European Athletics (EAA) – News – More records for Angelica Bengtsson

Sweden’s prodigious pole vault talent Angelica Bengtsson improved her own world junior record no less than three times at the XL Galan meeting in Stockholm on Tuesday night.

The 17-year-old 2010 Youth Olympic Games and World Junior Championships gold medallist arrived in the Swedish capital having set a world junior record of 4.52m on Sunday but then improved it firstly to 4.53m, then 4.58m and finally 4.63m.

Into the bargain, all three marks were Swedish senior records.

Bengtsson only came to a halt at 4.68m and finished second behind Russia’s 2010 European Athletics Championships gold medallist Svetlana Feofanova, who cleared that height for victory before failing at 4.80m.

“I was close to 4.57m at the weekend so I had expectations I would do at least 4.58m. You have to take your chance in this situation, on a good track and with the crowd behind you,” said Bengtsson, who was using stiffer poles than ever before.

Her next competition will be the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris, which will be from 4-6 March.

“Let’s see how things go there, but a medal would be good,” she added, dreaming about the possibility of becoming the youngest ever female pole vaulter to stand on the podium at the Championships.

Another Swede with medal potential in the French capital is long jumper Michel Tornéus, who won with a personal best of 8.13m, the third best performance by a European this year.

Great Britain’s 2010 European Athletics Championships gold medallist Phillips Idowu carried on his impressive form by winning the triple jump with 17.48m, a distance he achieved in the fourth round.

Idowu also got 17.38 in the fifth round, which would have also sufficed for victory. His nearest challenger, just like in Barcelona last summer, was Romania’s Marian Oprea, who was second with 17.37m.

Czech hurdler Petr Svoboda continued his unbeaten streak this winter and extended his run to six competitions with a 60m hurdles win in 7.55. His compatriot Denisa Rosolova, running from the difficult lane one, won the women’s 400m in 52.64 and left Russia’s 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist Antonina Krivoshapka having to settle for second in 52.65.

However, there was a Russian win in the women’s high jump as 18-year-old Mariya Kuchina took the plaudits as the only woman over 1.93m.

Ethiopia’s Abeba Arigawi ran a world-leading time of 4:01.47 to win the 1500m while Poland’s Sylwia Ejdys finished fifth with a personal best of 4:05.38, the best time by a European runner this year.

Another Ethiopia, Meseret Defar, won the women’s 3000m in 8:36.91 but Poland’s Lidia Chojecka ran impressively to clock 8:44.25 for third place.

Sweden’s 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships 400m winner Johan Wissman got the victory over two laps of the track in 47.41 after the first finisher Sudan’s Yusif Rabah was disqualified for breaking from his lane too early.

European Athletics (EAA)