Gabriela Petrova in the triple jump qualification at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (© Getty Images)
In a qualifying competition distinctive for some slightly underwhelming performances, only five women went beyond the automatic qualifying distance of 14.25m.
Ukraine’s 2011 world champion Olga Saladukha, sporting a thick elasticated back support, and Israel’s Hanna Minenko qualified for Monday’s final quickly with leaps of 14.35m and 14.27m with their first attempts in group A.
Likewise, Colombia’s 2013 world champion Caterine Ibarguen and Kazakhstan’s Olympic champion Olga Rypakova could put their tracksuits back on without much delay after jumps of 14.42m and 14.44m respectively in the opening round of group B.
However, the best jump of the evening was produced by Bulgaria’s much-improved European indoor silver medallist Gabriela Petrova.
After looking a little off her usual rhythm with her first two jumps of 14.09m and 14.11m, she executed an excellent effort of 14.44m to confirm her potential as a medal contender.
Behind the leading five, some of the women seemed to have a problem with the gently swirling breeze, none more so than world indoor champion Ekaterina Koneva, who had technical problems and struggled to get cleanly on the board.
The Russian team captain in Beijing, and the only jumper in the world this year with a wind-legal best beyond 15 metres having jumped 15.04m in Eugene, did eventually go through with a best of 14.12m but will no doubt be thinking hard about what adjustments to make with her run-up before Monday.
There were no major surprises although Kazakhstan’s Inga Ektova and Portugal’s Susana Costa, who have both jumped 14.32m this year, will both be disappointed to not have made the final in a qualifying competition in which 13.84m was sufficient to advance.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF
