Hyleas Fountain shot putting in the Heptathlon at the US Olympic Trials (© Getty Images)
Eugene, Oregon, USAHyleas Fountain recorded personal bests in three of the four events of the Heptathlon first day and, with a first-day total of 3989, carried a 239-point lead into the second day of the US Olympic Trials in Eugene which is also a fixture as part of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge 2008.
Diana Pickler held second place with 3750, while Jackie Johnson and Gi-Gi Johnson (no relation) were third and fourth at 3717 and 3671, respectively.
The 27-year-old Fountain, two-time US champion and a finalist at the Helsinki World Championships immediately grabbed the advantage with an eye-opening 12.65 performance in the 100m Hurdles. The 2.8 m/s wind reading negated it from normal statistical consideration but not for combined-event lists, which allow a wind of up to 4 mps.
Fountain erased the previous mark of 12.69 by Jackie Joyner-Kersee which came in the legendary heptathlete’s gold medal performance at the Seoul Olympics. Fountain was not far off the world best in the heptathlon hurdles, which is held by France’s Eunice Barber at 12.62 from a competition in Arles three years ago.
Gi-Gi Johnson followed Fountain into the finish in the same heat with 12.83, as the 29-year-old kept pace and trailed by only 28 points after the first event, 1178 to 1150.
Other outstanding times in the lead-off event came from US season leader Jackie Johnson and Pickler with 13.12 and 13.13, respectively.
Equalling her personal best, Pickler had the best High Jump of the day at 1.84m and moved into second place after two events with 2134 behind Fountain, whose 1.81 kept her in the lead at 2169. Jackie Johnson’s 1.78 leap resulted in an aggregate 2059 in third, while Bettie Wade, on the strength of a 1.81 jump, moved into fourth with 1994.
Fountain began to assert herself in the Shot Put with a mammoth PB 13.67m, almost a metre more than her previous career best of 12.77, which came in late April in Berkeley. The same day she broke through the 13-second level in the hurdles for the first time.
With a three-event total of 2941 and a margin of 159, Fountain now pulled away from the rest of the field, as Jackie Johnson’s PB 12.94 throw moved her into second place at 2782, only two points ahead of Pickler with 2780, after an 11.77 effort. Wade held on to fourth at 2720 with a 13.03 put.
Fountain ended the day with a 23.31 PB clocking in the 200 metres bettering her previous best of 23.53 five years ago. Pickler’s 24.11 moved her into second past Jackie Johnson, who dropped to third after a 24.48 race. Gi-Gi Johnson, running on Fountain’s immediate outside, was outstanding in a PB 23.38 and moved back into fourth, ahead of Wade, who dropped to fifth after a 24.72.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
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