News28 Feb 2010


Russian indoor champs close with women's 4x800m Relay World record

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Russian 800m runner Tatiana Andrianova (© Getty Images)

Moscow, RussiaA World indoor record* in the women’s 4x800m Relay highlighted the final day of the Russian Indoor Championships in Moscow today.

A quartet representing Moscow clocked 8:12.41, well inside the previous standard of 8:18.54 set by another Russian quartet at the 2007 national indoor championships in Volgograd.

Tatyana Andrianova led off with a 2:05.80 leg, with Oksana Spasovhodskaja following with a 2:03.70 carry. Yelena Kofanova clocked 2:02.90 before handing off to Yvgeniya Zinurova, the world leader, who closed in 1:58.01.

The intensity, fierce battles and extremely close competition that was a prevailing theme on Saturday continued today.

Like yesterday’s women’s 400m final, the finish line photo couldn’t separate the top two finishers in the tactical women’s 1500m. And again, two women - Yevgeniya Zolotova and Anna Alminova, the reigning European champion in the event – shared the top honour, both clocking 4:12.31. Anna Balakshina was a few steps back in third clocking 4:14.73.

In yesterday’s women’s Long Jump final, two centimetres separated the top three. Today's Triple Jump was even closer, with just one centimetre separating the medallists. European champion Anastasia Potapova prevailed with a 14.44m leap, followed by Nadezhda Alekhina and Anna Pyatykh who each reached 14.43m.

Ivan Ukhov, the current world leader in the High Jump, passed his toughest test of the season, winning over a strong field with a 2.31m effort. Alexander Shustov and Andrey Tereshin finished second and third at 2.28m.

The men’s 1500m was as tactical as the women’s, but not as close. Ivan Tuhtachev took the title in 3:43.99 ahead of Valentin Smirnov (3:44.37) and Stanislav Anishchenko (3:45.45).

Elsewhere, the 5000m titles went to Alexander Orlov who clocked 13:53.69 and Elizabeth Grechishnikova (15:37.86). Dmitry Starodubtsev  topped 5.70m to win the men’s Pole Vault ahead of Alexander Gripich and Victor Chistyakov, who topped out at 5.60m. Pavel Shalin won the Long Jump with a 7.85m leap.

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Rostislav Orlov and Nikolai Dolgopolov for the IAAF

* pending the usual ratification procedures

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