Yamile Aldama (SUD) qualifies for the women's Triple Jump final (© Getty Images)
Linz, AustriaLondon based Yamile Aldama of Sudan flies out to Athens convinced she can win the Olympic women’s Triple Jump gold medal after a dominant performance topped by an African record of 15.28m at tonight’s Gugl-Meeting - IAAF Grand Prix - in Linz Main Stadium.
American Dwight Phillips' 8.60m world season lead win in the Long Jump was the highlight of the men’s programme.
Aldama's African record
Aldama, the Cuban born star who narrowly missed the Olympic bronze medal four years ago in Sydney, admits when she moved with her Scottish husband to London in 2001, that she expected to be competing for Britain. However, after delays to the process of obtaining a passport, she is now competing for Sudan.
Certainly Aldama hasn't so far let down the African nation, who granted her a passport in January. She claimed the World Indoor silver medal in March, and last month was crowned African champion.
Tonight in Linz, Aldama who topped last summer's World outdoor lists with a career best-ever leap of 15.29 metres, was again in sizzling form, producing a marvellous series of jumps, three-times clearing world class distances in excess of 15 metres.
Her winning African area record leap of 15.28m (her personal best was achieved while competing virtually as a stateless athlete) beat off the challenge of Trecia Smith and Tiombe Hurd.
Smith lifted by the high quality of the competition raised her Jamaican national record by a huge 26 centimetres to 15.16m, with Hurd of the USA clearing 13.96m.
"A lot more to come"
Aldama, still not 100 per cent fit, insisted: "I could have broken the World record tonight," which stands at 15.50m and was set nine years ago by Inessa Kravets (UKR) when winning the World Championships title. “But I'm still lacking in speed which is because I've been troubled with a Hamstring injury in my right take-off leg. It's not fully recovered but at last I'm not suffering from any pain and tonight I felt no ill effects.”
“There's a lot more to come,” was Aldama’s forecast. She is currently lying second behind Russia's Tatyana Lebedeva in the IAAF World Rankings.
“The injury is definitely getting much better and I'm sure it is going to be alright at the Olympic Games.”
Aldama, who is now trailing Lebedeva's 15.34 metres world lead by only six centimetres, believes she has the ability to overtake the Russian, and that that will preferably happen at the Olympics. “The only thing that has stopped me from being at the top is the Hamstring problem. Now it's better, I'm a serious contender for a medal and even to win” in Athens.
Phillips soars to 8.60m world lead
Dwight Phillips, last year's World indoor and outdoor Long Jump champion was also in stunning form.
The US Trials winner soared to a career best and world leading mark for the year with a first round leap of 8.60m. However, as good as that was, it was still five centimetres short of the meeting record achieved nine years ago by Cuba's reigning Olympic champion Ivan Pedroso.
Phillips only took one more attempt before pulling out of the competition.
Romania's Bodgan Tarus finished second with a fourth round best of 8.14m, ahead of Saudi Arabia's Hussain Al-Sabee who was only a centimetre behind.
Czech record defeats Menendez
Czech Nikola Brejchova not only lifted the women’s javelin to win with a national record throw of 65.91m but in the process also saw off World record holder Osleidys Menendez, the 2001 World champion.
In a close competition for the top two spots, Menendez who has a season’s best of 68.23 - the world lead - threw 65.68m tonight to easily beat off the challenge of third placed Nikolett Szabo of Hungaria, whose best was 60.65m. Noraida Bicet of Cuba was fourth with 60.17m
Personal best for Felix
Allyson Felix, the exciting American junior sprinter, who was a convincing US Olympic 200 metres trials winner, posted a 100 metres personal best this evening.
Running crisply from gun-to-tape, Felix struck a massive 0.15sec from her personal best, when finishing in 11.16. Previously this season she had a windy 11.14 best to her credit.
Felix beat off the challenge of Olympic 100m bronze medallist Tayna Lawrence, with the Jamaican posting a season's best of 11.22. Vida Anim along with the rest of the field was never seriously in contention. The Ghananian clocked 11.31 for third.
Miller takes sprint double
The men's 100m race was badly delayed after an unnecessary prize winning presentation to Felix and the other women finalists. An earlier false start and the 12,000 crowd clapping the Pole Vault competitors, added to the tension and clearly affected the competitors.
Coby Miller, thanks to a mid-race surge won in a time of 10.15 ahead of World 200m champion John Capel (10.20). Making it a clean USA sweep, Monzavous Edwards finished third in 10.24.
Miller then completed a double, roaring to his fastest time of the season over 200m in 20.20. Again US sprinters dominated, Bernard Williams finishing second in 20.25, with Edwards behind him with another season's best of 20.60.
Veronica Campbell (JAM) was an unchallenged winner in the women’s 200m, taking the line in 22.56. Anim, who earlier had been third in the 100, claimed second place in a season's best of 22.93, with Lashaunta Hunter of the USA third in 22.99.
Trammell trounced
Duane Ross scored a shock but very easy 110 metres Hurdles victory over Terrence Trammell, the World and OIympic silver medallist, who had so emphatically won last month’s US Olympic Trials.
Ross, the 1999 World bronze medallist forged ahead in the closing stages of the race, finishing in a time of 13.30, beating off a strong Cuban challenge from Yoel Hernandez and Anier Garcia.
Hernandez, and Garcia who will defend his Olympic title in Athens later this month, shared season's best times of 13.36.
Trammell, who beat Ross into second place in last month's USA Olympic trial race, was never in contention, finishing a disappointing fifth in 13.42.
Morrison gets the edge
Melissa Morrison the Olympic 100m Hurdles bronze medallist in Sydney won a close race ahead of Anay Tejeda of Cuba. Morrison third in the US Trials, beat off the challenge of the Cuban by 0.06sec. In the process Tejeda ran a season's best of 12.74. Lacena Golding-Clarke of Jamaica placed third in 12.93.
Jennifer Toomey of the USA, won the women’s 1500m in a meeting record time of 4:07.69, ahead of compatriot Amy Rudolph (4:07.73), and Ireland's Freda Davoren who clocked a season's fastest of 4:08.16 for third. Ukraine's fast finishing Nelya Neporadna clinched fourth position (4:08.35).
A late burst by Algeria’s Khodir Aggoune won the men’s 3000m in 7:47.77, in front of Ireland's Mark Carroll who clocked a season's best of 7:48.03. Another Algerian Samir Moussaoui took third place in 7:48.30.
Lobinger stalls at 5.70
Tim Lobinger won the Pole Vault keeping a clean sheet to a height of 5.70m, before having three failures with the bar raised a further 20cm. Jeff Hartwig who no-heighted in the US trials was second, also clearing 5.70. Germany's Fabian Schulze also went over 5.70, losing the top two positions on countback.
Trinidad's Cleopatra Borel won the women’s Shot with a low key distance of 18.69m, a performance matched by Poland's Krystna Zabawska who produced her season's best with exactly the same distance but lost first place on countback. Valerie Adams of New Zealand was third, throwing 18.55m.
Crowd denied perfect Austrian ending
Austrian Martin Proll, despite setting a personal best of 8:18.53, wasn't quite fast enough to catch race winner Julius Nyamu of Kenya in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase.
Proll, roared on gamely by the crowd during the last event of the night, ran out his heart to significantly close down Nyamu on the last circuit. But the Kenyan was never under any real pressure finishing in 8:17.19, with his colleague Justus Kiprono third in 8:20.06.
