Ton 'flying' at 2.33m

The third and final leg of the 2006 Moravia High Jump Tour was very much worthy of a final. A packed hall of 600 people in the smallest of all three venues saw the best ever men’s competition in or outdoors on Czech soil as four jumpers went over 2.31m.

The star of the evening was Olympic finalist Svatoslav Ton who had grown up in Brno which is near Hustopece, and as such his parents were there to watch his success. He jumped brilliantly at all heights, taking all at their first including the Moscow World Indoor standard of 2.28m and equalling his indoor best of 2.31m.

However, the Czech was not alone as the same sequence of heights was also made by Russian youngster Ivan Ukhov who as always was jumping in sprint spikes.

Surprisingly, Ton passed 2.33m and Ukhov after two unsuccessful attempts at 2.33m saved one for 2.35m, which brought the evening to a climax – 4 jumps at 2.35m – but no one came close. So to find a winner a jump-off was needed. So again there were two attempts at 2.35m which were taken with loud music and the frenetic clapping of spectators. No one again came close, so the bar went down to 2.33 and Ton made it, so setting a new World indoor season lead. Ukhov then made one try at the height and failed and so the winner of the evening and the whole tour was Ton.

“I was very motivated and relaxed,” said Ton. “First I wanted to have the standard for Moscow, but now I’m leading our (Czech) trio for the championships and that is great. Everything was in place, the surface, my shape, my technique, the support of the people. I was flying.“

Ukhov had wanted the win very much. “I am disappointed, I really wanted to win. I still need to learn, but I feel I can jump at 2.35m this indoors.”

It was also a good night for Italy. The Ciotti twins both cleared their best of 2.31m. Nicola who was in his first competition of the year, said “I´m tired, but happy. I did not expect to jump this. That is something huge.“ Also Giulio confirmed his 2.28m from Ostrava: “I felt pain in my muscles so I did not continue at 2.33m, but I’m also very satisfied.“

Ostrava winner Tora Harris (USA) took 2.24m but then saved his next jumps to 2.31m, but after one miss and seeing Ton and Ukhov going over he saved the other two to 2.33m and the last one was really very close. Canada’s Mark Boswell also put on a great show after clearing 2.24m as he went straight to 2.31m and also had very good but unsuccessful attempts. In total 10 jumpers went over 2.24m which in depth is really high quality including Slovak jumper Peter Horak for whom it was a new personal best of 2.24m.


WOMEN - 1.93 win for Strakova

In the women’s competition for some minutes the spectators thought they had seen a world season lead too as Iva Strakova went over 1.93m. But then news from Dessau, Germany arrived that Tatyana Efimenko had jumped 1.94. Strakova then tried at 1.96m but was unsuccessful. 

Second place went surprisingly to Russian Irina Glavatskikh who equalled her best of 1.90m. Winner of first leg in Trinec Barbora Lalakova confirmed her shape with a 1.90m success and very close misses at 1.93m.

There were very good results in the national programme too, the B-competition for men was won by Slovak Michal Kabelka who improved his best to 2.20m, and Long Jump World and European junior champion Denisa Scerbova set a new High Jump best of 1.80m.

Tour winners: Strakova and Ton.

Men:
1. Svatoslav Ton 2.33
 (2.15/1, 2.20/1, 2.24/1, 2.28/1, 2.31/1, 2.35/xxx, jump off: 2.35/x, 2.33/1),
2. Ivan Ukhov,RUS 2.31
(2.20/1, 2.24/1, 2.28/1, 2.31/1, 2.33/xx, 2.35/x, jump off: 2.35/x, 2.33/x),
3. Giulio Ciotti, ITA 2.31 PB
(2.15/2, 2.20/1, 2.24/1, 2.28/1, 2.31/3),
4. Nicola Ciotti, ITA 2.31 PB
(2.15/1, 2.20/1, 2.24/2, 2.28/2, 2.31/3, 2.33/xxx),
5. Tora Harris, USA 2.24
(2.20/2, 2.24/1, 2.31/x, 2.33/xx),
6. Tomas Janku 2.24
(2.10/1, 2.15/1, 2.20/2, 2.24/2, 2.31/xxx),
7. Mark Boswell,CAN 2.24
(215/1, 224/3, 231/xxx),
8. Peter Horak, SVK 2.24 PB,
9. Oleksander Nartov, UKR (88) 2.24 indoor PB,
10. Artyom Kozbanov, UKR 2.24,
11. Alexander Shustov, RUS 2.20,
12t. Wilbert Pennings, HOL and Jamie Nieto, USA 2.20,

Women:
1. Iva Strakova, CZE 1.93
(1.80/1, 1.84/1, 1.87/2, 1.90/2, 1.93/2, 1.96/xxx),
2. Irina Glavatskikh, RUS 1.90 indoor PB,
3. Barbora Lalakova 1.90,
4. Dora Gyorffy,HUN 1.87,
5. Iryna Mikhalchenko, UKR 1.87,
6. Oana Pantelimon, ROM 1.87,
7. Elena Brambilla, ITA 1.87 PB,
8. Raffaella Lamera, ITA 1.80,
9. Jitka Moudra 1.80

Women-B:
1. Denisa Scerbova 1.80 PB
Junior:
1. Iveta Srnkova,SVK (87) 1.75,
2. Denisa Blazova, SVK (91) 1.70
U17:
1. Katerina Cachova (90) 1.74

Men-B:1. Michal Kabelka,SVK 2.20,
2t. Michal Spak and Lubos Benko,SVK 2.15
Junior: 1. Tomas Krasa (87) 2.10