European Athletics (EAA) – News – La Mantia lands triple jump gold

Simona La Mantia sprung a surprise when she took triple jump silver in Barcelona last summer. But in Paris this afternoon the 27-year-old went one better when she became Italy’s first ever triple jump champion.

Only Magdelin Martinez with silver in 2005 has ever won a women’s triple jump medal for Italy. But La Mantia consigned that statistic to the history books in some style at the Palais Omnisports.

The Italian champion produced the three biggest jumps of the final, indeed, the three biggest jumps of her life, two of them extending the world lead by 15cm. Her winning mark of 14.60 won’t make the record books but it was more than enough to defeat some of her more fancied rivals, not least Natalya Kutyakova who was the top qualifier yesterday but could only finish sixth in the final.

Silver went to the Russian’s teammate Olesya Zabaro with 14.45, while the Czech Dana Veldáková took bronze with 14.39.

La Mantia came into the championships ranked an outside chance for a medla but the European number one Katja Demut of Germany and Paraskeví Papahrísto, the Greek under 23 champion, both went out in qualifying as La Mantia improved her season’s best to 14.38. The writing, it seems, was one the wall.

In the final she simply carried on in the same mode, effectively killing the competition in round two, consolidating in round three and matching her winning leap in round five. It was an impressive series.

“I showed that my Barcelona result was not a single highlight in my career,” she said. “During the competition I thought only about myself. I did not think about my rivals.”

One of those rivals was the unfortunate Slovenian, Snezana Rodic, who produced the two best jumps of her life but finished an agonizing 4cm outside the medals in fourth.

Indeed, it was Rodic who led after round one with 14.34, while Kutlyakova already looked in trouble as she could only manage 13.54, more than a metre below the PB she set yesterday. Of the rest only La Mantia and Cristina Bujin were over 14.10m, La Mantia with 14.17, 2cm behind the Romanian.

Kutlyakova improved in round two to 14.18 but it was Veldáková who took the lead with 14.39, before La Mantia unleashed 14.60 to leap way out ahead and to the top of the world rankings.

Zabara came to life in round three as she responded with 14.45 and Rodic improved by 1cm to 14.35. La Mantia produced another great jump, cutting the sand at 14.49, so at half way she led by 15cm from Zabara with Veldáková third and Rodic 4cm out of the medals.

No one improved in round four, and La Mantia simply underlined her superiority in the fifth when she matched her leading jump exactly. When Rodic fell short in round six the three medallists were decided.

Veldakova finished with 14.26 and Zabara with 14.28.

“I am not quite satisfied with my result and my silver medal,” said Zabara after failign to keep the title in Russian hands. “I wanted to be first but I had problems with my emotions and nerves, not with my technique.

“Of course, this medal counts and my family and all the people who supported me will be happy – I have to thank them.”

La Mantia went for broke on her final effort but stepped way over the board – not that she could care. She jumped from the pit and headed sraight to the stands where she embraced her coach Michele Basile.

“I have really been working hard with my coach and would like to dedicate my medal to him,” said La Mantia. “And to me, of course, I made a lot of sacrifices to be on top like this.

“Before Barcelona I had not competed for two or three years because of injury and it was not easy to come back.”

Now the comeback is complete.

European Athletics (EAA) – News