European Athletics (EAA) – News – Germany’s Strutz and Heidler shine in Kassel

Pole vaulter Martina Strutz was the surprising star of the meeting when she cleared 4.55m at the 14th Internationales ASKINA-Meeting 2011, a European Athletics Outdoor Classic Meeting, in the German town of Kassel on Wednesday.

In cool temperatures of around 15 degrees but in front of 5000 spectators, Strutz was the only one of a classy field to go over that height, clearing on her third attempt before having three failures at 4.60m.

“I had not expected it," said the 29-year-old German, who was the oldest vaulter in the 10-women field.

It was an outdoor best for Strutz, who was part of the Team Europe at the 2006 World Cup, although she cleared 4.58m at an exhibition event in Recklinghausen last Friday.

"But I guess I’m like a fine wine, the older it is the better it is," she joked.

Behind her, Kristina Gadschiew and Anna Battke were second and third respectively, both women having gone over 4.45m, while the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships silver medallist Silke Spiegelburg could do no better than 4.40m – she didn’t attempt any further height until the bar was raised to 4.60m which she then brought down three times – and finished fourth.

Hammer world record holder Betty Heidler notched up her third win in a row when she sent her implement out to a meeting record of 74.65m in the fourth round. For good measure she had two other throws over 74 metres.

“I’ve been training hard in the last week and sometimes that means you lose a little of your sparkle,” she reflected, when asked about why she had not got a little closer to the mark of 79.42m she achieved in Halle last month.

Her friend and training partner Kathrin Klaas was second with 73.18m.

Cindy Roleder, who should be a contender for a medal at the European Athletics U23 Championships in the Czech city of Ostrava next month, went under 13 seconds for the 100m hurdles for the first time this season when she clocked 12.98.

"I still made many little mistakes between the barriers, I was too tight," commented Roledar.

In the men’s events, Great Britain’s Jack Green was an impressive winner of the 400m hurdles, overhauling Germany’s Georg Fleischhauer over the last barrier and in the sprint for the line to clock a new meeting record and personal best of 49.48 to leave Fleischhauer having to settle for second in 49.92.

Green doesn’t turn 20 until later in the year and, like Roledar, should be one of the main candidates for a medal in Ostrava.

The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships shot put silver medallist David Storl – another Ostrava favourite – turned the tables on his compatriot Ralf Bartels, the man who beat him in Paris, and won with a fifth round effort of 20.06m.

The 2006 European Athletics Championships gold medallist had a difficult time but pulled himself together for the last attempt and achieved 19.88m.

"I do not know what it was, but I’m missing half a metre. My technique was OK and the audience was appreciative,” said the slightly bewildered Bartels.

“Since the German championships will be back here (in Kassel) next month, I hope a bad dress rehearsal means a good performance,” he added.

Ukraine’s Nataliya Pohrebnyak, part of her country’s victorious 4x100m quartet at the 2010 European Athletics Championships last summer, won the 100m in 11.37.

The event in Kassel on Wednesday was the fourth of 13 European Athletics Outdoor Classic Meetings in 2011.

Further details of all European Athletics Outdoor Meetings can be found here:

https://www.european-athletics.org/calendar-meetings-2011.html

European Athletics (EAA) – News