Phillips Idowu (GBR) on his way to 17.46m win in Annecy at European Cup (© Getty Images)
Great Britain & Northern Ireland's men and Russia's women were the overnight leaders of the very last SPAR European Cup and the pair never relinquished their advantages on the second day (22).
Britain secured their fifth men's European Cup title with three further wins to clinch their first continental crown since 2000, while the Russian women, despite a few below-par performances early in the day which gave a slightly false impression that they were under pressure, won the last two events on the programme to notch up their 12th consecutive victory.
MEN - Idowu ignites the men's competition
Britain's Phillips Idowu thrilled the 11,000 spectators with a stunning exhibition in the men’s Triple Jump when he took the lead with 17.29m in the second round and then extended it further to 17.46m one round later, the best jump in the Cup for 11 years.
"I wanted a little bit more but a win is a win and I'm still on top of the world. I reckon I can even put down another metre," said Idowu, well aware fulfilling his ambition in this respect that would put him well beyond the current World record of 18.29m held since 1995 by his compatriot Jonathan Edwards.
The performance from the exuberant red-haired winner of the World Indoor Championships in March was also a crucial one from a team perspective as well, easing the pressure on Britain after their lead had been reduced to just one point after some polished early results by Poland.
Having turned the corner, wins from 200m exponent Marlon Devonish and Andy Baddeley in the 3000m then helped Britain towards a total of 112 points and ended-up as 14-point winners over surprising runners up Poland.
Devonish dives and gets dunked
After a ragged start, for 199m Marlon Devonish was not in the lead of what the Americans still like to call the furlong but he still managed to be the first man across the line after digging deep and just managing to edge in front of Greece's Anastasios Gousis, the pair lunging desperately at the tape.
The British team captain clocked a season's best of 20.52. "I stumbled (at the start) and that made it hard work. My experience definitely helped me. It was a poor race technically but I'll take the points. I’m very pleased I kept my composure," said Devonish, who received the traditional victory rite of a winning team captain of being dipped in the Steeplechase pit after the trophy had been placed in his hands.
Equally important to Britain's success was a superbly timed win over 3000m by Andy Baddeley.
After his impressive victory in the Oslo Dream Mile two weeks ago, Baddeley confirmed his emerging status as a runner to be feared because of his blistering finish down the home straight, going from fourth to first to win in 8:01.28.
The race started in earnest just before the bell when Spain's European 5000m champion Jesus España started to push hard at the front and, coming into the home straight, Baddeley looked out of it at the back of the leading group.
However, 40m from the line the aerospace engineer demonstrated that man can fly without wings and hit the throttle to go past all his rivals.
Pestano picks his moment
Looking beyond the British successes, perhaps the best individual performance on an afternoon when swirling winds meant many field events marks were relatively modest despite the temperature gauge soaring past 30 degrees, came from Spanish discus exponent Mario Pestano.
The Tenerife thrower, notched up one of Spain's three wins when he sent his third effort out to 68.34m, just shy of his recent national record of 68.61m, responding to Germany's Robert Harding who had relieved him of the lead with 65.25m just one throw before in the penultimate round.
WOMEN - Kolchanova seals Russia's women's win – 7.04m
Lyudmila Kolchanova couldn't get close to the massive 7.42m her compatriot Tatyana Kotova managed the last time the SPAR European Cup was held in Annecy six years ago, which remains the Cup best performance, but her second round effort of 7.04m was not only the longest jump in the world this year but, coming in the penultimate event, also secured Russia their 12th successive women's Cup victory.
Jumping late in the afternoon, finally the elements calmed down to give Kolchanova and her competitors the chance to flourish.
After producing the first jump over seven metres this year, last year's World Championships silver medallist then followed it up with 6.86m and a windy 6.95m with her remaining two attempts, both of which would have won the competition.
Britain's Jade Johnson also took advantage of the better conditions to leap a personal best of 6.81m, which also banished a few personal demons after failing consistently to reproduce the form on the big occasion which had won her Commonwealth Games and European Championship medals back in 2002.
Immediately after Kolchanova had secured the Cup, the Russian 4x400m relay team effectively then went on four victory laps, going ahead on the first leg and never being headed before winning in 3:23.77, the best time by a European quartet this year.
Friedrich flies over 2.03m
Another jumper to prosper late in the day was Germany's Ariane Friedrich who cleared a personal best of 2.03m.
She had the competition won after smoothly going over 1.97m with her first attempt and then cleared an outdoor best of 2.01m (she jumped 2.02m indoors this winter) on her second attempt, just nudging the bar with an ankle, before steeling herself after two mediocre attempts at 2.03m and slithering over with her third try to establish herself as this year's princess of the event behind the Croatian High Jump queen Blanka Vlasic.
"I will not face her (Vlasic) at the Golden League meeting in Rome as I'm contracted to a German meeting but I'm now really looking forward to competing against her in Paris next month. My confidence is right up there at the moment," said the delighted Friedrich.
Menkova – twice over 75m
Belarus thrower Aksana Menkova similarly had few problems taking all eight points in the women's Hammer Throw, the opening event of the day.
Two efforts went over 75 metres and her series culminated with a winning throw of 75.97m, a mark very close to her recent world leading 76.19m, which she threw two weeks ago.
Out of the track events, the storming 200m win by France's Muriel Hurtis-Hourari in 22.75 pleased the crowd the most but there was also a wonderfully competitive women's 100m Hurdles won by the Ukraine's Yevgeniya Snigur in a personal best of 12.81.
However, no one was sure that Snigur had won until the official verdict as Poland's Aurelia Trywianska and Russia's Yuliya Kondakova were also part of a blanket finish.
Trywianska was eventually judged to have finished second in 12.82, while Kondakova was third in12.83, her six points contributing to Russia's total of 122 points.
Second place in the Cup went to the Ukraine with 108.5 points, a slightly surprisingly outcome but driven by the likes of Snigur, as many pundits had Russia's neighours slated for as low as fifth or sixth,
Phil Minshull for the IAAF
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