A very straight forward qualification. Basically, all the favourites confirmed their quality on their first attempts including double European indoor champion Naide Gomes of Portugal who was the World Indoor bronze medallist in 2006, and Irina Simagina of Russia, the world season leader, who is also the Olympic silver medallist.
Gomes led the 8 qualifiers with her 6.72m leap but it was a low quality competition with only five women making the 6.60m automatic level that guaranteed an athlete procession to the final.
Simagina made 6.60m exactly with her first leap, while sandwiched between her and the Portuguese were Eloyse Lesueur (6.67m), and Maureen Maggi (6.65m) who also only required one attempt. The crowd’s attention was ignited when Spanish national champion Concepcion Montaner broke the sand at 6.64m on her third and final attempt for automatic qualification too, though her 6.45m in the second round would have been enough for a qualification place in any case.
Ineta Radevica, Janice Josepha and Keila Costa will make up the remaining places for tomorrow’s final.
Russia's second string Olga Kucherenko, whose season's best is 6.87m failed to make the cut with a lowly 6.32m best, which is shame considering that their two-time champion (2003 and 2006) Tatyana Kotova who has a 6.78m season’s best is not here in Valencia to defend her title.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
