Jadel Gregório triple jumping in Belem (© roberto wander)
Triple jumper Jadel Gregório produced the best result of the 24th edition of the “Troféu Brasil Caixa de Atletismo”, the Brazilian National Club Championships that also serve as the Nationals, which took place at the Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, from 16 to 19 June.
On Sunday morning, the 2.02m giant delivered the best jump of his life with a 17.73m effort on his final attempt, to end what until then had been close fight with Rodrigo Gonçalves Mendes, the 2005 NCAA champion.
Gregório opened with a 17.01 jump (wind -0.5 m/s), and followed with a second attempt of 17.16 (-1.0). Mendes, who just graduated from BYU in Provo, Utah, posted a legal personal best of 17.00 (-0.9) in his third, and the battle was on.
But after 3 fouls by Mendes, Gregório secured the victory with the 17.73 jump (1.0), which increases his personal best by 1 centimetre, and betters his own World leading performance (17.71 – 30 April).
Jefferson Dias Sabino with a personal best of 16.75 (0.2) completed a quality podium, but only Gregório has the “A” Standard (17.10m) for Helsinki.
“I loved the jump, and I loved competing at home”, declared Gregório. “Even though I have several of the best performances of the year, I still wanted to stay up there, consistently producing quality marks. I believe I will be in good shape for Helsinki, and will keep on training and working for that goal.”
“I felt relieved after that result, but I must admit that I have never jumped this well in my life”, added Gregório, who will now travel to Europe to compete there from 5 July.
“I don’t want to burn myself with training and competitions, because I don’t want to arrive tired to Helsinki.”
“There will be no favourites there. We have lots of people jumping well, and Christian Olsson (the World and Olympic Champion) hasn’t jumped yet. But I don’t have to think about the others, I just need to make sure that I do well myself.”
High emotion in the Men’s High Hurdles
One of the events with better evolution in recent years in South America, and especially in Brazil, is the 110m Hurdles.
At the starting blocks, 4 athletes with “A” Standards for Helsinki – Matheus Inocêncio, Redelen dos Santos, Anselmo Gomes da Silva and Márcio Simão de Souza – were fighting to secure the 2 spots that the Troféu assigns for the IAAF World Championships.
The race became a battle between Athens Olympic finalist Inocêncio and South American record holder dos Santos, where Matheus recorded a photo-finish victory over Redelen 13.34 to 13.35 (wind 0.7).
Anselmo was third in 13.51, Thiago Castelo Branco was fourth (13.77), Eder Antônio de Souza was fifth (13.97), and Márcio Simão de Souza was only sixth with 14.05, after having problems in the first part of the race.
Good displays by Lenílson, Moura, Teodoro and Machado
The sprints, one of Brazil’s specialties, featured double victories by Vicente Lenílson de Lima and Lucimar de Moura.
De Lima won in 10.23 and 20.44 times, to wrap 6 titles at the Troféu, while de Moura dominated with class showing her best form since 1999, where she set her personal bests and South American records with clocks of 11.17 and 22.60 at the altitude of Bogotá.
Her winning times in São Paulo were 11.26 (11.24 in the semifinals, her best at “sea-level”) and 22.75, also her best at low altitude. The 31 year-old de Moura has now 15 individual titles at the Troféu.
Another Lucimar, in this case Lucimar Teodoro, had a remarkable double at 400 and 400 hurdles, with marks of 51.23 and 56.12. Teodoro recorded a personal best at the flat, to beat Maria Laura Almirão, who also improved her best with a 51.30 time.
Hurdler Maíla Machado produced 2 sub-13 seconds times, and set a Troféu record with 12.89 at the final (wind -0.7).
A South American Record
26 year-old Michelle Barreto Costa improved the South American and National record in the women’s 3000m Steeplechase, by taking the win in 10:00.54 on 17 June. Costa possessed the previous best with 10:03.56 from last year’s Nationals (4 June 2004).
Lots of Helsinki tickets
At the Troféu, 10 Brazilian athletes guaranteed their passport to the World Championships in Helsinki.
Those are, Vicente Lenilson de Lima (100, 200), André Domingos da Silva (200), Fabiano Peçanha (800), Matheus Inocêncio and Redelen dos Santos (110mh), Jadel Gregório (Triple), Lucimar Moura (100, 200), Lucimar Teodoro and Maria Laura Almirão (400) and Maíla Machado (100mh).
To this list should be added 1 athlete at 200m and 110m Hurdles, which would be the best ranked by 26 July. These athletes have already achieved the “A” Standard.
At 200m, those athletes are Basílio de Morães and Bruno Pacheco, and if Vicente Lenílson decides to concentrate on the 100, they will both be in Helsinki, unless another athlete obtains the “A” Standard with a better mark than them.
At the Hurdles, the fight will be between Anselmo Gomes da Silva and Márcio Simão de Souza. Anselmo has the best mark (13.31), and he is likely to be the chosen one along Matheus Inocêncio and Redelen dos Santos.
Those who also have an “A” Standard, but couldn’t confirm there designation are: Cláudio Roberto Sousa, Jarbas Mascarenhas and André Domingos da Silva (100), Anderson Jorge dos Santos (400), Osmar Barbosa dos Santos (800), Hudson de Souza (1500), Jadel Gregório (LJ), Sergio Galdino (20 km Walk), Luciana Mendes (800), and Elisângela Adriano (Shot).
Claudinei retires
One of the greatest Brazilian and South American sprinters of all times, Claudinei Quirino da Silva, announced his retirement at the Troféu, after winning the 4x100 relay with the “Brasil Telecom / Botucatu” team.
Claudinei, born in Lençóis Paulista, on 19 November 1970 won an Olympic Silver medal at Sydney 2000 with the 4x100 relay, and earned 2 medals at the IAAF World Championships, a bronze in Athens ’97 and a silver in Sevilla ’99, both at 200m.
1999 was his best year, where he won the 200m Pan-American Games title. Also, at the 1999 IAAF Grand Prix Final in Munich, beat Maurice Greene to win the event’s GP. There he recorded his personal best of 19.89, which is still the South American record. Claudinei had other personal bests of 10.12 (100) and 46.14 (400). He was also a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 South American record squads (37.90 and 2:58.56).
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
List of Champions of the XXIV Troféu Brasil
Men
100m: Vicente Lenilson de Lima (Brasil Telecom/Botucatu) – 10.23
200m: Vicente Lenilson de Lima (Brasil Telecom/Botucatu) – 20.44
400m: Sanderlei Claro Parrela (CBAt) – 45.92
800m: Fabiano Peçanha (UNISC) – 1:47.00
1500m: Fabiano Peçanha (UNISC) – 3:45.38
5000m: Hudson Santos de Souza (BM&F) – 13:51.10
10,000m: Franck Caldeira de Almeida (CA Rio de Janeiro) – 29:16.21
3000m Steeplechase: Fernando Alex Fernandes (UCS) – 8:43.34
110m Hurdles: Matheus Facho Inocêncio (ASSEM/FADENP SJC) – 13.34
400m Hurdles: Tiago Florêncio Bueno (BM&F) – 49.59
High Jump: Fábio Resende Baptista (BM&F) – 2.19
Long Jump: Erivaldo da Cruz Vieira (CBAt) – 7.96
Triple Jump: Jadel Gregório (BM&F) – 17.73
Shot: Daniel Ferreira Freire (Brasil FC) – 17.04
Discus: Ronald Odair de Oliveira Julião (BM&F) – 55.31
Hammer: 1. Wagner Jose Alberto Carvalho Domingos (CPI-Funtec) – 66.91
Javelin: Luiz Fernando da Silva (BM&F) – 74.58
Decathlon: Ivan Scolfaro Caetano da Silva (BM&F) – 7711
4x100m: Brasil Telecom / Botucatu (André Domingos da Silva, Vicente Lenilson de Lima, Bruno Nascimento Pacheco, Claudinei Quirino da Silva) – 39.24
4x400m: BM&F (Fernando Pereira de Almeida, Kleberson Davide, Luiz Henrique Serra da Silveira, Raphael Fernandes) – 3.06.57
20,000m: Walk: Sérgio Vieira Galdino (BM&F) –1:23:31.6
Women
100m: Lucimar Aparecida de Moura (BM&F) – 11.26
200m: Lucimar Aparecida de Moura (BM&F) – 22.75
400m: Lucimar Teodoro (Brasil Telecom / Botucatu) – 51.23
800m: Christiane Ritz dos Santos (Ulbra/Brasil Telecom) – 2:04.38
1500m: Juliana Paula Santos de Azevedo (BM&F) – 4:17.60
5000m: Fabiana Cristine da Silva (BM&F) – 16:13.36
10,000m: Lucélia de Oliveira Peres (ABC-Brasiliense) – 34:03.73
3000m Steeplechase: Michelle Barreto Costa (BM&F) – 10:00.54
100m Hurdles: Maíla Paula Machado (BM&F) – 12.89
400m Hurdles: Lucimar Teodoro (Brasil Telecom/Botucatu) – 56.12
High Jump: Eliana Renata da Silva (BM&F) – 1.82
Pole Vault: Fabiana de Almeida Murer (BM&F) – 4.23
Long Jump: Keila da Silva Costa (Santos Dumont) – 6.63
Triple Jump: Keila da Silva Costa (Santos Dumont) – 13.84
Shot: Andréa Maria Pereira (Araçatuba) – 16.02
Discus: Renata Rezende de Figueiredo (BM&F) – 51.42
Hammer: Josiane Soares (BM&F) – 59.92
Javelin: Alessandra Nobre Resende (BM&F) – 55.09
Heptathlon: Lucimara Silvestre da Silva (BM&F) – 5378
4x100m Brasil Telecom / Botucatu (Thaissa Barbosa Presti, Amanda Fontes Dias, Franciela das Graças Krasycki, Aretusa Aparecida Francisca Moreira) – 43.78
4x400m Brasil Telecom / Botucatu (Amanda Fontes Dias, Josiane da Silva Tito, Sheila Juvelina Ferreira, Lucimar Teodoro) – 3.29.63
20,000Walk: Alessandra Picagevicz (BM&F) – 1:45.46.2.
