Olga Kotlyarova rejoices after her 600m record (© AFP/Getty Images)
A packed afternoon of world class results at the 2004 Russian Winter – IAAF Permit – meeting in Moscow’s CSKA Stadium was highlighted by a women’s World Indoor best at the rarely run distance of 600 metres.
Russia’s 27 year-old Olga Kotlyarova, the 2001 World Indoor Championships 400m silver medallist, ran the 600 metres in 1:23.44 so demolishing the previous World indoor best (1:25.46) of compatriot Lyubov Tsyoma which was recorded in 1987.
Perhaps more significantly Kotlyarova’s time has only ever been beaten outdoors by Mozambique’s Maria Mutola (1:22.87 & 1:23.13) and Ana Fidelia Quirot of Cuba the current holder of the fastest ever time with 1:22.63.
Kotlyarova, has an indoor 400m personal best of 50.42 (2001), and an outdoors time of 49.95 (2000). She was the 1998 European bronze medallist and finished 8th in both the 1999 World Championships in Seville and the 2000 Olympics.
She returned to the sport last year after a maternity break to have a daughter who is 18 months old now.
“It was rather easy to renew my running. I knew how to do it. At first I made a test start at the summer National championships. And now I am going to participate in the world Indoor championships,” said Olga.
“Today I was aiming for a record time in 600 metres. I have done it already in training in December. This result is a very good base for my participation in the 400m. Now I am going to run each time at my top level.
“My daughter has given me a new motivation. I have got more mental stability. I see that the rivalry has become harder. But it makes my running more interesting.”
Lebedeva – 14.97 repeat
The field events attracted most of the remaining attention in Moscow today with double women's World outdoor champion Tatyana Lebedeva repeating her 14.97m Triple Jump performance (world season's lead) which she made in Samara last week (29 Jan). Second was Oksana Rogova (14.29), and third Anna Pyatykh (14.08).
As always Lebedeva was emotional and energetic.
She wanted to jump over 15.00 and to get a world record. That is why she was disappointed with her 14.88 following the 14.97 she jumped 3 days earlier in Samara. She says that she had not enough time to restore her form after Samara.
“I am at the top of my form and I shall try again to jump a world record,” said Lebedeva. “It was a wonderful public in Samara who pushed me to show so good a jump and I could not save my strength for Moscow.
Lebedeva promised a surprise to come. It is quite possible that it will be her participation in two events at the Olympic Games. She wants to try herself again in the Long Jump. It may happen already in Budapest.
Chicherova also continues on song
In the women’s High Jump, Russian indoor record holder Anna Chicherova continued in fine form beating Ukraine’s Vita Palamar, both jumpers clearing a best of 1.99m. This was the 21 year-old Russian’s fifth competition of the year, with three of these meets having been over 2.00m.
World indoor champion beats Paris conqueror
Irina Korzhanenko, 29, the reigning women’s World Indoor Shot champion made her season’s debut in fine style with a 20.13m release (world season's lead) which was enough to beat World outdoor champion Svetlana Krivelyova, 34, who threw 19.19m, also a season’s debut. Korzhanenko had finished fourth at the Worlds in Paris last summer behind Krivelyova.
In the men’s competition, Ivan Yuskov threw 20.49m to beat Pavel Chumachenko (20.04).
There was a quality men’s Pole Vault with Russia’s Igor Pavlov jumping 5.80m to defeat European outdoor champion Aleksandr Averbukh of Israel at the same height on count-back. France’s Romain Mesnil the world’s highest outdoor jumper of 2003 (5.95) was third with 5.65m.
Olympic High Jump champion Sergey Klyugin won his specialist event with a clearance of 2.28m which headed a field of five other jumpers all of whom cleared 2.24.
Shkurlatov beats Cubans again
Ivan Pedroso was back over 8 metres (8.01m) but it was only good enough to finish third in the men’s Long Jump behind compatriot Luis Meliz’s 8.10m, with both Cubans defeated by 24 year-old Vitaliy Shkurlatov’s 8.13m leap. The same finishing order occurred in Samara last Thursday night (29 Jan). The Russian is the current world indoor season's leader with 8.24m (17 Jan).
Back on the track there was a 6.64 second win in the men’s 60m for Brazil’s Cláudio Roberto Souza who beat Gennadiy Chernovol of Kazakhstan (6.66) to whom he had lost in Samara.
Yuliya Tabakova won the women’s 60m dash in 7.13, while over the sprint barriers Natalya Kresova took the win in 8.00 seconds.
Full results click here
IAAF & Nikolay Ivanov
