Arron continues to fly - Liévin UPDATED
Saturday 4 March 2006
http://www.iaaf.org/WIC06/news/Kind=2/newsId=33665.html
Liévin, France – The Meeting Gaz de France du Pas-de-Calais was the last major international meeting before 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Moscow, Russia (10-12 March) and saw some of the favourites in the last stages of their preparation. At this IAAF indoor permit meeting, Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva and France’s Christine Arron remained undefeated in their events, and Swede Johan Wissman set a European Best at 300m.
Moscow on her mind
Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS)
(Getty Images)
There was no real surprise the women’s Pole Vault as Yelena Isinbayeva again beat her Polish rivals Monika Pyrek and Anna Rogowska. The Russian started her competition at 4.62m which she cleared at the second attempt, and this was the last bar her opponents could pass. In the end with both Poles successful at this height, Pyrek took second place over Rogowska on countback at 4.45m.
Isinbayeva continued her competition sucessfully at 4.72m before asking for a 4.92m bar to be raised, 1 cm higher than her own World Indoor record. She missed her three attempts, but as she pointed out “it’s not possible to break the World Record at each meeting. Today, my run-up was good, I took big poles but couldn’t bend them enough. I’m a little tired but still in good physical shape.”
After a wonderful 2005 year, the gap between Isinbayeva and her rivals has reduced this winter “After last season, I took one month break, but had no motivational problems to comeback to training”, she explained. “My main focus is World Indoors in my home country, my mind is already there.”
Arron’s busy evening
Johan Wissman (SWE)
(Hasse Sjögren)
Christine Arron had a busy evening, with 60m heats and final, followed by 200m. She won all of them and qualified her performances as “satisfying”. In heats, she had the best reaction (0.132) and maintained a big lead through 50m (6.12 intermediate time) and 60m (7.08). “I had a very good start, at a point I was surprised, then I decided to keep going”. In the final, she attempted to break her own recent national record (7.06). On her left, Russian Marina Kislova false started. At the second time away, Arron reacted poorly (0.164) and struggled in her first steps but her comeback was impressive as she passed at 50m in 6.14 to finish in 7.09, clearly ahead Kislova (6.23 and 7.25).
“I’m still working on my start, when my reaction time will be consistent under 0.160, it will mean that it’s fixed. I’m working the start a lot at training, with elastic and explosive exercises, like reacting to a signal under a heavy load at leg press, or with fast light barbel snatches.”
The French sprinter, who hadn’t trained for speed endurance so far this winter wanted to do a test over 200m. Stuck in the starting blocks (0.218), Arron impressed in the first half of the race before finishing quite tired in 22.80, but it was still a world season leading mark. “I had no clue about what to expect, this is a good time and useful indication for my training”.
Alleyne Francique (GRN)
(Getty Images)
European 300m best for Wissman
The best men’s performance occurred in the rarely run 300m. Swede Johan Wissman, running in Liévin’s famous lane 6, dominated the race and clocked 32.61, resisting French Leslie Djhone’s last surge (32.81). This was a European best (former mark 32.72 by West German Skamrahl twenty years ago) for the delighted Wissman.
“I’m not used to run 300m so it’s hard to know how fast to start,” said Wissman “I had run in the mid 31sec at training with two-steps run-up so it’s difficult to compare. This I decided to go out as fast as I could. I’m a 200m runner and occasionally a 400m runner as I will run the 4x400m relay in Moscow, so the 300m might actually be my best event.”
Yuriy Borzakovskiy (RUS)
(Hasse Sjögren)
World lead recaptured by Francique
Reigning World Indoor champion Alleyne Francique was the 400m’s winner in a world leading 45.80. “My tactic was to be in the front to control the race”. After a 21.52 first lap the Grenadian runner maintained his lead over Carlifornia Molefe (BOT) 46.26.
Irish record equalled
Women’s 60m Hurdles was a dual between two newcomers in the circuit. Nigerian Josephine Onyia, 20 years old, 1.57m and 59kg, won the first heat with a personal best of 7.88 (6.78 at 50m). Second heat victory went to Irish Derval O’Rourke, in 7.92 (6.80). In the final, the Nigerian made several minor mistakes while O’Rourke performed a clean race and won in 7.90, matching her national record, over 7.93 for Onyia.
Silnov win over Carelse and Holm
The men’s High Jump saw a clear success by Russian Andrey Silnov at 2.33. Ramsay Carelse (RSA), outdoor World and Olympic champion Stefan Holm (SWE) and Tomas Janku (CZE) were ranked in this order, all jumping 2.24m.
Cuban Yangelis Savigne tool the women’s Long Jump in 6.63m, while Eunice Barber, struggling with a twisted ankle, was sixth in 6.33 and did not start at the 60m Hurdles. She will decide in the coming days if she will compete in Moscow.
Freddy Mayola (CUB) won the men’s 60m in 6.58 (5.68 at 50m) over Ronald Pognon 6.62 (5.74).
Bouabdellah Tahri became the first French under the 5 minutes barrier at 2000m with 4:59.84, after a difficult last 400m of 60.78.
Russians Yuriy Borzakovskiy and Olga Komyagina easily won at 1000m, 2:20.13 and 2:36.76 respectively, for the men’s and women’s race victories.
P-J Vazel for the IAAF