Near miss at a 2.44m World indoor record by Ivan Ukhov in Hustopece (© Hustopece organisers)
Ivan Ukhov and Svetlana Shkolina were the dominating athletes at the High Jump Meeting in Arnstadt on Saturday (19). The reigning Russian World indoor champion took the event with a height of 2.34m. The women’s competition was as expected also won by a Russian as Shkolina cleared 1.95m to take the victory.
It took 24-year-old Ukhov just three jumps to win the event and another one to clear 2.34m. After starting with initial clearances of 2.20m and 2.25m, he passed 2.28m and then jumped 2.31m at his first attempt as well. That was enough to fend off competition from Germany’s Raul Spank and fellow-Russian Alexandr Shustov. Spank and Shustov did clear 2.31m in the end, but only after the bar had fallen at their first two attempts. For the German, who had missed much of the last season because of injury problems, this was an indoor personal best by one centimetre.
After Spank and Shustov missed 2.34m three times they ended in a tie for second behind Ukhov, who also cleared that height at his first attempt as well. The Russian winner then went for 2.39m, which would have been a meeting record. Fellow Russian Jaroslav Rybakov had jumped 2.38m in Arnstadt four years ago. But Ukhov did not succeed, although his final attempt was close. Two more Russians took fourth and fifth place: Andrey Silnov and Sergey Mudrov both jumped 2.28m.
As in the men’s event three jumps were enough for Shkolina to seal the win. The 24-year-old opened her competition by clearing 1.84m, then passed 1.88m and cleared both 1.92m and 1.95m at her first attempts. With victory secured Shkolina moved on to 2.00m, with which have tied her personal best. But the Russian, who had placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships in 2010, missed this height three times on Saturday.
While Irina Gordeyeva (Russia) took second place by clearing 1.92m at her second attempt Germany’s Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch was a surprise third placer. The 20year-old managed to clear 1.92m at her final attempt. With this she improved her personal best by two centimetres and achieved the qualifying standard for the European indoor championships. Russians Viktoriya Klyugina and Yelena Slesarenko took fourth and fifth places with 1.88m each.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
It took 24-year-old Ukhov just three jumps to win the event and another one to clear 2.34m. After starting with initial clearances of 2.20m and 2.25m, he passed 2.28m and then jumped 2.31m at his first attempt as well. That was enough to fend off competition from Germany’s Raul Spank and fellow-Russian Alexandr Shustov. Spank and Shustov did clear 2.31m in the end, but only after the bar had fallen at their first two attempts. For the German, who had missed much of the last season because of injury problems, this was an indoor personal best by one centimetre.
After Spank and Shustov missed 2.34m three times they ended in a tie for second behind Ukhov, who also cleared that height at his first attempt as well. The Russian winner then went for 2.39m, which would have been a meeting record. Fellow Russian Jaroslav Rybakov had jumped 2.38m in Arnstadt four years ago. But Ukhov did not succeed, although his final attempt was close. Two more Russians took fourth and fifth place: Andrey Silnov and Sergey Mudrov both jumped 2.28m.
As in the men’s event three jumps were enough for Shkolina to seal the win. The 24-year-old opened her competition by clearing 1.84m, then passed 1.88m and cleared both 1.92m and 1.95m at her first attempts. With victory secured Shkolina moved on to 2.00m, with which have tied her personal best. But the Russian, who had placed fourth at the World Indoor Championships in 2010, missed this height three times on Saturday.
While Irina Gordeyeva (Russia) took second place by clearing 1.92m at her second attempt Germany’s Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch was a surprise third placer. The 20year-old managed to clear 1.92m at her final attempt. With this she improved her personal best by two centimetres and achieved the qualifying standard for the European indoor championships. Russians Viktoriya Klyugina and Yelena Slesarenko took fourth and fifth places with 1.88m each.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
