European U23 Champs - Day One

Two finals were decided on day one of the European U23 championships in Kaunas, Lithuania yesterday (16).

The 5000m was effectively decided by an 11th-lap burst of 58.63 by Spain’s Mohamed Elbendir who won by some 30m, while the Shot Put was clinched by pre-championship favourite, Valeriy Kokoyev of Russia.

European junior silver medallist Elbendir lifted gold with a long run for home two and a half laps out and could not be caught, winning in 13:55.10. Second was France’s Noureddine Smail while Ireland’s David McCarthy, fastest man in the field going into the championships, clinched bronze.

The early pace was a pedestrian affair as the favourites all opted to keep their powder dry for the final onslaught. The early leaders were Belarussian Siarhei Chabiarak and the Ukraine’s Maksym Krivonys, ticking off two kilometres in 5:43.93, three kilometres in 8:39.22 and 11:24.27 for the fourth. The whole field was tightly bunched at this stage with the eventual winner lurking around 14th in the pack.

But it was at that point that the race suddenly changed character as Germany’s Musa Roba-Kinkal moved into the lead, injecting some serious pace. Spotting the danger Turkey’s Selim Bayrak moved up to the German’s shoulder, but at this point Elbendir  decided enough was enough to split the field apart with his rush to the front. Passing the two-lap-to-go marker in 11:53.4, the Spaniard simply extended his lead to the finish.

Smail and McCarthy made an attempt to close the gap but had to settle for the minor medals. With 200m to go, Elbendir had built up a comfortable 30m-lead with Smail a further ten metres up on the Irishman, which is how it stayed to the finish.

All three medallists in the Shot Put final produced PBs as the clear favourite coming into the championships, Kokoyev, hurled the implement out to 20.20m in round four to bag gold. With his final attempt of the competition Denmark’s Nick Petersen (18.94) clinched silver beating Poland’s bronze medallist, Mateusz Mikos, by five centimetres.

Qualifications

Two year’s ago, Britain scored a 1-2 in the 100m, but this time round they could go one better as all three Britons won their semis in style. Harry Aikines Aryeetey showed why he is favourite in the first semi-final, scorching down the track in 10.32, the fastest time of the afternoon. Leevan Yearwood did likewise in the second race (10.42) while Rion Pierre was similarly superior, taking the third semi in 10.46. Lithuania’s Rytis Sakalauskas created some excitement, clocking 10.47 to go through to the final by right.

The women’s final looks as though it will be a battle between World Student Games champion, Lina Grincicaite of Lithuania, and Natalya Pohrebnyuk of the Ukraine. The Lithuanian came rushing through in 11.47 to snatch victory in the first semi. In the second semi, the favourite coming into the championships, Ezinne Okparaebo of Norway, led until the halfway mark but was hauled in by the Pohrebnyak in 11.54 into a headwind of 1.2.

The 400m final final looks like a France versus Great Britain battle for supremacy. In the first semi, Mediterranean Games bronze, Yannick Fonsat of France, coasted the opening 200m before asserting himself to cross the line in 46.42. Petros Kiriakidis of Greece was second, while Italy’s Marco Vistalli came through late to clock a PB 46.55 to qualify by right for the final. In the second semi, Britain’s Nigel Levine attacked from the gun, building up a good lead as he came into the straight. His final time of 45.86 was a PB by almost half a second, dragging second-placed, Jan Cipiela of Poland, to a new best of 46.15.
  
The one athlete the Russians fear in the women’s 400m is Sorina Nwachukwu of Germany, who held off Russia’s Kseniya Sadorina to win the first semi in 52.70. Russian duo of Kseniya Ustalova (52.59) and Anna Sedova made it a 1-2 in the second semi with Italy’s Marta Milani scoring a PB 52.72. Qualifying in fourth and into the final on times is Lithuanian Agne Orlauskaite in a lifetime best 52.98.

All three British entrants negotiated the morning’s 400m hurdles heats without mishap, Meghan Beesley, Eilidh Child and Perri Shakes-Drayton all looking comfortable, winning their heats. Only Russia’s Doria Korableva looked capable of matching them.

In the Triple Jump there were three qualifiers by right, Cristina Bujin of Rumania, Paraskevi Papachristou of Greece and Kaire Leibak of Estonia. Event leader this season, Alsu Murtazina of Russia, could manage no further than 13.39, more than a metre below her best. The Ukrainian defending champion, Lilya Kulik, also suffered, fifth furthest with 13.59.  

In the Long Jump there were no problems for the medal favourites, Kuts Memorial winner, Pavel Karavayev of Russia, coming close to 8m with a 7.97PB on his first leap, well ahead of Mario Kral of Germany on 7.80, who also only required one jump to go through . Third longest qualifier was local boy, Darius Aucyna, who took advantage of a 1.9m breeze to jump 7.78. Russian Sergey Slepukhin, Emmanuel Biron of France and Greece’s Mihail Mertzanidis-Despoteris all qualified.

In the women's pole vault all the favourites went through by dint of clearing 4.10m, ten centimetres below the required mark: Finland’s Minna Nikkanen, Germany’s Lisa Ryjikh, Finland’s Vanessa Vandy, Telie Mathiot of France and the Czech Republic’s Romana Malacova. The 12th and final qualifier was Malin Dahlstrom of Sweden who got away with 4m, the only one of the qualifiers to clear that height.

Michael Butcher for the IAAF

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