Andrey Silnov after his 2.38 world leader - and personal best - in London (© Getty Images)
Andrey Silnov was hardly the headline grabber in the lead up to the Aviva London Grand Prix - IAAF World Athletics Tour - this week. Yet it was the Russian high jumper who set the standards on a warm, breezy evening at Crystal Palace where Asafa Powell, Yelena Isinbayeva and Phillips Idowu all had comfortable victories, but Allyson Felix and Bernard Lagat suffered unexpected defeats.
With the Olympic Games only two weeks away, Silnov eclipsed the reigning champion Stefan Holm’s recent world leading mark, clearing 2.38m to win the competition by 7cm from Britain’s Germaine Mason.
“My form is coming slightly at the wrong time. I should have jumped like this in the Russian trials,” said Silnov, who finished fourth at his country’s championships with 2.30. “I am very happy to win this event and even happier to get a personal best. [Next will be] the Russian record maybe?”
Silnov, who won the European Cup in June with 2.32, now joins a raft of jumpers at equal in 10th position on the world all-time list.
Of the headline stars, none quite produced the fireworks that were promised, though Asafa Powell and Yelena Isinbayeva did their best.
Powell – ‘I was very confident’
After making light work of a 1.3 headwind in the heats to clock a cruising 10.06, Powell was given a run for his money in the final.
A near blanket finish behind him, Powell edged ahead only in the last 10 metres and broke the tape in 9.94 (-0.5), his second sub-10 of the week. Marc Burns of Trinidad and Tobago came through for second in the eighth lane in 9.97, his best of the year.
It was a Caribbean top four with Jamaican Michael Frater in third in 10.00 and Burns’ compatriot Richard Thompson in fourth in 10.01.
“I was very confident and very comfortable,” said Powell, whose appearance was greeted with whoops of delight from the strong Jamaican contingency in the crowd.
“It wasn’t the best of conditions but we made the most of it. The race did not go quite as expected but felt easy. A bit more work and everything should be fine for Beijing.”
For Isinbayeva, a near-miss at 5.04m
Yelena Isinbayeva couldn’t have come much closer to her 23rd world record. The World and Olympic champion had won the competition with 4.93m before making two poor attempts at 5.04m.
But then she brought a huge roar from the crowd as she appeared to have cleared with her third only for the mearest touch of her vest to bring the bar down on top of her after an agonising delay. The roar became a groan and a $50,000 bonus slipped from Isinbayeva’s grasp.
“ I am very disappointed because I really felt I could jump a world record today,” she said. “I was so close and I really wanted to do it. It’s my third competition in a row and I’m a little bit tired.”
It was no surprise to see Isinbayeva attempt a record here – after all she has set several in Britain – but this time she had company. Jenn Stuczynski had already secured second with 4.81 when she decided to take the fight to the Russian, having one attempt herself at the new world mark.
“It started off pretty good but at the end I think I was trying too hard,” said the American record holder. “My preparations are going really well so I’m disappointed in today’s performance.”
She may well have put the fear into Isinbayeva though. “It’s going to be a hard competition in Beijing,” said the world record holder. “It might be necessary to break a world record to win.”
Idowu – ‘I can’t envisage myself being beaten’
It took Phillips Idowu half the competition to get going before he emerged a confortable winner of the triple jump. The world number one led a British one, two, three with a winning jump of 17.42 as Nathan Douglas (17.14) and Larry Achike (17.09) filled the minor positions.
But Idowu had been third after the first three rounds with a best of 17.09 before he extended to 17.41 in the fourth, followed by 17.34 in the fifth.
“I didn’t know what the problem was at first,” he said. “I felt pretty good but after two or three rounds I realised I was hitting the [cover for the] long jump board which is a little bit hollow, so I was collapsing on the step phase.
“But I’ve been saying all year, regardless of whatever anyone else does I’m not going to lose. I can’t envisage myself being beaten.”
Ohuruogu cruises, Felix falters
There was another British sweep in women’s 400m as Christine Ohuruogu repeated her World Championships victory over Nicola Sanders in 50.80, her quickest of the year, with Lee McConnell in third.
Sanders entered the home straight fractionally ahead of Ohuruogu in the lane outside her, but the world champion was too strong and won by 0.47s. Not that she was happy.
“If I compare this to my World Championships preparation, that was significantly faster,” she pointed out. “It was OK but I would have liked a more comfortable race.”
There was a shock in the women’s 200m when double World champion Allyson Felix could only finish fourth in 23.00. Felix suffered a bad start and was quickly caught by Sherone Simpson of Jamaica who won in 22.70 into a 1.3 headwind.
Felix was also passed in the straight by Bianca Knight and Debbie Ferguson, the 19-year-old American recording 22.79 for second.
“To get a win so close to the Olympics is very good psychologically,” said Simpson. Felix will hope to put the bad psychology behind her when she takes on Veroncia Campbell-Brown over 100m tomorrow.
Korir takes front-running mile victory
Shadrack Korir won the Emsley Carr Mile in a sluggish 3:54.68 as Bernard Lagat could only finish third suffering only his second defeat of the season.
Leading from the bell, the Kenyan held off Andrew Baddeley down the straight as the Briton couldn’t quite repeat his Dream Mile victory from Oslo. He was second in 3:54.76.
Lagat left it too late but not as late as Craig Mottram. The Australian came from the back of the pack with 150m to go and finished fourth in 3:55.44, 0.24 behind the world 1500m champion.
Sotherton leads Four Event Challenge
Kelly Sotherton had an eventful night. She opened her account in the so-called Four Event Challenge with a huge personal best in the Long Jump, extending her previous PB by 11cm to 6.79. Although aided by a 2m/s tailwind, it brought a rare grin to the face of the Olympic bronze medallist.
“It is exactly where I need to be for the Olympics,” said Sotherton who has endured a year of injury troubles. “I had expected to get there in three weeks time, so it is really encouraging to be there already.”
But the smile didn’t last long as she became embroiled in a fiasco surrounding the 100m Hurdles. After two false starts, the athletes eventually got away, only to find the third barrier had been set in the wrong position.
Sotherton and most of her competitors, their rhythm ruined, immediately knew something wasn’t right and slowed to a virtual jog. But the American Gi-Gi Johnson went on to finish, running flat out.
Sotherton led the protests and demanded a re-run. Johnson demanded a 30 minute rest. So the race was re-staged after the last scheduled event of the night. Johnson won anyway in 13.09 as Sotherton finished fourth in 13.66.
“I am totally fed up,” said the angry Sotherton afterwards. “The long jump went so well earlier on but someone made a mistake and they have ruined the hurdles. In fact they have ruined the whole event. The night started so well but now I’m angry.”
She leads the mini-competition from Johnson with the shot and 200m to come tomorrow.
Hoffa wins with final round effort
In the men’s shot, Reese Hoffa repeated his 2007 victory here but without last year’s heroics. The American won with a modest 21.13m although he again had to pull out a winning effort in the sixth round after Poland’s Tomasz Majewski had eclipsed his fifth round leader of 20.70m by 2cm.
Hoffa, fierce competitor that he is, snatched it back in the final round, although Majewski improved again to 20.97 – it wasn’t enough to win but he could be satisfied with a personal best.
“I couldn’t believe it when Tomasz overtook me again,” said Hoffa. “But I managed to get one more in that was enough. The distances weren’t there tonight but the win will give me a lot of confidence for Beijing.”
In Dayron Robles’ absence (After a month his visa was still not agreed by UK immigration), David Oliver had a chance to win a 110m Hurdles race. The big American did so with ease, powering through a -1.0m/s wind to record 13.20 and win by more than three tenths from Anwar Moore.
Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey won the women’s 1500m in 4:08.97 while Ireland’s Roisin McGettigan broke the stadium record in the women’s 3000m Steeplechase with 9:33.76.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
