VERY INTERESTING MEET, WHAT WITH THE OBVIOUS 2.06 JUMP, BUT ALSO CONSIDERING LASHAWN MERRITT IS RUNNING THE 400M IN OSAKA AND POSTED 20.02 HERE. NOTE ALSO, THE GREEK OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS EKATERINA THANOU UNPLACED OVER 100M AND HALKIA (DNF, 400h).
Vlasic tops 2.06 in Thessaloniki
Monday 30 July 2007
Clearly the best athlete of the “Olympic Meeting 2007” held today in Thessaloniki, Greece, was Croatia’s Blanka Vlasic who presented a strong candidature for a medal at the upcoming World Championships in Osaka. Vlasic, who has yet to capture a medal at the World Championships outdoors or at the Olympic Games, won the competition with a leap of 2.02m and then went on to produce a world leading jump of 2.06m.
Vlasic also attempted to break the World record at 2.10m where she had three good but unsuccessful attempts.
Veronica Campbell wins in Kingston
(Errol Anderson,The Sporting Image)
“I enjoy jumping, I love competing in meetings, I like to celebrate every clear leap I have,” Vlasic said. “I am in excellent condition and I think that I’ll have a clear leap over 2.10m in one of the upcoming meetings.”
With her leap, Vlasic, still just 23, added a centimetre to her own national record, and cleared two metres for the tenth time this season in 12 competitions. Only four women – two outdoors and two indoors – have jumped higher.
The Olympic Meeting Thessaloniki is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final.
Dwight Phillips flies in Modesto
(Kirby Lee)
Solid sprinting – 11.04 for Campbell, 20.02 for Merritt
In the women’s 100m the season’s fastest, Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell, clocked 11.04 to win handily in front of Americans Carmelita Jeeter and MeLisa Barber who clocked 11.17 and 11.19 respectively. Taheshia Harrigan from the Virgin Islands dominated the second 100m race in 11.26 and also took the 200m in 23.03, followed by Debbie Ferguson McKenzie who clocked 23.10
American LaShawn Merritt, the 2004 World junior champion in the 400m, clocked 20.02 in the men’s 200m to approach his season’s best (19.98) and set one of the better performances of the meeting.
Jamaica’s Steve Mullings had the faster season’s best among all participants in the men’s 100m and verified the forecast, winning in 10.11. The effort by Italy’s Simone Collio to challenge the Jamaican at the end was not enough to balance with Mullings’ strong and dynamic running. The Italian placed second in 10.26, with Bernard Williams third in 10.29, his best time for this year.
Another disappointment for Halkia
About one month ago, Olympic 400m Hurdles champion Fani Halkia was injured during the warm up in Chania and didn’t even start the race. Today, an injury to her right adductor forced her to end her race after the second hurdle. Halkia has yet to finish a full-lap barrier race this season and her participation in Osaka, although possible based on her performances last year, remains a question mark.
America’s Sandra Glover was clear winner in 55.09, followed by her compatriot Markita James (56.56) and Algeria’s Houria Mousha (56.81).
Phillips takes 8.07m win
Dwight Phillips, the World and Olympic Long Jump champion, won another meeting in Greece this season, reaching 8.07m. Greek Asterios Nousios was second with 7.97m and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zyukov third with 7.96m.
Luis Tsatoumas of Greece, the world leader, is still sidelined with injury and didn’t compete. According to Greek media reports the problem seems serious enough to keep him from the World Championships if he fails to recover in time.
Elsewhere…
Some other notable performances were set in other events. Poland’s Kamila Skolimowska won the women’s Hammer Throw with 71.20m, the only thrower to exceed the 70m line. The former World record holder was followed by Germany’s Katrin Klaas (69.78) and Greek Alexandra Papageorgiou who sent the hammer to 68.47m.
In the men’s High Jump, two athletes impressed with their leaps over the 2.30m: Ukraine’s Andrey Sokolovkiy and Cyprus’ Kyriakou Ioannou, with the Cypriot winning on the countback.
Jamaica’s Korine Hinds was the winner of the close 3000m Steeplechase competition, where she had to bend the resistance of the favorite, Romania’s Christina Casandra. The Jamaican kept the lead from the very early stages of the race to clock 9:34.84, overcoming the strong attack by the Romanian in the last meters. Casandra clocked 9:35.17 and Carrie Messner from USA 9:43.06 to take third.
Jamaican Ricardo Chambers dominated the full lap race in 45.03, followed by American Derrick Brew, the bronze medalist at the Athens Olympics, who clocked 45.65. Zimbabwe’s Lewis Banda placed third with 45.89, while Sotirios Iakovakis, Periklis’ older brother, won the second 400m heat in a personal best 46.45.
Another Jamaican, Kenia Sinclair, was the winner of the 800m in a meeting record 1:58.67, followed by Slovenia’s Brigitta Langerholc who clocked 1:59.93. One more Slovenian excelled tonight in Thessaloniki. Marija Sestak jumped 14.55m to dominate the Triple Jump. Finally, Poland’s Igor Yanik won the Javelin Throw with 79.46m
Michalis Nikitaridis for the IAAF
30 July, Thessaloniki
MEN
100m (-0.6) 1 Steve Mullings JAM 10.11, 2 Simionne Kollio ITA 10.26, 3 Bernard Williams usa 10.29 … 10 Aristotelis Gavelas GRE 10.54, 11 Panayotis Sarris GRE 10.63
200m 1 Lashawn Merrit USA 20.02, 2 Paul Hesion IRL 20.32, 3 Brian Dzingai ZIM 20.36, … 10 Panayotis Sarris GRE 21.29, … 12 Georgios Koyutsotheodorou GRE 21.56, 13 Evagelos Halastaras 21.67
400m Richard Chambers JAM 45.03, 2 Derrick Brew USA 45.65, 3 Lewis Banda ZIM 45.89, … 5 Sotirios Iakovakis GRE 46.45, 6 Pantelis Melahrinoudis GRE 46.55, 7 Stylianos Dimotsios 47.11, … 9 Minas Alozidis GRE 47.40, 10 Konstantinos Papantonoudis GRE 47.54, 11 Spyridon Ioannis Papadopoulos GRE 48.09
Jump high1 Kyriakos Ioannou CYP 2.30m, 2 Andrey Sokolovkiy UKR 2.30m, Dragutin Topic SRB 2.24m, … 5 Dimitrios Hondrokoukis GRE 2.20m, 7 Nikolaos Giosis GRE 2.15m, 8 Konstantinos Baniotis GRE 2.15m
Pole Vault 1 Jacob Pauli USA 5.60, 2 Alexander Averbukh ISR 5.55, 3 Jeff Hartwig USA 5.55 … 5 Dimitrios Patsoukakis GRE 5.20, 6 Emilios Sakellariadis GRE 5.20, 7 Marios Evagelou GRE 5.00, 8 Gregorios Amanatidis GRE 5.00
Long Jump 1 Dwight Phillips USA 8.07, 2 Asterios Nousios GRE 7.97m, 3 Vladimir Zyukov UKR 7.96m, 4 Petros Katsis GRE 7.86m, … 7. Diakonikolas GRE 7.64m, 8 Anastasios Makrynikolas GRE 7.51m, …10 Dimitrios Diamantaras 7.37m
Javelin Throw 1 Igor Janik POL 79.46, 2 Georgios Iltsios GRE 77.76, 3 Eleftherios Karasmanakis GRE 76.41, … 6 Yervasios Filippidis GRE 68.55, 7 Spyridon Lebesis 67.88
WOMEN
100m 1 Veronica Campbell JAM 11.04, 2 Carmelitta Jeter USA 11.17, 3 MeLisa Barber USA 11.19, 4 Ekaterini Thanou GRE 11.35,… 6 Georgia Kokloni GRE 11.65, 10 Lemonia Polychroniadou GRE 11.83, 11 Ekaterini Karatza GRE 11.86, 12 Zoe Neratzidou GRE 11.99, 13 Eleftheria Kobidou GRE 12.08
200m 1 Taheshia Harrigan IVB 23.03, 2 Debbie Ferguson McKenzie BAH 23.10, 3 Alexandra Fedoriva RUS 23.29, … 7 Andriana Ferra GRE 24.21, 8 Ekaterini Karatza 24.28
400mh 1 Sandra Glover 55.09, 2 Markita James USA 56.56, 3 Houria Musha ALG 56.81, Fani Chalkia DNF
3000m steeplechase 1 Korine Hinds JAM 9.34.84, 2 Cristina Casandra ROM 9.35.17, 3 Carrie Messner USA 9.43.06, … 7 Irene Kokinariou GRE 10.18.37, 8 Konstantiona Kefala GRE 10.27.09
800m 1 Kenia Sinclair JAM 1.58.67, Brigita Langerholc SLO 1.59.93, 3 Aimee Teteris CAN 2.00.85, … 6 Eleni Filandra GRE 2.04.35, 7 Maria Panou GRE 2.06.86, … 9 Angeliki Raftaki GRE 2.13.80
Triple Jump 1 Marija Sestak SLO 14.55, 2 Dana Veldakova SVK 14.07, Lilya Kulyk UKR 13.96, … 6 Niki Paneta GRE 13.36, 7 Paraskevi Sidiropoulou 12.99, 8 Irene Dimitraki 12.83
High Jump 1 Blank Vlasic 2.06m WL, Nikol Forrester CAN 1.97m, 3 Persefoni Hatzinakou GRE 1.83m
Pole Vault 1 Anna Fitidou GRE 4.00, 2 Evridice Prezerakou GRE 4.00, 3 Marianna Zachariadi GRE 4.00, Dimitra Emmanuel GRE DNM, Styliani Ledaki GRE DNM, Nikoletta Kyriakopoulou GRE DNM
Hammer Throw 1 Kamila Skolimowska POL 71.20, 2 Kathrin Klaas GER 69.48, 3 Alexandra Papageorgiou GRE 68.17, 4 Styliani Papadopoulou GRE 67.98