Andrei Kravchenko in Talence (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Belarussia’s men and Ukraine’s women are leading the European Cup Combined Events Super League in the Fanny Blankers-Koen stadium at the end of Day One (28).
This competition along with all lower levels of the European Cup count as part of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge 2008.
The competition started with rain in the morning but at the beginning of the afternoon the weather cleared and the circumstances were far better.
Last year’s European U23 champion (8492) Andrei Kravchenko was today making his outdoor season’s debut and is the emphatic overall individual leader in the Decathlon after five events with a total of 4413 points (10.90-7.68 - 14.22 – 2.13 – 48.17), with victories in three of the five events.
In the Shot, one of the disciplines in which Kravchenko didn’t set the top mark his 14.22m put added 22cm to his Decathlon event PB, though he had produced 14.29m indoors when taking the Heptathlon silver at the World Indoors in Valencia.
The winner of two World Combined Events Challenge competitions in 2007 in Götzis and Talence, respectively with 8617pts (his personal best) and 8553, Kravchenko who has been held back since his winter success by injuries also high jumped very well in Hengelo and was just 3cm short of his 2.16m outdoor PB.
Kravchenko with an overnight total of 4413 points is way ahead of his nearest opponents Estonian Andres Raja and (4233) and Dutchman Ingmar Vos (4035).
In the women’s Heptathlon, last year’s World Student Games bronze medallist Anna Melnychenko of Ukraine scored 3759pts in the first four events: 13.28 – 1.78 – 13.77 – 24.39 and is 69 points ahead of Dutchwomen Jolanda Keizer (3690). Ludmila Jospchenko is third with a score of 3589.
Wim van Hemert and Chris Turner for the IAAF
Team competition after the first day:
Decathlon
1. Belarus, 12,266 points
2. Estonia, 12,071
3. The Netherlands 11,963
Heptathlon
1. Ukraine, 10,791
2. Russia, 10,467
3. France, 10,276
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