Slovenia’s Mariija Sestak (© Getty Images)
The women’s middle distance races and the horizontal jumps produced some remarkable performances in the annual version of “Papaflessia” meeting held today in Kalamata, Greece (4).
Olympic Champion Halkia defeated
The women’s 400m Hurdles turned out to be a clear battle between Christine Spence and Dominique Daren of the USA.
The Americans took the lead from the beginning of the race and kept it until the end, with Spence crossing the line in 55.73 sec and Durden following with 56.48. Greece’s Olympic champion Fani Chalkia attempted to close the gap on the Americans after the first 200m, but at the end she barely managed to keep third place with 57.24sec holding off Russia’s Natalya Ivanova infourth with 57.24
In the men’s 400m Hurdles, Russia’s Aleksander Dereviagin was the winner in 49.90 sec, the same time as the second placed Minas Alozidis, who since the beginning of the season has represented Cyprus.
Britain’s Dwain Chambers opened his season in Kalamata, achieving a win a close 100m race in 10.25sec, the same time as American Mardy Scales who placed second.
The order of the leaders was reversed in the 200m where Scales clocked 21.21 to dominate the race. Chambers accelerated in the last metres to clock 21.07, enough to give him second place, in front of Greece’s Panayotis Sarris who was third with 21.32.
Tsatoumas jumps 8.16m
Greek Long Jump champion Luis Tsatoumas participated again in the meeting held in the city of his birth, where last year he set the world leading performance of 8.66m. This year the strong negative wind was the main rival for all long jumpers. Tsatoumas produced a leap of 8.16m, his best of this season.
“I’m preparing for the Olympics this year, where I want to have my best jump of the season,” said Tsatoumas. “First of all I want to be healthy and never experience again whatever happened last year (injury). I had a brilliant start to the season, but a tough end,” concluded Tsatoumas, remembering the injury prevented him taking part in the World Championships last year.
Popescu runs the 1500m in 4:00.36, Andrianova wins the 800m in 1:59.54
Romania’s Liliana Popescu, current world season leader of the women’s 1500m won that discipline here. Hungary’s Tusai led the race off at a fast pace. The Romanian athlete followed the race and attacked in the last metres to finish in 4:00.36, just outside a new world leading mark which currently stands at 4:00.35 (Bucharest, 24 May).
Russia’s Anna Alminova was second with 4:03.44 and Romania’s Cristina Vasiloiu third with 4:04.12
In the women’s 800m, Russia’s 2005 World bronze medallist Tatyana Andrianova clocked 1:59.54 to improve her season’s best. Ukraine’s Zoya Nesterenko was second with 2:00.49 and Romanian Mihaella Neacsu third with 200.71.
Sestak jumps 14.68m
Slovenia’s bronze medallist from the World Indoor Championships was the winner of the women’s Triple Jump with 14.68m, leaving her main rivals, Ukraine’s Olha Saladukha and Serbia’s Biljana Topic in second and third places. Saladukha jumped 14.62m and Topic 14.22m.
Russia’s Aleksander Petrenko dominated the men’s Triple Jump competition with 16.85m defeating Ukraine’s Mykola Savolainen and Victor Yasterbov, who had their best jumps at 16.73m and 16.57m respectively. Grenada’s Rady Lewis who came to Kalamata as the second best (17.49m) on the world season’s list was just fourth with 16.23m
Aitova and Manson win High Jumps
In the women’s High Jump Kazakhstan Marina Aitova won with 1.95m, while Greece’s Antonia Stergiou cleared 1.93m for second place. Third place was taken for her compatriot Maria Papageorgiou who also met the low standard.
Canada’s Michael Mason was the winner in the men’s High Jump with 2.27m, while three more others also cleared this height - Serbia’s Dragutin Topic, Ukraine’s Yuriy Krymarenko UKR and Czech Yaroslav Baba – but lost on count-back.
Finally Estonia’s Ainars Kovals won the Javelin Throw with 78.04m
Michalis Nikitaridis for the IAAF
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