Fabiana Murer in Rio (© Marcelo Ferrelli/CBAt)
- Jamaican Melaine Walker and Brazilian Fabiana Murer produced the best performances of the “27° Grande Prêmio Brasil/Caixa de Atletismo”, which was held on the evening of Thursday 26 May, at the “Estádio João Havelange” in Rio de Janeiro, the venue of the 2016 Olympic Games.
TheGrande Prêmio Brasil/Caixa de Atletismo is anIAAF World Challenge meeting
Walker, the 2008 Olympic Champion at 400m hurdles, won her event in 54.09 sec, currently the world season lead. The 28-year-old Jamaican improved her 54.96 from the Shanghai Diamond League meet, and won easily over compatriot Nickiesha Wilson (55.57 in her seasonal debut at the distance), and Brazilian Jaílma de Lima, who set a PB of 56.00.
Murer, the 2010 World Indoor Champion at Pole Vault, marked hear seasonal outdoor debut in Rio with a 4.65m victory, also a world lead (she has jumped 4.74 indoors). Murer opened her competition at 4.50m (second attempt clearance), followed at 4.65m (first), and then had three fouls at 4.75m. Cuban Yarisley Silva was second with a national record of 4.60m, and American Kylie Hutson was third with 4.40m.
“I was very anxious before the competition, after three months of only training. I felt a bit out of rhythm, and perhaps I could have jumped higher if someone else would have pushed me to do so for the victory”, said Murer.
Next for the 30 year-old from Campinas will be the South American Championships in Buenos Aires (2-5 June).
“I will look for a victory and to avoid any injuries, since temperatures will surely be cold”, she added.
After Argentina, Murer will continue her sequence of meets in the USA, at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Eugene, and then she will travel to Italy, to train there under the supervision of coach Vitaly Petrov. “My main goal for the season is the World Championships, but I also want to get closer to 5m”, ended the South American record holder (4.85m from 2010).
Maggi confirms good beginning of 2011 with 6.80m
Brazilian Maurren Higa Maggi was also triumphant in Rio, in the Long Jump, continuing her winning streak from the São Paulo meet, held on Sunday. Coming from a SB of 6.89m, the 34-year-old from São Carlos, and Olympic gold medalist from Beijing 2008, was in a class apart from the rest of the field, with her 6.80m win (wind 0.8 m/s).
Maggi’s series was: foul, 6.80, 6.75/0.5, and foul. Second was Brazilian Keila Costa with 6.50 (1.1), and third was American Janay DeLoach with 6.48 (0.7).
“I’m doing what I need right now”, said Maggi. “It’s very important, at this stage of the season, to maintain a certain level of good performances”.
Chambers in top form
Great Britain’s sprinter Dwain Chambers, the 2010 World Indoor champion at 60m, also closed his participation in the “2011 Brazilian Athletics Tour” with a fine 100m performance of 10.05 (wind 0.0). Chambers won all four stages of the tour where his event was contested, and this was his second sub-10.10 clocking of the week, after his season’s best (SB) of 10.01 from São Paulo. Chambers eased up at the end of the race, since his margin of victory was vast. Jamaican Kimmari Roach was second in 10.26, and Trinidad and Tobago’s Keston Bledman was third with 10.27.
At the same distance, British Virgin Islands’ Tahesia Harrigan won the women’s race in 11.14 (wind 0.5), clocking a SB. It was a fine victory for Harrigan, as the Caribbean athlete beat Nigerian Damola Osayomi (11.17), who was coming from setting a PB of 10.99 in São Paulo. American Gloria Asumnu was third with 11.19, a SB.
Seasonal Best for Moreno
Cuban Yipsi Moreno, twice World champion at Hammer throw, also recorded a promising triumph in Rio, in her case, with a SB of 74.26m. The series for the 30 year-old from Camagüey was: 71.91m, 74.26m, 70.89m, 73.29m, foul, and 72.42m. This was Moreno’s third victory in Brazilian soil. Argentina’s Jennifer Dahlgren was second with 72.26m, also a SB, while Germany’s Kathrin Klaas (currently second in the 2011 world lists with 75.30m) was third with 71.44m.
The Rio was part of the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge, and in the male competition, American Kibwe Johnson, also made three-out-of-three in Brazil with a 77.42m victory over Tadjikistan’s Dilshod Nazarov (76.18m), and Latvia’s Igor Sokolovs (76.05m).
Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
Victories in the rest of the events went to -
Men:
200m (-0.1): Nílson André (BRA) 20.74; 1500m: Aman Wote (ETH) 3:41.30; 400m hurdles: Andrés Silva (URU) 49.16; High Jump: Dusty Jonas (USA) 2.29m; Long Jump: Wilfredo Martínez (CUB) 8.04m/0.0; Triple Jump: Osniel Tosca (CUB) 16.95m/-1.4.
Women:
200m (0.5): Ana Cláudia Silva (BRA) 23.09; 1500m: Rosibel García (COL) 4:19.98; Triple Jump: Caterine Ibargüen (COL) 14.39m/1.3.
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