Carolina Kluft (© IAAF)
While Carolina Kluft was a clear leader in the Heptathlon after the first day, the contest for the lead in the Decathlon was closely fought, with Roman Sebrle holding on to a mere ten point lead after five events.
The day started well for the young Swede as she outshone the competition from the off, with a win in the 100m hurdles that put her just ahead of second placed Shelia Burrell of the United States.
Out of the first four events, Kluft was the winner of three, with only the Shot Put, where she placed third eluding her. She ended the day with a total of 4041 points for her four competitions, giving her a comfortable 269 points lead over second placed Nataliya Dobrynska from Ukraine.
Great Britain’s Kelly Sotherton was in third place, 23 points behind Dobrynska.
In the men’s competition, the competition was fierce, with World Record Holder Roman Sebrle winning two of the five events contested today to earn a total of 4536 points for his efforts. But right behind him with 4526 came Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Karpov with 4526 and the reigning World champion indoor and out, Tom Pappas with 4499.
The top ten men were separated by the same number of points separating the two leading women, although this gap is sure to widen in day two and we are likely to see the battle at the top close in to a major head to head between Sebrle and Pappas.
It looks likely that Kluft will continue to dominate in the Heptathlon, especially in the absence of her major rival, France’s Eunice Barber.
