Report17 Jun 2005


Russia leads both men's and women's standings - European Cup DAY ONE REPORT

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Aleksey Dmitrik of Russia celebrates winning the men's High Jump in Florence (© Getty Images)

Several quality distance efforts highlighted the first day of the SPAR European Cup competition on an ideal evening for athletics in the heart of Tuscany.

The most demanding victory of the evening was turned in by Juan Carlos de la Ossa, who broke from a six-man lead pack with seven laps to go in the men’s 5000m en route to a dominating win in 13:30.97. A strong pre-race favourite, the 28-year-old Spaniard led by nearly eight seconds with two laps to go, before easing through the homestretch to acknowledge the appreciative crowd.

“The rhythm was a bit slow so I decided to pull away and increase the pace,” de la Ossa said, adding that among his summer quests are an assault on the Spanish record of 13:02.54 and to contest the 10,000m at the World Championships in Helsinki.

Bob Tahri of France, the European co-record holder in the 3000m Steeplechase, ran down German Jan Fitschen over the final 50 metres to finish second in 13:32.34, just over a second faster than the German. Russia’s Sergey Ivanov, who led the chase pack for most of the race, paid for his early eagerness, fading to fourth in 13:43.84.

In the women’s 5000m, Liliya Shobukhova brought home a commanding, if somewhat unexpected, win for the heavily favoured Russian squad. The 2004 Olympian won handily in 15:01.15, well ahead of Wioletta Janowska’s 15:08.38, a personal best for the Polish 1500m Olympian. Pre-race favourite Sabrina Mockenhaupt of Germany, who has produced notable personal bests in the 5km and 10km on the roads and the 10,000m on the track, was never in the hunt, and finished a distant fourth in 15:24.99.

Jimenez scores second win of the day for Spain

The men’s steeplechase produced the most exciting finish of the evening, with Spaniard Antonio David Jimenez out-dueling Radoslaw Poplawski in the final metres to win in 8:20.17 to the Pole’s 8:20.48. Poplawski, the 2001 European junior champion, charged through the back stretch, moving from fourth to the lead just before the final water jump, and appeared headed to victory until Jimenez, the reigning European champion, powered past him with 40 metres to capture the win.

In the women’s race, Cristina Casandra of Romania took an early lead and held it en route to a 9:35.95 win, the seventh fastest time of the season and a European Cup record. For Casandra, who finished second to Dorcus Inzikuru during the Ugandan’s World best in the 2000m event in Milan, her effort was four seconds shy of her 9:31.96 personal best. Well back, Russian Lyubov Ivanova (9:46.63) and Justyna Bak (9:51.51) of Poland, the former World record holder, were second and third respectively.

Two jumps were on the Day One programme, and both included performances by locals to thrill the appreciative crowd.

In the men’s High Jump, Nicola Ciotti equaled his 2.30m personal best, to finish second to Aleksey Dmitrik on count-back. The Russian likewise equalled his personal best with the same height.

In what will most likely be her last appearance on her adopted home track, Fiona May of Italy finished second in the Long Jump to Olympic silver medallist Irina Simagina of Russia. Simagina’s second round 6.76m leap was well out of reach for the field assembled here, with May, the 2001 World champion who has been battling tendonitis this spring, reaching 6.40m in the first round and 6.43m in the second, coming the closest.

Former Olympic champion close to 80m in Hammer Throw 

Competition in the men’s Hammer Throw and women’s Discus Throw rounded out the first day’s competition on the infield.

Szymon Ziolkowski of Poland won the Hammer Throw with a third round 79.16m effort, a season’s best for the 28-year-old 2000 Olympic and 2001 World champion. Russian Ilya Konovalov took runner-up honours with a 76.65m best. Markus Esser of Germany, who arrived in the Tuscan capital with a 80m season’s and personal best, couldn’t manage better than a 76.11m effort, to finish third.

On paper, the women’s Discus Throw was to be a tight contest; that changed when Germany’s Franka Dietzsch began the competition. The co-world leader (66.29), had it won with her first round 64.38m effort in the four-throw competition. Each throw by the 37-year-old veteran, a former World and European champion, bettered the best effort of runner-up Olena Antonova’s 62.59m best, good enough for second. Marzena Wysocka of Poland was third with a 62.28m best.

After four events, The Russian men hold a narrow 24 to 22.5 point lead over Poland, while the Russian women’s squad will enter Day Two with 27 points, three ahead of Romania.

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

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