Euro sprints & stix review

Men’s sprints & hurdles: Lemaitre and Dai Greene unstopabble | 23.12.2011

French sprint superstar Christophe Lemaitre.

100m

France’s Christophe Lemaitre was once again Europe’s top sprinter, going under 10 seconds on four occasions, running a national record of 9.95 to win at the SPAR European Team Championships and improving to 9.92 at the French national championships, to move up to third in the European all-time rankings.

For good measure, he also finished fourth at the World Championships.

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure became the seventh European ever to run under the 10-second barrier when he clocked a Norwegian record of 9.99 at the Samsung Diamond league meeting in Lausanne.

Another impressive French sprinter was the European junior champion Jimmy Vicaut, who ran 10.07 to win his title in Tallinn and then who joined his compatriot Lemaitre in the Daegu final.

200m

Lemaitre moved up to second on the European all-time lists when he ran a magnificent national record of 19.80 to win the bronze medal at the World Championships.

Saidy Ndure confirmed his place as the number two sprinter in Europe when he also went under 20 seconds when he ran 19.95 to finish fourth in Daegu. The Norwegian followed it up with a time of 19.97 at the Samsung Diamond League final in Brussels.

Behind the top two, there was a large gap with Italy’s Andrew Howe, better known as a long jumper, the next fastest with the 20.31 he ran to win at the Samsung Diamond league meeting in Rome back at the end of May.

400m

kevin Borlee of Belgium.

Belgium’s 2010 European Athletics Championships gold medallist Kevin Borlée again timed his peak to perfection when he claimed World Championships bronze medal in 44.90 with twin brother Jonathan fifth.

The former had earlier ran what was to remain as the fastest European time of the year when he clocked 44.74 in Madrid while the latter finished the year well with 44.78 to win on home soil in Brussels.

Like with the 200m, after the leading pair there was a sizeable gap with the third-fastest European man over one lap of the track this year being Poland’s Marcin Marcinszyn who ran 45.27 to win at his national championships in early August.

110m hurdles

Great Britain’s 2010 European Athletics Championships gold medallist Andy Turner reduced his best to 13.22 and took a bronze medal at the World Championships to confirm his status as Europe’s top man in the event.

Behind him there was quite a gap the next best, with Russia’s Konstantin Shabanov, running 13.35. Another Britain, William Sharman, didn’t have quick times to his credit but was the only other European in the World Championships final.

Sadly, Czech Republic’s Petr Svoboda had to miss the summer after suffering an injury in training in late April after winning the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60m hurdles title.

400m hurdles

400m hurdles world champion Dai Greene of Great Britain.

Great Britain’s Dai Greene added the world title to the one he already holds from last year’s European Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games, triumphing in a race when the breezy conditions played to, literally, Greene’s strength.

Greene didn’t break 48 seconds this year, his European-leading time of 48.20 coming at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, but his Daegu gold medal was more than adequate compensation.

Behind Green in the continental rankings, is a quartet of talented hurdlers who are all 23 or under and went under 49 seconds.

Britain’s Nathan Woodward clocked 48.71 in Switzerland in July and got a silver medal at the European Athletics Under 23 Championships while Germany’s Georg Fleischauer set a personal best of 48.72. Another Briton, the prodigious Jack Green, who is still 20-years-old, ran 48.98 in Birmingham and then went on to beat Woodward to the line in Ostrava.

Notable stats:

100m

New entries on the European all-time list:

3rd place 9.92 Christophe Lemaitre FRA

7th place 9.99 Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR

2011 head-to-head between best Europeans:

Christophe Lemaitre FRA – Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR 3-0

Dwain Chambers GBR – Christophe Lemaitre FRA 3-0

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR – Dwain Chambers GBR 1-0

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:

Christophe Lemaitre FRA – Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR 6-0

Dwain Chambers GBR – Christophe Lemaitre FRA 4-2

Dwain Chambers GBR – Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR 2-1

200m

New entries on the European all-time list:

2nd place 19.80 Christophe Lemaitre FRA

2011 head-to-head between best Europeans:

Christophe Lemaitre FRA – Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR 1-0

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:

Christophe Lemaitre FRA – Jaysuma Saidy Ndure NOR 2-0

400m

2011 head-to-head between best Europeans:

Kevin Borlée BEL – Jonathan Borlée BEL 1-1

Kevin Borlée BEL – Marcin Marciniszyn POL 2-0

Jonathan Borlée BEL – Marcin Marciniszyn POL 2-0

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:

Kevin Borlée BEL – Jonathan Borlée BEL 9-5

Kevin Borlée BEL – Marcin Marciniszyn POL 3-0

Jonathan Borlée BEL – Marcin Marciniszyn POL 3-0

110m hurdles

New entries on the European all-time list:

15th place 13.22 Andy Turner GBR

2011 head-to-head between best Europeans:

Andy Turner GBR – Konstantin Shabanov RUS 1-0

Andy Turner GBR – Garfield Darien FRA 2-0

Garfield Darien FRA – Dimitri Bascou FRA 1-0

Andy Turner GBR – Dimitri Bascou FRA 2-0

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:

Andy Turner GBR – Konstantin Shabanov RUS 2-0

Andy Turner GBR – Garfield Darien FRA 4-4

Garfield Darien FRA – Dimitri Bascou FRA 7-4

Andy Turner GBR – Dimitri Bascou FRA 6-0

400m hurdles

2011 head-to-head between best Europeans:

Dai Greene GBR – Nathan Woodward GBR 1-0

Dai Greene GBR – Georg Fleischhauer GER 3-0

Dai Greene GBR – Jack Green GBR 3-0

Career head-to-head between best Europeans:

Dai Greene GBR – Nathan Woodward GBR 3-0

Dai Greene GBR – Georg Fleischhauer GER 3-0

Dai Greene GBR – Jack Green GBR 4-0