Sparkassencup meeting in Stuttgart – World lead for Nytra and Mohr beats Lavillenie in Stuttgart – European Athletics (EAA) News

Carolin Nytra’s 2011 women’s 60m hurdles world best of 7.92 and an enthralling men’s pole vault competition were among the highlights of an outstanding Sparkassencup meeting in Stuttgart on Saturday evening.

Nytra advertised she was in great form in the heats with a season’s best of 7.99 and improved further in the final with 7.92, just short of her personal best of 7.89 set when she won the German indoor championships just under 12 months ago.

"I haven’t been able to train properly because of tendinitis, and I’ve done almost no hurdles work recently, so I very surprised by my time," said the delighted 25-year-old, who won the 2010 European Athletics Championships 100m bronze medal.

However, Nytra was pushed all the way to the line by Russia’s Aleksandra Antonova, the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60m hurdles silver medallist finishing just one-hundredth behind Nytra.

Another German victory went to pole vaulter Malte Mohr, who brought to an end the unbeaten winter winning streak of France’s Renaud Lavillenie.

Mohr got over an indoor personal best of 5.84m, and only Lavillenie has gone higher this year, before failing at what would have been a 2011 world-leading height of 5.93m, going close with two of his attempts.

"I jumped a personal best and beat the 2010 European champion so I can be really very satisfied. If I had got over 5.93, well, that would have been the icing on the cake," reflected Mohr.

“Now my target is a medal at the European indoor championships next month,” he added, where he will doubtless be duelling again with the two men who finished immediately behind him on Saturday.

Ukraine’s 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Maksym Mazuryk was second on this occasion as well with 5.70m while Lavillenie could go no higher than 5.60m this time and had to settle for third place.

The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in the French capital Paris at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy from 4-6 March.

Germany also took the plaudits in the women’s pole vault as Silke Spiegelburg went over 4.70m before trying unsuccessfully to clear 4.76m, which would have added a centimetre to her own two-year-old German indoor record which she set when taking the silver medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torino two years ago.

Brazil’s Fabiana Murer was second with 4.64m while Carolin Hingst and Kristina Gadschiew were third and fourth respectively, both women clearing 4.50m.

Ukrainian sprinter Olesya Povh continued her outstanding form with her fifth consecutive victory, equalling her best of 7.14 after having run 7.16 in an earlier race.

France’s 2010 European Athletics Championships 200m winner Myriam Soumaré was second in the main 60m race in 7.23 before going on to win over the longer distance, which is no longer contested at major international indoor championships, in 23.53.

Germany’s Sebastian Ernst won the men’s 200m in a 2011 European-leading time of 20.76.

Greece had a double success in Stuttgart with the in-form of high jumper Konstadinos Baniotis equalling his personal best as the only man over 2.30m and the 2007 European Athletics Indoor Championships long jump silver medallist Louis Tsatoumas flying out to 8.08m.

Romania’s Ancuta Bobocel knocked almost four seconds off her best over 1500m under any conditions to win in 4:08.13, just coming home ahead of France’s Fanjanteino Félix, who also set an indoor best of 4:08.78.

In an outstanding men’s 800m, Poland’s 2010 European champion Marcin Lewandowski was third in a European-leading time of 1:46.17 but had to concede defeat to Sudan’s reigning world indoor champion Abubaker Kaki, who clocked a 2011 world-leading time of 1:45.02.

Germany’s 2007 European Athletics Junior Championships 800m gold medallist Robin Schembera finished fourth in the thrilling race but improved his indoor best to 1:46.35.

In the men’s 60m hurdles, France’s 2010 European Athletics Championships 110m hurdles silver medallist Garfield Darien equalled his personal best with 7.62 in the heats, the second fastest time by a European this year, but then struggled with his technique in the final and could only finished fifth in 7.86.

American hurdler David Oliver won in a world-leading 7.37 while Great Britain’s Andy Turner, the 2010 European champion outdoors, finished second in 7.63, clocking the same time as he did in his heat.

American sprinter Mike Rodgers won the men’s 60m in 6.56 with Italy’s Emanuele Di Gregorio being the first European home when finishing third in 6.66, after the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships 60m bronze medallist had earlier clocked a 2010 European-leading time of 6.62 in the final.

Craig Pickering finished fourth  in the final in 6.66, losing the verdict by thousandths-of-a-second to Di Gregorio while there was a shock as France’s European Athlete of the Year could only finish fifth in 6.67, the same time as his heat and a far cry from his unprecedented treble triumph in Barcelona last summer.

There was also disappointment for Great Britain’s Mark Lewis-Francis as the 2010 European Athletics Championships 100m silver medallist never got showed his top form in the final, finishing sixth and last in 6.70 after earlier clocking 6.66 in the heats.