3:34.36 for Higuero at European Athletics Premium Meeting in Jerez – European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

Spain's Juan Carlos Higuero rocketed to the top of the European 1,500m rankings and Czech Javelin thrower Barbora Špotáková was also in top form in Jerez last night.

Higuero, a bronze medallist over 1,500m and 5,000m at the 2006 European Athletics Championships, accelerated away from a high quality international field at the Reunión Internacional de Atletismo Ciudad de Jerez, the latest of this summer's 14 European Athletics Premium Meetings, in the final 200m to clock 3:34.36.

"The rhythm of the race was a little uneven at times and there was some pushing and shoving but with 20 people in the race, that's going to happen," said Higuero.

"However, I can't complain. I got an Olympic qualifying standard, which is what I was aiming for, and felt very strong in the final 100m.

"My next 1,500m race will be, I think, at the IAAF Golden league in Rome next month and that'll be a much tougher race than this one. However, I'm not fearing it, quite the opposite. You've got to run in these sorts of races if you want to get better," added the man who is in the sometimes socially uncomfortable position of being a fervant Barcelona fan but based in Madrid.

Behind Higuero, Jose Antonio Redolat finished second place in 3:35.04 and Diego Ruiz was third in 3:35.40, the best time of 2008 and a personal best respectively. Germany's Carsten Schlangen, who before Tuesday night had been Europe's only man under 3:35 this season, finished fifth in 3:35.53.

Just over three weeks ago in Zaragoza, on her last trip to Spain, Barbora Špotáková threw 69.15m to become the fourth best women's Javelin performer of all time and she returned to the Iberian country on Tuesday to produce 64.99m

At first glance, the figures from her two Spanish meetings may not quite match up but Špotáková's Jerez performance actually showed how hugely superior she is over nearly all the other top European, and indeed the World's, women Javelin throwers.

Only Špotáková and two other Europeans have thrown better than 65m and, in Jerez, no other woman was able to get over 60m. They were more than five metres behind Špotáková in difficult conditions for good Javelin throwing with local heroine Mercedes Chilla, who hails from Jerez itself and who won the 2006 European Athletics Championships bronze medal, finishing second with 58.26m.

"I deliberately saved a little energy in the competition in Leiria (European Cup First league in Portugal) at the weekend because I wanted to throw well here but I couldn't quite get the mark I wanted due to the winds," said Špotáková.

"The problem was that they were sometimes blowing in your face and sometimes behind you. It was a little disturbing for everybody," she added.

Anastasya Rabchenyuk wasn't as happy with her win in the women's 400m Hurdles as she was with her victory in the same event at the SPAR European Cup on Saturday but the Ukrainian hurdler still produced an impressive winning time of 55.26, which was just slightly slower than her European-leading mark of 54.64 that she clocked three days before.

"This was a 50-50 run. I was tired after travelling all the way from Annecy to here after running this event and also in the relay at the Cup. My technique showed that I was a little tired, I think," explained Rabchenyuk.

Poland's Malgorzata Pskit was second in 55.83, making her the sixth fastest European of the season.

Another Annecy winner to make their way to Jerez was Spanish Discus thrower Mario Pestano, who produced his best mark of 67.27m in the final round to finish more than four metres ahead of second-placed Gabor Mate, from Hungary, who threw 63.56m.

Another Spaniard to win at the last ever SPAR European Cup on Sunday was 110m Hurdles winner Jackson Quiñonez and he made it two wins n three days when he sped to a time of 13.53 in his specialist event.

Portugal's 2006 European Athletics Championships 100m and 200m gold medallist Francis Obikwelu sped to his fastest time of the season to win the shorter event in 10.14 and into a wind of 1.3mps.

"I'm a happy man. Slowly things are coming together and there were glimpses of the old Francis there. I've been unlucky a little this season. I always seem to be running into the wind, like today, but I think I'm faster than my times in the lists would suggest," joked the ever-jovial Obikwelu.

In the women's 100m, Britain's Jeanette Kwakwe won in 11.36, into a slightly less stiff breeze than the one Obikwelu faced.

Germany's Lars Börgeling cleared a season's best 5.70m to win a bizarre men's Pole Vault competition in which only two athletes cleared a height and six others all failed with their opening three attempts.

The Spanish hosts also had two popular winners in the field. Ruth Beitia was the only woman over 1.96m and won the women's High Jump, while Manuel Martinez sent the Shot out to 19.72m in the final round.

A lot of interest was also focussed on the men's Triple Jump with new rules being tested that could be introduced for the 2009 European Team Championships.

France's Jules Lechanga jumped 16.83m in the third round to lead the competition after three attempts and then jumped 16.67m in the final round to be declared the winner.

The Frenchman, who has personal best of 17.07m provided a measured reaction to the new rules.

"I can see the positive points and I think it will be interesting for spectators, both in the stadium and on television."

This is a report on a European Athletics Premium Meeting with an emphasis on the successes of European athletes but, as a final note, one can not go without acknowledging and applauding the feat of Cuba's Yeimar Lopez, who clocked a stunning 800m time of 1:43.07, the second fastest time in the World this year.

European Athletics (EAA)