One down, one to go: with her 1500m victory, Anna Alminova secures the first of two gold medals she is aiming for in Turin (© Getty Images)
With three victories in the four finals held at the Oval Lingotto today, team Russia underscored yet again that their nation remains the women’s continental athletics powerhouse on the second day of action at the 30th European Indoor Championships.
It began in the Pole Vault where Yuliya Golubchikova illustrated that Yelena Isinbayeva’s absence wouldn’t leave Russia with a void in the win column after her win with a 4.75m clearance.
Perfect through 4.70m, the 25-year-old needed three tries before successfully equaling her career best set last year.
“Gold was my only target,” said Golubchikova, who was fourth at last summer’s Olympic Games, losing on the countback to Svetlana Feofanova. “I equaled my PB but I could have jumped higher.” Nonetheless, here she succeeded Feofanova compatriot to increase Russia’s gold medal streak in the vault at thee championships to four.
But it was close. Runner-up Silke Spiegelburg, who was the last to qualify yesterday, raised her own German national record to 4.75m, but was forced to settle for silver after suffering an earlier miss at 4.60m.
Anna Battke secured a 2-3 finish for Germany after clearing 4.65, a clearance adding five centimetres to her career best.
Alminova – one down, one to go
With one eye looking ahead to tomorrow’s 3000m final, pre-meet favourite Anna Alminova played her role perfectly in the 1500m final, waiting until the bell to pounce to a decisive victory in 4:07.76.
“I had to change my tactics before the competition, but it worked well,” said Alminova, who six-and-a-hald hours earlier stretched her legs to an 8:58.03 run in the first round of the 3000m. “Yes, I think I have enough energy for tomorrow.”
The 24-year-old let others control the race from the outset, with Slovenia’s Sonja Roman taking on the pacing duties some 60 seconds into the race. Natalie Rodriguez of Spain was next to make a move, jumping into the lead with about 600m to go. Roman began to fade, but Alminova stayed on the Spaniard’s heels until she unleashed her kick just as the pair approached the bell. Her immediate gap ended the race for gold, with Rodriguez in turn securing a strong gap to grab the silver in 4:08.72.
Midway through the final turn it appeared as though bronze would go to either Irishwoman Riosin McGettigan of Russian Natalya Yevdokimova, but Roman was unrelenting. Passing the Russian first, she snuck by McGettigan on the inside over the final 20 metres to take the bronze in 4:11.42, finally claiming her first and well-deserved major competition medal.
“In the first laps we fought hard and the race was tough,” said Rodriguez, who finished sixth in two World championships and at last summer’s Olympic Games. “Alminova was just too strong for me today.”
Roman, whose early control helped dictate much of the race on her won terms, was ecstatic. “It is crazy,” she said. “I knew I was in good shape and that everything was possible in the final.”
Krivoshapka cruises over 400m
Antonina Krivoshapka followed the pre-meet playbook as well to end her break out season as the European indoor 400m champion. Never seriously threatened, she had built nearly a full second advantage after the first 200m en route to a comfortable 51.18 victory.
“I had some problems (about 300m into the race),” said Krivoshapka, “but I was able to continue and finish well.” The 21-year-old has progressed notably since her elimination in the semi-finals at last year’s Russian Championships. She began the season with an indoor best of just 54.03 (51.24 outdoors), and ended it undefeated in five competitions.
Nataliya Pyhyda of Ukraine continued her strong weekend with a 51.44 PB to finish second and break up a potential Russian podium sweep. Russians Darya Safanova (51.85) and Natalya Antyukh (52.37) were third and fourth.
Balta bounds to surprise victory in the Long Jump
One event didn’t quite go along the Russian team’s playbook was the Long Jump where Estonian multi-event specialist Ksenija Balta pulled off a minor upset, thanks to her fourth round 6.87m leap, the farthest leap of the season.
“I didn’t expect to jump this far,” said the 23-year-old, whose effort improved her own national record by seven centimetres. “I knew the Russian jumpers were very good, but luck was on my side today.”
Russians Yelena Sokolova and Olga Kucherenko were indeed jumping consistently well and relative far. Sokolova, still only 22, improved her career best three times in the final, first to 6.73m in the third round, again to 6.81m in the fifth, and finally to 6.84m in the last round to edge Kucherenko by just two centimetres for silver. Kucherenko, heading in to Turin the world leader, produced her 6.82m best in the final round as well.
The three dominated the field, with Slovenian record holder Nina Kolaric well back in fourth, with a 6.62m best from the first and third rounds.
Zbrozhek primed for 800m defence
The semis in the women’s 800m were fairly straightforward, with all the leading contenders moving on comfortably to tomorrow’s eagerly awaited final. Defending champion Oksana Zbrozhek looked the most relaxed before, during and after her 2:02.09 win in the first semi, where Briton Marilyn Okoro (2:02.63) and Russian No. 2 Mariya Savinova (2:03.12) advancing as well.
Minutes after Fabrizio Donato’s victory in the men’s Triple Jump brought Italy its first medal of the championships, world leader Elisa Cusma brought the crowd to its feet again with a solid run in the second semi to advance comfortably as well. Ukraine’s Tetyana Petlyuk was the winner in 2:01.21, just ahead of Cusma (2:01.43) and Briton Jennifer Meadows (2:01.73).
There were no major shocks or surprises in the semis of the women’s 60m, leaving tomorrow night’s final wide open. German Verena Sailer led all qualifiers with a 7.17 dash, the fastest among Europeans this winter. Ezinne Okparaebo was next in 7.22, equaling the national record she set in the morning’s first round.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
