European Athletics (EAA) – News – Idowu, Green, Tregaro, Mesnil and Obergföll all win in New York

There were four European victories at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in New York on Saturday although wind and rain kept most of the performances at a modest level.

Great Britain’s current world and European outdoor champion Phillips Idowu extended his 2011 unbeaten streak to five contests by going out to 16.67m.

All the jumpers had strong headwinds and a wet runway to contend with but it’s still an indication of how difficult the conditions were that Idowu hadn’t won a competition with such a meagre distance since the 2007 indoor season.

"Technically things looked good. By the time I compete in September you'll see something special,” said Idowu, not disheartened by the dismal weather.

Sweden’s 2004 Olympic Games champion Christian finished second with 16.29m.

The eagerly awaited duel between Idowu and France’s Teddy Tamgho, who set three world indoor records during the winter, never materialised when the latter could only manage 15.55m and finished seventh.

Sweden’s Emma Green Tregaro, the 2010 European Athletics Championships high jump silver medallist, turned the tables on Barcelona winner Blanka Vlašić when she went over a season’s best of 1.94m to win.

Croatia’s 2010 European Athlete of the Year could do no better than 1.90m to finish second, her first loss in 12 meetings.

It was also only the second time that Green had come out in front of Vlašić in no less than 60 confrontations, the last time being the 2005 World Championships when Vlašić failed to make the final while Green went on to win the bronze medal.

The men’s pole vault also had a surprise winner when France’s 2006 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Romain Mesnil won from the American former world champion Brad Walker.

Both men cleared 5.52m but Mesnil got the verdict on the basis of having fewer failures during the competition.

France’s Jerome Clavier was third with a best of 5.42m. However, France’s Renaud Lavillenie and Germany’s Malte Mohr, the two men on form this summer prior to their arrival in New York, both no-heighted as strong cross winds caused a multitude of problems for the vaulters.

“The conditions were horrible, I underperformed but it has no reflection on my current form and no impact on my confidence," commented Lavillenie, who jumped a 2011 world-leading height of 5.83m last Monday.

Germany’s former European women’s javelin record holder Christina Obergföll stayed in the United States following her Diamond League victory on the west coast in Eugene, last Sunday, and it proved to be a good decision as her best effort of 64.43m provided her with a win by more than four metres.

One other mark of significance was in the men’s 5000m with Ireland’s Alistair Cragg clocked a European-leading time of 13:12.21 when finishing seventh in a race won by Ethiopia’s Dejene Gebremeskel in 13:05.22.