News20 Mar 2008


South American Grand Prix season starts in Argentina

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Brazilian Fabiano Peçanha is beaten by Argentina’s Leonardo Price in Buenos Aires (© CADA)

The 2008 South American track and field season which includes the IAAF World Athletics Tour meeting in Belem, Brazil on 25 May, and the Area meetings of Uberlandia (1 May), Fortaleza (18 May) and Manaus (25 May) from which qualifying points can be earned for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, Stuttgart (13/14 Sep 2008), has begun.

The circuit staged its first two stops in Mar del Plata (15-16 March) and Buenos Aires (18 March).

At the “Justo Román” meet in Mar del Plata, Brazilian Fabiano Peçanha won a competitive 800m race. Peçanha, a semi-finalist in Valencia, ran 1:47.37, to beat Argentina’s Leonardo Price (1:47.72 pb). In 2000m, Peçanha set a pb with 5:08.57, but was only second to Argentina’s Javier Carriqueo, who set a national record with 5:07.94.

The field events also brought fine performances. Germán Lauro (ARG) beat Marco Antonio Verni (CHI) in the Shot Put 18.36m to 18.26. Lauro is coming from setting a national record of 19.88 on 25 February in Porto Alegre.

South American record holders Jorge Balliengo (Discus Throw), Juan Ignacio Cerra and Jennifer Dalhgren (Hammer Throw) took their contests. Balliengo, in his only valid throw, reached to 55.77m, Cerra 71.90m - with all his 4 valid throws over 71m - and Dahlgren, the 2007 NCAA Champion, made her seasonal debut with 65.34.

Paraguayan Víctor Fatecha took the Javelin Throw with 76.55m, and Chilean Carolina Torres won the Pole Vault with 4.20m.

At the Buenos Aires meet, Price surprised Peçanha at 800m, beating him in the closing stages 1:47.32 (another pb) to 1:47.45.

But once again, the biggest attractions were in the infield. Marco Verni won over Lauro in the Shot 19.28m to 19.09. Balliengo improved to 59.67 in the Discus, while Argentina’s Pablo Pietrobelli took the Javelin with 74.58.

In the women’s side, Brazilians Elisângela Adriano and Alessandra Resende triumphed in the Discus and the Javelin. Adriano with a season’s best of 57.63m, while Resende threw 57.07. 33 year-old Resende has already thrown 59.30 in São Caetano do Sul on 26 January. In the Hammer, Dahlgren also showed some improvement by reaching 66.38.

The next Argentinean meets of the South American GP will be in Rosario (20 March), and Santa Fe (22-23 March).

Good track and field performances in São Paulo

At a local meet in São Paulo on 15 March, also some fine performances were produced, with sprinters dominating the scene. 21 year-old Brazilian Bruno Tenôrio de Barros ran 10.22 at 100m (wind 0.7), followed by 2008 World Indoor 60m finalist Vicente de Lima (10.26) and José Carlos Gomes Moreira (10.27).

De Barros, who is having a breakthrough season had already produced a 20.47 (1.7) clock at 200m, also in São Paulo, on 23 February, which at this point is the fastest outdoors time in the World.

De Lima won the 200m on 15 March in 20.83 (-0.7), running in race 3, while the winner of race 1 was 18 year-old Panamanian Alonso Edwards, who clocked 20.96 (-1.7).

Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF


 

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