Brazil's Carlos Edoardo Chinin in Desenzano del Garda (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Carlos Edoardo Chinin is the surprise overnight leader of the 21st edition of the Multistars meeting in Desenzano del Garda, the inaugural leg of the IAAF Combined Events Challenge. Chinin took the lead after clearing an impressive 2.13m in the High Jump and is now 100 points ahead of Frederic Xhonneux of Belgium.
Diana Pickler from the USA leads by a very narrow margin of just one point over Hanna Melnichenko from the Ukraine (3675 to 3674 points) making the competition wide open on the second day. The battle for major spots on the podium is very close with the top three athletes divided by just eight points. Laurien Hoos from the Netherlands, European under 23 Heptathlon champion from Erfurt 2005, ranks in third place with 3667 points thanks to her solid Shot Put win with 15.24m.
Chinin the surprise - Decathlon
Dimitry Karpov from Kazakistan, the reigning Decathlon Olympic bronze medallist and this year’s World indoor bronze medallist, had a below-par start in his first outdoor competition of 2008. The 2006 Asian Games champion started with a slow 11.17 in the 100m before a lacklustre 6.95m leap in the Long Jump. After the first two events Karpov, who uses Desenzano to test his form ahead of the Hypo Meeting in Götzis, was ranked only tenth with 1625 points. First after the 100m and the Long Jump was the young Brazilian Chinin with 11.08 and an individual Long Jump win with 7.39m which earned him a provisional score of 1751 points.
Karpov bounced back by winning the Shot Put with 16.13m setting a new meeting record in this event and managed to climb to first place overall with 2484 points. Xhonneux followed in second place after 11.42 in the 100m, 7.33m in the Long Jump and 14.79m in the Shot Put. Roland Schwarzl from Austria moved into third overall position with 2427 points (11.27 – 7.31m – 14.16m).
Chinin, who was ranked fourth after a 12.76m release in the shot, performed very well in the High Jump clearing 2.13m (925 points) and moved into the lead with 3329 points. Karpov had a disappointing High Jump where he managed only 1.95m and lost first place to the Brazilian. Karpov, who decided to compete only in some events and not to contest the whole Decathlon, lined up in the 400m but stopped after a few metres.
Chinin ran 50.29 in the 400m and managed to defend his overnight first place with 4130 points leading by 100 points over Xhonneux. Third after the first five events is Italian William Frullani with 3996 points.
Chinin, who hails from Sao Paulo, is a 23-year-old physical education student coached by Brazilian Neilton Moura and Italian Giancarlo Medesani, the coach of 2001 Triple Jump World indoor champion Paolo Camossi. Medesani was invited by the Brazilian Athletics Federation to hold some courses in Brazil in 2001 and advises some Brazilian combined event athletes, like Lucimara Da Silva who is competing in Desenzaano.
“I hope to qualify for the Olympic Games in Bejing here,” said Chinin, who began training as a junior in 2003. “I think I have the chance to achieve this goal. Today I performed well especially in the High Jump.”
Tight contest promises exciting second day - Heptathlon
Pickler, a US Heptahlon specialist with a 6205 point PB, went to the lead after the first two events. Pickler won the 100m Hurdles with a solid 13.27 (1084 points) and finished second on count-back to France’s Marie Collonvillé in the High Jump at 1.82m (1003 points). Pickler led over Collonvillé by 57 points (2087 to 2030 points), with Brazil’s Lucimara Da Silva third after a solid 100m hHurdles PB of 13.37 and a 1.73m clearance in the High Jump.
Laurien Hoos, ninth after two events, climbed to first place thanks to her 15.24m win in the Shot Put (877 points). Melnichenko, who lives and trains in Tuscany with her husband William Frullani, performed well in the Shot Put (13.99m) and went into second place overhauling Pickler who managed only 11.89m.
The standings underwent a major change after the 200m, the final event of day one. Pickler finished second to Netherlands’ Yvonne Wisse, 24.49 to 24.35, and managed to regain first place by one point over Melnichenko (24.57). The battle for victory is very open and everything is possible in what is expected to be a thrilling second day in Desenzano.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
