Vlasic ends season on a winning note in Stuttgart – European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

Blanka Vlasic thrilled the enthusiastic Stuttgart crowd with her women's high jump win with 2.01 which was the highlight of day two of the IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final in the Mercedes Benz Arena in Stuttgart.

Vlasic jumped all heights in her first attempt until 1.99 but needed three attempts to clear 2.01. For the popular Croatian high jumper it was a fitting finale to her season in which she jumped at least 2 metres in all her competitions, although she lost the Olympic title despite a 2.05 metres clearance and the chance to win a share of the Golden League Jackpot.

Anna Chicherova, who jumped a career best of 2.04 last Tuesday in Zagreb, produced another solid performance finishing second with 1.99 ahead of Olympic and European champion Tia Hellebaut, who cleared 1.97.

"Today I was not fresh and felt tired because at this time of the day I don't compete too well. But I am happy I cleared 2 metres. It would have been a little bit disappointing for me if I had jumped lower because I finished all my competitions with a height over two metres. I saw many Croatian flags in the crowd, which motivated me so much. It was very important for me to win this World Athletics Final", said Vlasic.

Vadims Vasilevskis produced the big upset on day two beating the big two Andreas Thorkildsen and Tero Pitkämäki in the men's javelin throw. Vasilevskis speared his javelin to a new seasonal best of 86.65 metres backing up this result with two great throws to 85.62 and 85.47. Thorkildsen finished runner-up with 83.77 over Pitkämäki, third with 81.64.

"Throwing a season's best today is fine. Winning today was very important for me because I wanted revenge for the Olympic Games where I came only ninth", said Vasilvskis. "The result in Beijing was very bad and I was very sad and disappointed".

 The women's 400 metres clash between Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu from Great Britain and bronze medallist Sanya Richards from the USA was billed as the big re-match of the Olympic Games. This time Richards made up for her Olympic third place cruising to her fourth World Athletics Final win in a row in 50.41 doubling yesterday's 200 metres win. The Briton finished runner-up in 50.83, a good performance at the end of the season in a competition held in cool weather conditions. with a temperature of just 12°C.

Primoz Kozmus, the first athlete from Slovenia to win the Olympic gold medal in athletics in Beijing, came very close to the 80 metres barrier throwing 79.99 in the fourth attempt. He backed up this result with two solid throws to 79.29 and 78.46. With this win Kozmus crowned his very consistent season in which he won 10 out of 12 competitions. Hungarian Kristian Pars, fourth at the Beijing Olympics also threw over the 79 metres barrier with a last-attempt release of 79.37 metres which earned him second place ahead of Japanese Kristian Pars (78.99).

Anna Pyathykh, eighth in the women's triple jump in Beijing, leapt to a winning 14.78 in the women's triple jump beating Olympic silver medallist Tatyana Lebedeva and Slovenian world indoor bronze medallist Marija Sestak. Both Lebedeva and Sestak jumped 14.63 but the Russian long jump world champion beat the Slovenian because she produced a better second best result leaping to 14.61.

Five European athletes took part in the women's 800 metres won by Golden League Jackpot winner Pamela Jelimo who added 30000 dollars to the Million Dollar won in Brussels last week clocking 1:56.23. The first European was Briton Marilyn Okoro in third place in 1:58.64 behind last year's world champion Janeth Jepkosgei. Two more Europeans who backed up their good seasons with solid performances in Stuttgart were Lucia Klocova from Slovakia, fifth in 2:00.05, and Elisa Cusma from Italy, sixth with 2:00.12.

European athletes did very well with encouraging results in sprint and hurdles events. Petr Svoboda from Czech Republic capped a successful season in the men's 110 metres hurdles with 13.33 finishing runner-up US Olympic bronze medallist David Oliver winner in 13.22 with a headwind of -1.3 m/s. Paul Hession from Ireland ran a remarkable 200 metres sprint race finishing second with 20.58 in a very close race behind winner Stephane Buckland (20.57)

Anastasiya Rabchenyuk from the Ukraine was the first European with her second place in the women's 400 metres hurdles in 54.92 behind Jamaica's Olympic champion and world seasonal leader Melaine Walker who took the World Athletics Final title in 54.06.

 German fans cheered on the good second place of their compatriot Nadine Kleinert who produced a best release of 19.42 finishing behind Olympic and world champion Valerie Vili from New Zealand who took her second World Athletics Final win in a row thanks to a best release of 19.69.

Maksym Mazuryk from the Ukraine took third spot in the men's pole vault with 5.60, the same height of fourth placer Alexander Straub from the Stuttgart region of Baden Württemberg who competed in front of his German fans who made the trip by bus to watch the local boy. US pole vaulter Derek Miles was the only athlete able to vault 5.80.

Mustafa Mohamed from Sweden finished as the first European in sixth place in 8:16.77 in a race dominated as expected by Kenyan athletes and won by Paul Kipsiele Koech in 8:05.35.

The best result for Europe in the women's discus throw came from Romanian Nicoleta Grasu, who finished second with 62.48 behind Cuban Yarelis Barrios (64.88).

Double European junior cross country Stephanie Twell set a new PB in the women's 3000 metres running 8:50.89 in the race won by Ethiopian Meseret Defar (8:43.60).  

The cool temperature did not prevent fast performances in the sprint events on the fast Stuttgart green track where Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser dipped under 11 seconds in the women's 100 metres with 10.94.

The two-day event which marked a "farewell event" for athletics in the Mercedes Benz Arena attracted a total of 40,000 spectators (18.500 for day one and 21.500 for day two).

European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS