Tarasov clears 6 metres in Budapest Grand Prix
5 February – Budapest -Russia's 1992 Olympic pole vault champion Maxim Tarasov cleared six metres (19 feet 8 inches) Friday night, highlighting competition in the Hungarian Indoor Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old Russian dominated a field that included another Olympic champion, Jean
Galfione of France, as well as the defending world and European indoor champions, Igor
Potapovich of Kazakstan and Tim Lobinger of Germany.Tarasov, one of only eight men to have
reached the six-metre mark, has now achieved it indoors and out.
Although Daniel Komen had announced he would try to break the men's 2,000-metre world record, set by Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie last year, his attempt was unsuccessful. He was overtaken in the last metres by Morocco's Adil El Kaouch, who clocked 4:58.56. Komen recorded a time of 4:58.77.
Colin Jackson of Britain won the 60-metre hurdles in 7.49 and was second in the 50-metre hurdles. 31-year-old Jackson, who holds the world 110-metre record, is racing indoors to prepare for the world championships indoors in Maebashi next month and has already been announced among the British preliminary selections for the Championships.
Miklos Gyulai (HUN) triumphed in the 60m ahead of Britain’s Jason Livingstone, in a winning time of 6.59, but failed to repeat the exploit in the 200m, where he took second place behind Petko Yankov of Bulgaria, who crossed the line in 20.66, with Gyulai clocking 20.87
In the women's 800 metres, Natalya Tsiganova, 27, of Russia clocked a good time with 1:58.95 seconds, the best time so far this season. She defeated defending European indoor champion Ludmila Formanova of the Czech Republic and Africa championship runner-up Hasna Benhassi of Morocco.
In the women's sprint hurdles, Kazakstan's Olympic and world runner-up Olga Shishigina won both the 50 and 60 metres, pushing another Olympic runner-up, Brigitta Bukovec of Slovenia, to second place in both events.
