Second
best alltime for Lebedeva in Yokohama, sprint doubles for Jayasinghe and Thompson
Agency reports
9 September 2000 - Yokohama, Japan - Russia's Tatiana Lebedeva, the European Indoor Champion, issued a Sydney Olympic warning by setting the second best mark in history to win the women's triple jump at the Yokohama athletics meet on Saturday.
Lebedeva, who had held the best mark of the season with 15.01 metres, created a new Russian national record with a mark of 15.32m.
Tiombe Hurd of the United States was second with 13.64m, followed by her compatriot Sheila Hudson with 13.56.
"This is the first competition since the Russian championships in July and I didn't expect to make a personal best because it was very hot, but I felt comfortable after marking 15.15m in my first jump," said Lebedeva.
"After the mark, I challenged a new world record and couldn't make it. Technically, it was not so good, but mentally I was concentrating very well looking forwards the Sydney Olympics. I must improve my running."
Inessa kravets of Ukraine holds the current world record of 15.50m.
When asked about her goal in Sydney, Lebedeva said: "My goal is only one - to win the gold. I may be satisfied even with the silver, but I want to win the gold."
World champion high jumper Vyacheslav Voronin outclassed some of his leading rivals for Olympic glory when he jumped 2.33 metres to win his event at the Super Meet 2000 on Saturday.
But Atlanta 110 metres hurdles champion Allen Johnson of the United States pulled up with a hamstring injury in his final test before defending his title in Sydney.
Johnson said that he felt tightness in his hamstring going over the first hurdle and knew that he had to stop after knocking over the third hurdle.
"I just wasn't ready. I should have stayed home," Johnson said.
He said he was planning to receive as much treatment as possible and hoped to recover in time for the Olympics. "I have had injuries before but never so close to a major meet," Johnson added.
Cuba's Anier Garcia took the hurdles race with a time of 13.12 seconds while Latvia's Stanislav Olijar was second in 13.26.
In the high jump, Russia's Voronin beat American Olympic champion Charles Austin, who cleared 2.31 metres, and Cuban world record holder Javier Sotomayor, who jumped 2.28, in the final athletics meeting before the Sydney Games open on Friday.
Voronin failed in his first two attempts at 2.33 metres but soared over the bar on his third attempt.
Sotomayor, battling injuries after recently being reinstated following a drug suspension, failed three times at 2.33 metres. "This year I am not aiming for a new world record because I have been away for quite a long time. I hope to aim for a 2.36-metre jump at Sydney," Sotomayor said.
Britain's Jonathan Edwards easily won the triple jump with a mark of 17.32 metres. Fellow Briton Larry Achike was a distant second at 16.56 metres.
"It feels very satisfactory," said Edwards, adding that he was still battling jet lag.
"I feel very content knowing that I will do well in Sydney."
Sri Lanka's sprint queen Susanthika Jayasinghe and Obadele Thompson of Barbados both enjoyed a sprint double at the meet on Saturday as they tuned up for Sydney.
Jayasinghe, the 1997 world silver medallist, bettered her
personal best by one hundredth of a second to win the women's 200 metres in 22.32, beating
Beverly McDonald of Jamaica by 0.12. Irina Khabarova of Russia came in third in 22.76.
Jayasinghe then added the 100m title by clocking 11.04, beating Marina Trandenko of Russia
in 11.22 and Petya Pendareva of Bulgaria in 11.26.. "I have a big goal in Sydney, at
the moment, I can't tell, but today, I had a very good time after three years ... after
1997," said Susanthika, who had a sea of problems after winning the silver in Athens.
Thompson also set a new personal best and a meet record by clocking 19.97 to win the men's
200m. His winning time in the 100m was 10.12. "I am very happy to run a personal 200
metre record. I seem to always run pretty well in Japan," said Thompson, whose
previous best was 20.03.
"We all know that Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene will not be competing in the 200
metres at the Olympic Games. I think the 200m gold is wide open.
"People like Ato Boldon, young American John Capel and
a few others are contesting for the gold, and I think this year I have a very good chance
to win it," added Thompson, who was fourth in Atlanta.
High jumper Yelena Yelesina, who was second in the world championships, beat the
competition with a jump of 1.99 metres. Second place went to South Africa's Hestrie Cloete
with 1.96m.
In the men's long jump, world champion Ivan Pedroso of Cuba fended off one of his top challengers in Sydney, Spain's Yago Lamela, with a leap of 8.32 metres. The Spaniard took second with 8.18.
Pole vault world record holder Sergey Bubka failed at 5.20 metres and went out of his event without ever clearing the bar. South African Okkert Brits won with a vault of 5.70 metres.
Japan's Koji Murofushi beat a tough field in the hammer throw to win with a national record of of 81.08 metres. World champion Karsten Kobs of Germany was a disappointing sixth with 76.90 metres.
Leading results Super Meet 2000 athletics event on Saturday:
Women's 100 metres
1. Susanthika Jaysinghe (Sri Lanka) 11.04 seconds
2. Marina Trandenkova (Russia) 11.22
3. Petya Pendareva (Bulgaria) 11.26
Women's 100 metres hurdles
1. Natalia Shekhodanova (Russia) 12.75 seconds
2. Aluiska Lopez (Cuba) 12.82
3. Svetlana Laukhova (Russia) 12.93
Women's 200 metres
1. Susanthika Jaysinghe (Sri Lanka) 22.32 seconds
2. Beverly McDonald (Jamaica) 22.44
3. Irina Khabarova (Russia) 22.76
Women's 5000 metres
1. Leah Malot (Kenya) 15 minutes 19.26 seconds
2. Lidia Grigoryeva (Russia) 15:19.65
3. Galina Bogomolova (Russia) 15:20.53
Women's triple jump
1. Tatiana Lebedeva (Russia) 15.32 metres
2. Tiombe Hurd (U.S.) 13.64
3. Sheila Hudson (U.S.) 13.56
Women's high jump
1. Yelena Yelesina (Russia) 1.99 metres
2. Hestrie Cloete (S. Africa) 1.96
3. Yoko Ota (Japan) 1.90
Women's shot put
1. Yu Juan (China) 17.19 metres
2. Chinatsu Mori (Japan) 15.86
3. Yoko Toyonaga (Japan) 15.79
Men's 100 metres
1. Obadele Thompson (Barbados) 10.12 seconds
2. Shingo Kawabata (Japan) 10.25
3. Koji Ito (Japan) 10.26
Men's 200 metres
1. Obadele Thompson (Barbados) 19.97 seconds
2. Shingo Suetsugu (Japan) 20.26
3. Ricardo Williams (Jamaica) 20.33
Men's 400 metres
1. Antonio Pettigrew (U.S.) 44.57 seconds
2. Hendrik Morganyetsi (S. Africa) 44.59
3. Amaud Malherbe (S. Africa) 44.74
Men's 110 metres hurdles
1. Anier Garcia (Cuba) 13.12 seconds
2. Stanislav Olijar (Latvia) 13.26
3. Yoel Hernandez (Cuba) 13.30
Men's 400 metres hurdles
1. Samuel Matete (Zambia) 48.01 seconds
2. Llewellyn Herbert (S. Africa) 48.09
3. Dai Tamasue (Japan) 48.47
Men's 5000 metres
1. Aloys Nizigama (Burundi) 13 minutes 25.67 seconds
2. Zakayo Ngatho (Kenya) 13:25.69
3. Saimon Maina (Kenya) 13.29.32
Men's long jump
1. Ivan Pedroso (Cuba) 8.32 metres
2. James Beckford (Jamaica) 8.12
Men's high jump
1. Vyacheslav Voronin (Russia) 2.33 metres
2. Charles Austin (U.S.) 2.31
3. Javier Sotomayor (Cuba) 2.28
Men's triple jump
1. Jonathan Edwards (Britain) 17.32 metres
2. Larry Achkie (Britain) 16.56
3. Gu Junjie (China) 16.47
Men's pole vault
1. Okkert Brits (S. Africa) 5.70 metres
2. Lawrence Johnson (U.S.) 5.50
3. Fumiaki Kobayashi (Japan) 5.40
Men's hammer throw
1. Koji Murofushi (Japan) 81.01 metres
2. Alekxander Krikun (Ukraine) 77.65
3. Vladimir Maska (Chech) 77.62
