Tatyana Lysenko in action in Gothenburg (© Getty Images)
Tatyana Lysenko of Russia extended her own World record** in the women's Hammer Throw, reaching 78.61m at the All-Russian Athletics competition on a hot (+32 degrees) in Sochi, Russia on Saturday (26).
[NOTE: This morning, the All Russia Athletics Federation issued a correction on the distance of Lysenko's throw, which was initially reported as 78.67m.]
Her throw came on her first attempt to add 81 centimetres to her own previous World Record of 77.80m set on 15 August 2006 in Tallinn, Estonia.
It was the fourth World record for Lysenko, the 2005 bronze medallist at the World Championships in Helsinki and the reigning European Champion.
Behind her, several others achieved excellent results. Gulfiya Khanafeyeva reached 77.36, a personal best for the 24-year-old who was finished second to Lysenko at last summer's European Championships. Yelena Konevtseva was third with a 76.21 effort, with Yekaterina Khoroshikh fourth (74.87) and Yekaterina Priyma (71.75) fifth. Anna Bulgakova set a Russian junior record with 68,49m.
All of these results can be improved upon during the next start for these athletes on 9 June in Zhukovskiy at the Meteor Stadium during the Znamensky Memorial. That battle promises to be a fierce one, with a solid international field expected, including Kamila Skolimowska of Poland, Betty Heidler of Germany, Cuban Yipsi Moreno and Manuela Montebrun of France.
Earlier this year, on 22 April also in Sochi - a candidate city for the 2014 winter Olympic Games - Lysenko won with the season's previous best result of 77.30. But despite her excellent physical condition and form during this young season Lysenko has been defeated twice in 2007. First she was second to Montebrun, 72.65 to 72.05, at the European Cup Winter Throwing competition in Yalta, Ukraine in March, and then again in Doha on 11 May at the Qatar Super Grand Prix, where it was Skolimowska who took the victory in 76.83 to Lysenko's 75.73.
So at the Znamensky Memorial, Lysenko can exact revenge for those early season losses. In any event, the competition in Zhukovskiy promises an exciting battle and excellent results.
7.21 leap for Kolchanova
Other highlights of the two day event included a stellar competition in the women's Long Jump on Sunday (27), won by European Champion Lyudmila Kolchanova who produced the season's first seven metre jump with her 7.21 (+1.9) leap. It was a notable improvement for the 27-year-old, whose previous best was 7.11 from last year's Russian Cup. Runner-up Irina Simagina also surpassed the seven metre mark with her 7.11 leap, while Natalya Lebusova was third (6.89).
A maximum allowable +2.0 m/s wind help Ruslan Gataullin to a personal best of 8.29 to win the men's Long jump.
In the 400m Hurdles, Yuliya Pechonkina Nosova, the World record holder and reigning World champion won handily in 54.41 over European champion Yevgeniya Isakova (54.91).
While Lysenko's performance stole the show on the first day, other notable performances on Saturday (26) included Svetlana Klyuka's 1:59.69 win the 800, beating back Yelena Soboleva (2:00.54) and Natalya Peryakova (2:01.33).
Yevgeniya Polyakova won the 100m in 11.20 over Yekaterina Grigoryeva (11.25), Svetlana Pospelova won the 400 in 51.13, and Yuliya Golubchikova cleared 4.60 to win the Pole Vault.
Other winners of the All-Russian Athletics competitions in Sochi included: MEN - Aleksandr Petrenko (Triple Jump – 17.08m); Yevgeniy Lukyanenko (Pole Vault - 5.70m); Igor Peremota (110m H - 13.47); Aleksandr Derevyagin (400m Hurdles – 49.87); Roman Smirnov (200m - 20.72); Andrey Silnov (High Jump - 2.27m); 19-year-old Denis Alekseev (400m – 45.79); Anton Luboslavskiy (Shot Put - 19.94); Igor Vinnichenko (Hammer – 78.93). WOMEN - Yuliya Chermoshanskaya (200m – 22.95); Yekaterina Savchenko (High Jump - 1.92); Gulnara Samitova-Galkina (2000m Steeplechase - 5:31.03).
U23 Combined Events titles
The World Junior champion Arkadiy Vasiliev turned out to be the unexpected winner in the national Russian U23 Decathlon Championships which were also held in Sochi – setting his personal best of 8008 points. Anna Bogdanova won the women's U23 Heptathlon with 6045.
Serghei Donets and Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
**World Record pending the usual ratification procedures
