Pedroso struggled with two fouls.
Pedroso now had more to worry about than just a win; he needed at least 7.69 to gain entrance to the final three rounds. The world champion flew 8.14 on his third jump to take care of that problem.
Then, the heavy artillery came out in force, with round four producing a world-leading 8.65--the longest jump since June of 1996, when the Cuban leaped 8.68 in Lisbon.
Meliz knew when he was licked, and passed two of his three final attempts, the other being a foul.
Earlier in the day, the women's long jump offered another chapter in Cuban athletic history.
Jumping against Heike Drechsler in Jena--in the shadow of her girlhood home--should be a daunting task for most any competitor. But for Lisset Cuza, who had finished second behind Drechsler earlier in the week, today was just another day at the stadium . . . until she popped a 6.99 in the third round for a Central American and Caribbean record.
Drechsler, in second at that point with a season-best 6.87, began to press harder for that seven-meter jump she says she will find this year. But only four consecutive fouls came from her attempts to come from behind and overtake the young Cuban.
Of her final jumps, Drechsler said that "the changing wind conditions made it difficult to know how to adjust her approach." But in truth, it was more from the shock of the sudden emergence of this newcomer.
Unlike Drechsler, Emeterio Gonzalez found the right formula for a successful comeback in the men's javelin.
Entering the final round with 82.67 and trailing both teammate Isbel Luaces (83.30) and German Boris Henry (83.11), the stocky Cuban let loose with 87.12 for the other area record established here on Saturday.
One more Cuban win came with Zulia Calatayud's 1:59.63 performance in the women's 800 meters, ahead of Meredith Valmon's 2:00.46.
US-based Myriam Mani continues to head towards world-class status with her 11.01 win in the women's 100 meters, a Cameroon national record. She finished well in front of La Tasha Jenkins (11.18) and Kisha Jett (11.26).
The men's discus saw Virgilius Alekna of Lithuania easily conquer an unusually strong field with 67.27, significantly ahead of South African Frantz Kruger (64.71) and Lars Riedel of Germany (64.48).
And Kevin Toth's final-round 21.04 iced his shot put win over Oliver-Sven Buder of Germany (20.21).
Winds early in the day statistically negated some otherwise good performances, among which was Mark Crear's 13.10 hurdle win, aided by a 3.1 wind. Greg Saddler found a lull in the breezy conditions to log a legal 10.19 victory ahead of Cuban Freddy Mayola (10.35).
Other US wins came from James Davis in the men's 400 (45.31) and Sandra Glover in the women's 400 hurdles (55.24).
In the men's one-lap hurdle race, Eronilde de Arajuo was impressive with his 48.67 clocking, as was Russian Natalya Nazarova's home-stretch win in the women's 400 meters (51.08).
Results
MEN
100 METERS: Race 1 (called "B")(2.2): 1. Riethmueller 10.41w; 2. Cesar 10.46w; 3. Deerberg 10.49w; 4. Reyes 10.56w; 5. Martin 10.69w; 6. Otto 10.78w.
Race 2 (called "A")(1.6): 1. Saddler (USA) 10.19; 2. Mayola (CUB) 10.35; 3. Ostwald 10.37; 4. Schneider 10.43; 5. Rionda (CUB) 10.46; 6. Gilpin (JAM) 10.53; 7. Garcia (CUB) 10.56.
400 METERS: 1. Ja. Davis (USA) 45.31; 2. Clarke (JAM) 45.34; 3. Ochieng (KEN) 45.77; 4. Goller 46.47; 5. Ehrensperger 47.42; 6. Oblong 47.52; 7. Giertzuch 48.71; 8. Schick 50.55.
800 METERS: 1. P Konchellah (KEN) 1:45.98; 2. Yampoy (KEN) 1:46.48; 3. W Botha (RSA) 1:47.49; 4. Everett (USA) 1:47.51; 5. Soukup (CZE) 1:47.86; 6. Daum 1:47.89; 7. Leiter 1:48.57; 8. Benfares (FRA) 1:49.11; 9. Lobo (GBR) 1:49.12; 10. McKay (GBR) 1:49.17; 11. Breitenstein 1:53.56. Pace: Eplinius 52.86
3000 METERS: 1. Allem (FRA) 7:55.89; 2. Mwangi (KEN) 7:56.45; 3. Killy (KEN) 7:56.81; 4. Schuetz 7:57.88; 5. Fitschen 8:02.28; 6. Ostendarp 8:10.06; 7.Khambule (RSA) 8:10.53; 8. Grund 8:12.03; 9.Burkhardt 8:13.07; 10. Justus 8:22.53 (son of Klaus-Peter, 1974 European 1500m champion); 11. Abdessalam 8:24.73. Pace: van der Westhuizen (RSA) 2:40.81; Mwangi 5:20.85.
110 HURDLES (3.1): 1. Crear (USA) 13.10w; 2. Garcia (CUB) 13.19w; 3. Dees (USA) 13.29w; 4. Bownes (RSA) 13.38w; 5. Leberer 13.40w; 6. Fenner 13.46w; 7. Balzer 13.47w. Did not finish: Hernandez (CUB) [hit hurdle 5 and stopped]
Heat 1 (2.2): 1. Crear 13.17w; 2. Garcia 13.17w; 3. Dees
13.44w; 4. Fenner 13.48w; 5. Edorh 13.63w; 6. Berlioz (MAD) 13.97w; 7. Blaschek 14.10w.
Heat 2 (0.8): 1. Hernandez 13.36; 2. Leberer 13.43; 3. Bownes 13.47; 4. Balzer 13.48; 5.
Ross (USA) 13.92; 6. Lichtenhagen 14.07; 7. Siebert 14.33; 8. Batte (CUB) 14.37.
400 HURDLES: Race 1: 1. Boenisch 51.78; 2. Reinberg 51.96;
3. Bohn 51.96; 4. Aryee 52.03.
Race 2: 1. Araujo (BRA) 48.67; 2. Thompson (JAM) 49.62; 3. Nichols (USA) 49.73; 4. Kolb
50.58; 5. Schneider 51.46. Did not finish: Marchand (CAN).
LONG JUMP: 1. Pedroso (CUB) 8.65 (1.5) [world leader][x - x - 8.14 (1.0) - 8.65 (1.5) - p - p]; 2.Meliz (CUB) 8.43 (0.1) [8.28 (0.9) - 8.43 (0.1) - 7.96 (0.7) - p - x - p]; 3. Prah 8.14 (0.6); 4. Beckford (JAM) 8.12 (0.5); 5. Streete-Thompson (CAY) 8.12 (1.2); 6. Cankar (SLO) 8.02 (1.4); 7. Garcia (CUB) 7.97 (-0.4); 8. Howard (USA) 7.88 (0.7); 9. Duncan (CAN) 7.68 (0.9); 10. Krause 7.60 (1.4); 11. Schmidt 7.59 (0.8); 12. Wignall (JAM) 7.59 (1.5).
SHOT PUT: 1. Toth (USA) 21.04 [17.36 - 20.13 - x - 20.44 - x - 21.04]; 2. Buder 20.21 20.21 - 20.17 - 20.16 - 20.20 - 20.03 - 20.06]; 3. Haborak (SVK) 20.03 [19.01 - x - 19.13 - 19.50 - 19.26 - 20.03]; 4. Sack 19.19; 5. Mertens 19.09; 6. Dittmar 18.44; 7. Pfingsten 18.37; 8. Koehler 17.30.
DISCUS: 1. Alekna (LIT) 67.27 [62.97 - x - 67.27 - x - 63.62 - 64.92]; 2. Kruger (RSA) 64.71; 3. Riedel 64.48; 4. Setliff (USA) 62.91; 5. Moellenbeck 62.13; 6. Elizalde (CUB) 61.83; 7. Schult 61.24; 8. Casanas (CUB) 61.09; 9. Van Daele (BEL) 59.56. No legal throw: Friedrich (GER).
JAVELIN: 1. Gonzalez 87.12 CAC record, NR [81.83 - x - 81.64 - 82.67 - 81.77 - 87.12]; 2. Luaces (CUB) 83.30; 3. Henry 83.11; 4. Blank 81.96; 5. Rigondeaux (CUB) 81.22; 6. Hecht 80.86; 7. Nau 78.51; 8. Riech (USA) 74.15; 9. Intas (LIT) 66.00.
WOMEN
100 METERS (1.3): 1. Mani (CMR) 11.01 NR; 2. Jenkins (USA) 11.18; 3. Jett (USA) 11.26; 4.
Schielke 11.54; 5. Hill (USA) 11.68; 6. Tinsner 11.86.
400 METERS: Race 1: 1. Bonne (CUB) 53.12; 2. Tinsner 53.28;
3. Ferrarez (FRA) 53.50; 4. Kette 53.72; 5. Schoenenberger 54.21; 6. Harstick 55.19.
Race 2: 1. Nazarova (RUS) 51.08; 2. Ogunkoya (NGR) 51.30; 3. Reid (USA) 51.56; 4. Richards
(JAM) 51.78; 5. Hennagan (USA) 52.30; 6. Diaz (CUB) 53.43.
800 METERS: 1. Calatayud (CUB) 1:59.63; 2. Valmon (USA) 2:00.46; 3. Modahl (GBR) 2:00.53; 4. Kisabaka 2:01.17; 5. Ross (USA) 2:02.82; 6. Bauer 2:03.41; 7. Muehlbacher (AUT) 2:03.48; 8. Beutelspacher 2:03.52; 9. Kumpan (UKR) 2:04.14; 10. Pattinson (GBR) 2:04.27; 11. Bruns 2:05.14; 12. Jensen (DEN) 2:05.20. Pace: Schimmer 57.24.
100 HURDLES (2.3): 1. King (USA) 13.04w; 2. Lopez (CUB) 13.04w; 3. Sonn 13.08w; 4. Rakotozafy (MAD) 13.08w; 5. Hamann 13.12w; 6. Sprenger 13.16w; 7. Leschnik 13.27; 8. Komoll 13.37.
Heat 1 (0.9): 1. King 13.11; 2. Sonn 13.19; 3. Rakotozafy
13.34; 4. Komoll 13.61; 5. Gotthardt 13.81; 6. Schaeperkoetter 14.19; 7. Werle 14.24.
Heat 2 (0.3): 1. Hamann 13.33; 2. Lopez 13.34; 3. Sprenger 13.35; 4. Leschnik 13.38; 5.
Gensel 13.90; 6. McKelvy (USA) 16.26 [hit hurdle 5 but still jogged the rest of the way].
400 HURDLES: 1. Glover (USA) 55.24; 2. Rieger 56.21; 3. Ahrens 56.92; 4. Arnardottir (ISL) 56.94; 5. Schmidt 57.88; 6. Jung 57.89.
POLE VAULT: 1. Adams 4.25; 2. Boulova (CZE) 4.20; 3. Schulte 4.20; 4. Pyrek (POL) 4.15; 5. Whitlock (GBR) 4.10; 6. Badurova (CZE) 4.10; 7. Kuehnert 4.00; 8. A Mueller 3.90.
LONG JUMP: 1. Cuza (CUB) 6.99 (0.4) CAC record, NR [x - 6.82 (1.8) - 6.99 (0.4) - p - 6.87w (2.8) - x]; 2. Drechsler 6.87 (1.4) [6.81w (2.1) - 6.87 (1.4) - x – x - x - x]; 3. Burrell (USA) 6.72 (1.7); 4. Golding (JAM) 6.59 (1.9); 5. Tiedtke 6.56w(2.9) [6.48 (0.5)]; 6. Schulte 6.53 (1.4); 7. Desebe-Devaud (SUI) 6.41w (2.5) [6.29 (1.6)].
SHOT PUT: 1. Kumbernuss 19.37 (won on last throw); 2. Kleinert-Schmitt 19.13; 3. Ostapchuk (BLR) 18.30; 4. Cumba (CUB) 18.29; 5. Price-Smith (USA) 18.29; 6. Peters (NGR) 17.41; 7. Thompson (USA) 16.77; 8. Beckel 16.51; 9. Beyer 16.42; 10. Winkler 14.57.
