Germany take men's 4x400m relay and European Cup (© Getty Images)
The German men came away with a dramatic last event win to take the team competition at the 25th edition of the SPAR European Cup which concluded today. Ed Gordon reports -
Germany takes unexpected win
In a wild finish, the German men used a come-from-behind victory in the final event of the two days, the 4x400 relay, to regain the team title for the first time since 1999. With the top five nations separated only by 8.5 points, it was the most compact finish at the top in the history of the cup competition.
Behind the Germans came France (105), Poland (104), first-day leader Great Britain (102.5), and Russia (99). After a one-year visit to the top category of European Cup competition, the men’s teams from Sweden and Netherlands will return to First League competition next year as a result of their seventh- and eighth-place finishes.
Heroic last-ditch sprint
The afternoon’s decisive event was the concluding 4x400 relay, which was won in splendid style with a heroic last-ditch sprint by Germany’s Bastian Swillims. His 44.62 concluded a 3:01.78 win over the Russian (3:01.88), Polish (3:02.05) and French (3:02.09) teams.
A collision between second British runner Tim Benjamin and the man receiving the baton, Chris Rawlinson, sent the latter rolling onto the track. Credit Rawlinson’s scrappy 47.66 recovery, as well as the final lap of 44.63 of Daniel Caines, with a brave 3:02.90 fifth-place finish for the British, who likely saw their title hopes dashed with this bit of bad luck.
Olsson – final round win
With one jump remaining in the Men’s Triple Jump, Sweden’s Christian Olsson was in danger of having his twenty-five competition winning streak snapped by Danil Burkenya. The Russian had solved the dancing winds for a third-round 17.28 which took the lead against the 17.07 of the world and European champion. Emerging emotionlessly from the pit, Olsson’s concerned expression had bystanders convinced that he was not satisfied with his final attempt, but perhaps it was only that the Swede knew the outcome would be close. Indeed it was, and his 17.30 kept the victory string alive by only two centimetres.
Phillips Oduwu of Great Britain continued his injury comeback this season replete with a blue-coloured coiffure (on this day, at least) and moved to third place on his last-jump 17.10 to nudge Pole Jacek Kazimierowski (16.89) down to fourth.
In the men’s 800 metres, France’s Florent Lacasse survived an ambush by a group of runners led by René Herms of Germany to win that title in a speedy 1:45.19. Lacasse had made a move to the front with 300 metres left and was widening his lead as the final curve lay ahead. But the lanky Herms had other ideas and almost outran the Frenchman down the final straight. The effort earned the German a PB 1:45.27 for second, as Russia’s Dmitriy Bogdanov - running in what might have been Yuriy Borzakovskiy’s place - took third in a season-best 1:45.64. Arnoud Okken of the Netherlands - also a replacement for injured Bram Som - was fourth in 1:45.99.
Fast changing Pole Vault
The result in the men’s Pole Vault was changing faster than the capricious winds in the Stadion Zawisza this afternoon, thanks to some alleged legerdemain by France’s Romain Mesnil. His third-attempt 5.75 was though to have been a so-called “put-back”, a violation of vaulting rules which do not permit the steadying of the bar with the hands. The jury of appeals was convened twice, each time to view television replay evidence. Mesnil’s jump was first disallowed, but later the jury reversed itself, and the French athlete could finally claim a successful title defence. Sweden’s Patrik Kristiansson, for a moment the declared champion at 5.70, ended the afternoon in second, ahead of the third-place tie between Yevgeniy Mikhaylichenko of Russia and Germany’s Lars Börgeling, both at 5.65.
Significant points for the German team came from Wolfram Müller in the men’s 3000 metres. The bespectacled runner found himself trailing in a fast kicker’s battle with Gert-Jan Liefers. With the Dutch runner looking like a sure winner with 80 metres left, Müller showed that he had a kick of his own and just piped Liefers at the wire, 8:04.37 to 8:04.41. Another 1500-metre specialist, Vyacheslav Shabunin of Russia, also showed a powerful finish in taking third ahead of France’s Irba Lakhal, 8:05.92 to 8:07.25.
World and European bronze medallist in the men’s Discus, Michael Möllenbeck of Germany watched Rutger Smith of the Netherlands hold the lead throughout the competition before unleashing a 64.42 to win, ahead of Smith’s 63.38 best. Carl Myerscough of Britain completed the top trio with a 61.68.
As predicted, the Men’s Javelin turned into a two-athlete affair between the youngest and oldest in the field. Youth won out, as Aleksandr Ivanov of Russia opened with 82.52 and extended that slightly to 82.55 to narrowly defeat Peter Esenwein of Germany (82.43). Almost six metres back of the lead pair was Italy’s Francesco Pignata (76.87).
Malcolm holds on for win
Christian Malcolm saw his early lead in the Men’s 200 metres hold up for a 20.56 victory. Scrunched in lane one, Ronald Pognon ran a splendid curve given his position, but he was out-kicked over the final forty metres by Johan Wissman of Sweden (20.61) and Italy’s Marco Torrieri (20.62). Pognon’s 20.63 placed fourth.
Bob Tahri, the co-European record holder, never was in trouble in the Men’s Steeplechase, despite the deceptively close finish ahead of Poland’s Jakub Czaja, 8:23.40 to 8:25.51. The French runner moved to the front early in the race, and then raced effortlessly over the final two kilometres, periodically looking over his shoulder to make certain trouble was kept at a distance. Giuseppe Maffei of Italy ran a season best of 8:27.53 for third.
Robert Kronberg’s win in the men’s 110m Hurdles came as a result of a steady race from beginning to end. After Sebastian Denis bolted to the lead, the Swede managed to take the lead away from the French runner by the midway point and registered one of his team’s two wins with a 13.58 clocking. Tomasz Scigaczewski of Poland, continuing his successful return from past injury-plagued seasons, was second in 13.66, ahead of Britain’s Andy Turner (13.68) and Mike Fenner of Germany (13.68), while Denis faded to fifth in 13.74.
Ed Gordon for the IAAF
FINAL Team Standings click here
For FULL RESULTS from EUROPEAN CUP, Bydgoszcz, Poland click here
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European Cup First League, Group A, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Men
1 CZE 109 Promoted
2 UKR 107
3 ROM 103.5
4 BEL 100
5 GRE 96
6 BLR 80.5
7 CRO 75 Relegated
8 BUL 46 Relegated
European Cup First League, Group B, Istanbul, Turkey
Full Results click here
Men
1 ESP 129 Promoted
2 FIN 103
3 HUN 95.5
4 SLO 94
5 POR 82
6 SUI 80.5
7 NOR 67.5 Relegated
8 AUT 63.5 Relegated
