Women’s 200m Round 1
Heat 1
Oksan Dyachenko-Ekk of Russia had the best start and led Frances’s Fabe Dia
into the second bend. Both athletes then eased up as they approached the finish. Monika
Gachevska of Bulgaria made what will probably be the briefest appearance in Maebashi
– running two strides before pulling up injured.
Heat 2
Evenly matched for the first half of the race, Russia’s Svetlana Goncharenko
pulled away from Agne Visockaite of Lithuania around the final bend and finished in 22.94.
The Lithuanian was rewarded with a national record of 23.39.
Heat 3
Commonwealth silver medallist Juliet Campbell was an emphatic victor in this
race, building a big lead before easing through the final straight to stop the clock at
23.04.
Heat 4
A very impressive display from Ionela Tirlea – the European 400m hurdles champion
– opening her two event account in Maebashi. Her time of 22.64 – the
world’s fastest indoors this season – is also faster than the Romanian has ever
run outdoors, which indicates that she has peaked perfectly.
