Ruth Beitia (ESP) in Leiria - European Cup 1st League (© Marcelino Almeida)
The 15th annual Brno High Jump competition yesterday saw wins by Aleksey Dmitrik with 2.31 and by Ruth Beitia at 1.98.
Ruth Beitia leaped a season-best 1.98 to win the women’s competition. The silver medallist from last year’s European indoor championships then ended the evening by flirting with a would-be PB 2.02 as her final attempt just brushed the bar away.
“Today, I felt very, very good,” said the Spaniard later. “The spectators were really behind me. It’s a great atmosphere at these meetings, with only high jumping and all of the music.” Her next competition will be on Saturday in Valencia.
Nicole Forrester claimed second by virtue of a first-attempt clearance of 1.92. The Canadian’s initial attempts of the evening looked rather listless, but she came to life with a third-jump success at her opening 1.85 and cleared the next two bars in a row before exiting at 1.95.
Czech Republic’s Iva Straková also had a best of 1.92, but needed three jumps and finished third.
Mélanie Melfort of France was fourth at 1.89, as three jumpers tied for fifth at 1.85. Among those in the logjam was Poland’s Karolina Blazej, who bettered her previous indoor PB of 1.82.
Quick recovery for Dmitrik
Aleksey Dmitrik outdueled Jaroslav Bába as the Russian won the men’s competition with a season-best 2.31.
It was a bit of a personal redemption for the St. Petersburg jumper after he injured his takeoff foot in mid-January in his first competition of the year. “I think I’ve recovered now,” he ecstatically said at the end.
After the win was secure, Dmitrik took two unsuccessful tries at a PB 2.35 and one final jump at a would-be world-leading 2.38.
Bába equaled his season high mark with 2.28 for second as he fought for consistency all evening, never clearing a bar on a first attempt.
Both Dmitrik and Bába saved the men’s competition, which appeared virtually stillborn with 2.24 appearing as the evening’s “Mount Everest”. They both managed the height and gave new life to the event.
The next bar of 2.28 appeared to be just as big a wall until the third round, when both jumpers cleared to send the competition to respectable 2.31, as they were tied in the standings at that point.
There, Dmitrik showed great determination with a season-best on his first attempt, as the Czech exited at this point.
Jamie Nieto of the US claimed third with 2.20 on a countback ahead of Antigua’s James Grayman (PB) and Giulio Ciotti of Italy.
For those who keep an eye out for new talent, mention should be made of Brno’s own Martin Heindl. The lanky 17-year-old put all he had into a third-jump success at a PB 2.15 and followed with a creditable try at 2.20 before dropping out.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
