70.20 European Javelin Throw record for Obergföll in Munich – European Cup, Day 1

Munich, Germany – While the German men’s squad and powerful Russian women pieced together first day leads, the performance of the afternoon was produced by German Christina Obergföll who improved her own European record in the Javelin Throw to highlight the first day of the SPAR European Cup at Munich’s Olympic Stadium.

While Russia’s women (71 points) are well on their way to a record eleventh consecutive win, the result of the day came from a German. About 10,000 spectators celebrated Obergföll with standing ovations after she won her event by extending her own continental record in the Javelin Throw to 70.20m. With France in second place (54) but Germany (53.5) and Poland (53) very close by there will be a close fight for second on Sunday. Ukraine is in fifth position with 47 points, followed by the two promoted teams of Greece (43) and Belarus (40). Spain is last after day one (33.5). There was fine but windy weather in Munich today.

Obergföll „ecstatic“ – women’s competition

Obergföll was in superb form in her European Cup debut and produced the result of the day. In perfect weather conditions with a helping wind she opened the competition with 64.16m. In round two her javelin flew far over the 65 m mark. When the scoreboard showed 70.20m Obergföll was ecstatic. She had improved her own European record, which she had set unexpectedly in Helsinki where she won the silver at the World Championships in 2005, by 17 centimeters and her own world lead in 2007 by 2.12m.

“I did not expect something like this to happen before,” Obergföll said. “But when I warmed up I felt that I would be able to throw very well today. The feeling was somehow similar to Helsinki two years ago. I wasn’t nervous and before my second attempt I said to myself: Now I give it all. I am very consistent – and I am proud of what I have achieved with my hard training. This is extraordinary.

She then continued with throws of 65.77 and 62.80m. The 25-year-old was more than 10 metres ahead of her nearest rival in Munich: Oksana Gromova (Russia) threw 60.15m and Barbara Madejczyk (Poland) took third with 59.36 m.

In the all-time lists Obergföll remains in fourth position since Cuba’s World record holder Osleidys Menendez, has three better throws so far (71.70 / 71.54 /71.53). But Obergföll, who was fourth at last year’s European Championships, believes she can reach these marks in the future.

“I believe that I can break the World record,” she said. Besides Menendez she is the only other thrower to have thrown beyond 70 metres with the present javelin.

French TJ record for N’zola

There was another record in the Triple Jump, where France’s Theresa N’zola won the event with 14.69m. This was a national best for the 23-year-old, who won a bronze medal at the European Indoors in Birmingham in March. She improved the former 10-year-old record from Betty Lise, who had jumped 14.50m in Athens in 1997. N’zola opened the event with an invalid jump and then improved from 13.97m to 14.16m and then finally with a 2.0m tail wind to 14.69 m.

She not only broke the French record but also unexpectedly beat Hrisopiyi Devetzi. The Olympic silver medallist from Greece took the lead with her first attempt of 14.58m. In constantly changing winds Devetzi had a head wind of 2.8 on this jump. She then could not produce another valid jump so had to settle for second. Viktoriya Gurova (Russia) was third with 14.46 m.

“I had not expected to win here, but now I am of course glad to have collected eight points for my team. It was a great last jump,” N’zola said.

54.04 world lead for Pechonkina

World champion and World record holder Yuliya Pechonkina (Russia) produced the first highlight of the day in the 400m Hurdles. Bursting away from the start and well in the lead before halfway, she clocked 54.04, which is a new world lead for this season. She improved the mark of Melaine Walker (Jamaica) by one tenth of a second. Anna Jesien (Poland) came in second with 54.88 while Ulrike Urbansky (Germany) placed third in 55.74.

“Today it was only important to win, it was not about records,” Pechenkina said. “I am still a bit disappointed because I had been unlucky: I was ill before the competition.”

In the 400m Olympic 400m Hurdles champion Fani Halkia collected maximum points for Greece. Clocking 51.85 seconds she could just hold off the final challenge from Russia’s Zhanna Kashcheyeva (51.87). Yulyana Yuschanka (Belarus) was third with 52.09. Halki will compete at the 200m tomorrow as well as the 400m relay.

“I need serious competition to run a good time,” Halkia said. “I hope that we avoid relegation tomorrow. That is why I run the 400m and the 200m here. However in Osaka at the World Championships I will run the 400m Hurdles again.”

10.15 PB for Pickering – Men’s events

The German man, who are trying to make up for their disastrous eighth place finish a year ago in Malaga, collected 64 points to take the lead from France (59) and Poland (55). Great Britain (47) and Russia (43) are in positions four and five while newly promoted Greece is sixth with 39 points. Ukraine (27.5) and promoted Belgium (24.5) are in danger of being relegated.

Great Britain’s Craig Pickering showed fine sprinting in Munich’s Olympic Stadium, where ten years ago at this competition Linford Christie had won the 100 and the 200m. After a modest start, running in lane one Pickering took control of the race after 50 metres and then burst away in fine style. He clocked a personal best of 10.15 seconds. Martial Mbandjock (France/10.29) and Christian Blum (Germany/10.37) took second and third.

“I was very nervous when I was in the blocks since I really wanted to give my best for the team at a big occasion like this,” Pickering said. “I ran an amazing time despite my bad start. But I finished strong and ran a personal best. Now I am looking forward to the World Championships in Osaka, where I want to reach the final.”

Pickering later rose to the occasion in the 4x100m Relay as well. Running the second leg, he brought his team to the front. Tyrone Edgar, Pickering, Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis clocked 38.30 for a European season’s lead. France were second with 38.40 while Germany took third in 38.56.

Newly promoted Greece did well on the first day though the team was unlucky since the winner of the 400m Hurdles, Periklis Iakovakis, was disqualified. Poland’s Marek Plawgo and France’s Naman Keita, who had won the event a year ago in Malaga, had finished behind him. Both athletes were timed with 48.90 but Plawgo was just ahead of Keita and so became the winner.

“I was a bit disappointed because I had finished behind Iakovakis, since I wanted to beat him here in Munich,” Plawgo said.

The Greek team did collect the full eight points in the Long Jump as expected. Louis Tsatoumas won the event with an 8.16m leap from Marcin Starzak (Poland/7.82) and Nils Winter (Germany/7.70).

At first it had almost looked as if Germany would continue with what they had produced in Malaga a year ago. After two desastrous days in Spain they had placed eighth and only avoided relegation because they are the hosts of this year’s competition.

After two of the four rounds in the Hammer Throw Markus Esser was last with a 57.58m effort. But he finally put together a throw of 74.68m which lifted him up to second behind Poland’s winner Szymon Ziolkowski (77.99) and in front of Greek Alexandros Papadimitriou (73.83).

“After the first throw landed outside the sector I was having difficulties coming into the competition,” Esser said. “I tried to turn it around but it did not quite work.”

Despite his win Szymon Ziolkowski was not quite satisfied. “I am not happy with my throws but if was important to score these eight points. Before Munich I had a knee injury and was not able to train for two weeks.”

Other winners:
Men –
400 m: Leslie Djhone, FRA, 45.54
1500 m: Mehdi Baala, FRA, 3:47.36
5000 m: Monder Rizki, BEL, 14:15.46
High Jump: Eike Onnen, GER, 2.30
Shot Put: Peter Sack, GER 20.28

Women:
100m: Yevgeniya Polyakova, RUS, 11.20
800m: Sviatlana Usovich, BLR, 2:00.71
3000m: Gulnara Galkina-Samitova, RUS, 8:47.92
Steeplechase: Katarzyna Kowalska, POL, 9:45.35
Pole Vault: Monika Pyrek, POL, 4.65
Discus: Franka Dietzsch, GER, 63.60
4x100m Relay: Russia (Yuliya Gushchina, Natalya Rusakova, Irina Khabarova, Yevgeniya Polyakova) , 42.78

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF