Vlasic (2.06), Mulaudzi (1:43.64) excel in Madrid – IAAF World Athletics Tour

The ‘Meeting de Madrid 2008’ last night (5) was capped by a superb 2.06m effort signed by Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic in the women’s High Jump, two quick 800m races taken by South Africa’s Mbulaeni Mulaudzi (1:43.64) and Hasna Benhassi of Morocco (1:58:54).

The ‘Meeting de Madrid 2008’ is a Grand Prix status meeting as part of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008

There was also an enthralling showdown in the men’s Discus Throw between local hero Mario Pestano and Olympic champion Lithuania Virgilijus Alekna with the Spaniard prevailing by just one centimetre (67.01 vs 67.00) plus another fierce battle in the women’s Long Jump where Brazil’s Maurren Higa Maggi beat Portugal’s Naide Gomes (6.95m vs 6.93m w).

Vlasic’s never ending momentum

 The 24-year-old Croatian kept-up her momentum and managed her 31st victory in a row (15 in 2007 16 so far in 2008) defeating reigning Olympic champion Yelena Slesarenko in the process. Spain’s Ruth Beitia finished runner-up thanks of a SB of 2.01 getting the better of the Russian by having fewer failures over 2.01.

Winning yesterday Vlasic cemented her Beijing Olympic gold medal aspirations and holds onto a perfect card in 2008 having exceeded the 2.00m barrier in all her 16 appearances, 7 indoors and 9 outdoors.

For over a year now, Vlasic’s participation in any meet has been a virtual guarantee of a two-metres plus clearance. It was no different in Madrid. The Split-born star’s opening height with 1.84 to breeze through also first time over 1.92, 1.95 and 1.98 while Slesarenko and Beitia only went over that height at their second tentative.

The three athletes surpassed 2.01 but only Vlasic had first-time success and only the 1.92m tall Croatian was successful with the bar raised at 2.03 on her second try to attempt then 2.06. This height finally proved more of a challenge, but after two failures, Vlasic went comfortably clear on her third. With that jump Vlasic equalled her season’s best set at the European Cup in Istanbul a fortnight ago.

Just like on multiple occasions in the past, Vlasic next attempted the World record height of 2.10. It once again proved elusive, although that record may be within her reach in the near future.

After giving her support to the Madrid 2016 Olympic bid Vlasic congratulated the audience for Spain’s football success at the recent European Cup final held in Vienna. On her win, the reigning World indoor & outdoor champion said:

“Today’s victory is so important as I have faced two of the best high jumpers such as Slesarenko and Beitia. I’m not obsessed with the World record but I’ll try it whenever I can.”

“The Olympics? I look forward to performing in Beijing and fighting for the gold but right now I’m only thinking of my next competition, next Friday in Rome. Thinking on the Olympics from now would mean too much pressure, I prefer to be focused only in my next step”.

Mulaudzi, Benhassi clinch quick 800 victories

Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Hasna Benhassi are the reigning Olympic 800m silver medallists, and will take on a new wave of young and talented specialists in Beijing but they also proved yesterday they are ready for the challenge.

After being paced through the opening lap in 50.41, Mulaudzi took charge of the men’s race and seemed to be unthreatened entering the home-straight but a late burst of speed by 19-year-old Ugandan Abraham Chepkirwok reduced Mulaudzi’s advantage to eight hundredths of a second, 1:43.64 vs 1:43.72, a massive PB and national record for the reigning World Junior bronze medallist.

Ahmed Ismail of Sudan took third in 1:44.47, also a PB for Abubaker Kaki’s training mate.

Watch out too for Olympic 1500m purposes to Spain’s ace of the distance Arturo Casado who clocked 1:45.69 for fifth behind European Cup 800m winner fellow countryman Manuel Olmedo (1:45.20).

“I’m quite satisfied as I have run very close to my SB of 1:43.61,” said Mulaudzi. “After my below par 2007 season when I was hampered by a series of injuries, I’m OK again and I am willing to battle in Beijing. It’s true that the outlook for the Olympics is very tough in terms of medals but let’s see, you need to train hard now and be clever there to succeed” reflected the 27-year-old South African, named ‘male athlete of the meeting’ for his 1:43.64 time.

As for Benhassi, the 30-year-old Moroccan used her well-known trade-mark tactic of coming from behind. In fact, it was Britain’s Marilyn Okoro who ruled the race with 100m left closely followed by Maria Mutola and Benhassi whose final home-straight was blistering to romp home in a SB of 1:58.54 well ahead of Okoro’s 1:59.04 while a faltering Mutola was even pipped in the closing stages by 2005 World champion Zulia Calatayud (1:59.74 vs Mutola’s 1:59.85).

Asked on her chances of making the Olympic podium again, the victor commented: “Obviously, I’m fully aware of the Kenyans (Jelimo and Jepkosgei) potential but I’m only focused on myself. I believe that the Olympic Games are so different to a meeting race that I’m very confident of my chances. I’ll next race in Tanger (Morocco) on Sunday 13 July” confirmed Benhassi.

Pestano dominates Alekna

The much awaited encounter between Mario Pestano of Spain and Lithuania’s living legend Virgilijus Alekna didn’t let anyone down. Despite the tailwind - which is not positive for the throwers - Pestano opened with a 65.42m release to be answered by Alekna in round two throwing 65.40. Nothing remarkable happened in the next two attempts but the 36-year-old double Olympic champion unleashed a 66.54 fifth round toss to take top spot albeit his lead was short-lived as a noisily supported by his fans Pestano responded on the very next throw with a 67.01 effort to regain supremacy.

However, his victory came only after a few seconds of drama following Alekna’s last round measurement, 67.00 barely 0.01m shy of the Spaniard’s performance.

Pestano was adamant when asked whether the Lithuanian age (36) would make it easier to achieve an Olympic medal easier for his opponents:

“Not at all; Alekna is…Alekna. He’s is capable of throwing 70m on a given day under any circumstances. He’ll be as dangerous as always in Beijing” said Mario “Mr Consistency” Pestano, who registered his eight 66.00 + outing this season.

Maggi over Gomes

Brazil’s Maurren Higa Maggi took a minor revenge on Portugal’s Naide Gomes in the women’s Long Jump as the latter had beaten her at the World Indoors in Valencia this March when they took gold and silver respectively.

Fresh from a legal 6.99m season’s best leap to win the National Championships last weekend the 32-year-old Brazilian opened with a powerful effort of 6.94 (+3.0) with Gomes’ answer coming in round two, 6.93 (+2.3). While the Portuguese could not go beyond that figure – despite a fine series of leaps including two legal 6.80 jumps for a season’s best – Maggi closed out the contest in style adding one more centimetre (6.95) in a tailwind of 1.5.

The Russian pair of Anna Nazarova (6.75w) and Elena Sokolova (PB of 6.74) came third and fourth.

Windy 17.40 success for Evora

Reigning World Triple Jump champion Nelson Evora of Portugal made only his second appearance so far of the outdoor season. In a contest strongly aided by the wind the 24-year-old Portuguese took an extremely narrow win. He was tied at 17.40m (+3.0) with Cuba’s Osniel Tosca (+5.1) and only managed victory by virtue his further second best leap measured at 17.24 (+2.4) in the final round for Tosca’s 17.10 (+3.5) who had been in command from round one. 

Third place went to Italy’s Fabrizio Donato in 17.29m (w) while Cuba’s reigning World Indoor champion David Giralt had to settle for fourth on this occasion with a legal 17.24 best effort.

10.03 for Martina into headwind

Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles captured a brilliant win in the men’s 100m. The semi-finals had placed Portugal’s European champion Francis Obikwelu in the role of hot favourite following his season’s best of 10.09 into a strong headwind of 2.0 which beat Martina. Yet the final was a different story as Martina went out fastest from the blocks – after two false starts with Norway’s Jaysuma Siady Ndure (season’s best of 10.01) disqualified - and was never headed in 10.03 (-1.1) from Obikwelu’s 10.08, still a season’s best for the reigning Olympic silver medallist.

2003 World champion Kim Collins took third with 10.16 ahead of Britain’s Craig Pickering (SB of 10.23).

The delighted winner said: “I’ve been slightly injured in the last weeks and that’s the reason to perform over 200m in Hengelo instead of my favourite 100m. Today, I still felt some discomfort but I ran pretty well.”

“Gay, Bolt, Powell? They are human beings like the others so I’ll go for them in Beijing” concluded a confident Martina who had already clocked 10.00 this season.

Feofanova vaults 4.75

The women’s Pole Vault witnessed the awaited outdoor season debut of Russia reigning Olympic silver medallist Svetlana Feofanova who has focused on her training so far and it seems that the work has paid off since the Russian managed a second-time clearance of 4.75m despite being disturbing by an annoying wind. This is a height that has only been bettered by two athletes this year. Feofanova’s compatriots Tatyana Polnova and Yulia Golubchikova completed a quality podium vaulting 4.65 and 4.60 respectively

Elsewhere…

World Indoor 1500m champion Deresse Mekonnen captured a fine win in 3:33.99. The 20-year-old Ethiopian kept at bay Kenya’s Cornelius Chichir who at least bettered his SB to 3:35.57. Reigning Olympic silver medallist Rui Silva ran his opening 1500 outdoors this season and had to settle for 14th in a modest 3:44.52 clocking. The women’s event was taken by Ukraine’s Irina Lishchynska in 4:05.94 for South Africa’s Rene Kalmer’s PB of 4:06.71.

Olympic champion and World Javelin Throw record holder Osleidys Menendez took a clear win thanks to a 63.84m second release despite delivering only two valid throws. The Cuban came 0.20m short off her season’s best and got the better of South Africa’s Justine Robbeson, runner-up with 59.27. Menendez declared she still targets “3 or 4 more outings before the Olympics; that events should serve me to improve my form”.
 
The win in the men’s 400m Hurdles went to Alwin Myburgh of South Africa with a 48.99 clocking for America’s LaRon Bennet’s 49.18 while the 400m flat race witnessed a tight win for 29-year-old Belgium’s Cedric Van Branteghem in a season’s best of 45.13 closely followed by Ato Stephens (formerly Modibo) of Trinidad & Tobago timed at 45.15.

The British Virgin Island’s Laverne Jones bounced back from a sluggish start in the women’s 100m (0.452 reaction time) to succeed with a 11.28 (-1.1) clocking while Ghana’s Vida Anim came second timed at 11.40.

For the delight of the crowd the sprint Hurdles saw Jackson Quiñónez and Josephine Onya’s respective wins albeit the headwind and some lack of rivalry defeated the purpose of clocking faster than 13.57 and 12.94.

The men’s 3000m Steeplechase was won by Kenya’s Wesley Kiprotich in 8:21.94.

Poland’s Tomasz Majewski took the Shot Put with a 20.44 heave while Russia’s Pavel Sofin was the only other putter to exceed the 20m barrier (20.15). There were also 4x100 victories for Switzerland (38.99 for Italy’s 39.04) in the men’s event and Lithuania (43.95 ahead of Ghana’s 43.96).

Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

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