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News26 Aug 2004


Women's High Jump - Qualification Round

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Reigning World champion Hestrie Cloete of South Africa and World Indoor champion Yelena Slesarenko of Russia lead the list of twelve qualifiers who will compete in Saturday’s final of the Women’s High Jump.

Cloete had a clean jump record, starting at 1.85 and continuing through 1.89 and 1.92 before leaping the automatic 1.95 height.  Slesarenko and her teammate Anna Chicherova, last winter’s World Indoor silver medallist, both needed two jumps at 1.92, but each made the needed adjustment to clear 1.95 on their first try. 

In all, six of the eight competitors who came to Athens with season bests of 2.00 or more advanced. 

Along with the previously mentioned trio, World Indoor bronze medallist Blanka Vlašic of Croatia, Ukraine’s Iryna Mykhalchenko, and four-time US champion Amy Acuff of the US will see further action in the final.

A second Ukrainian, former European junior champion Viktoriya Styopina, had a spotless record through 1.95, and advances along with one of the evening’s biggest surprises, heptathlete Tia Hellebaut of Belgium, who equalled her PB of 1.95 in securing one of the elite dozen places. 

Also jumping 1.95 was former European champion Monica Iagar of Romania.  

Only nine of the entrants cleared the automatic qualifying mark.  The remaining three, taken on a countback at the previous height of 1.92, included former World champion Inga Babakova of Ukraine - at 37, the oldest in the field of thirty-four competitors -plus seven-time Spanish champion Marta Mendía, and the Sydney bronze medallist, Oana Pantelimon of Romania. 

With every qualifying round, there are unexpected departures.  Tonight’s list includes notables such as Spanish record holder Ruth Beitía (1.89), five-time US champion Tisha Waller (1.89), two-time World championships fourth-placer Venelina Veneva of Bulgaria (1.92), and Russia’s Tatyana Novoseltseva (1.92). 

EG

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