European Athletics (EAA) – News – Wins for Mishchenko, Spiegelburg and Janik in Daegu

Cool conditions meant that many marks were rather modest at the Colorful Daegu Pre Championships meeting on Thursday, an IAAF World Challenge event that was staged at same stadium which will host the IAAF World Championships later this summer.

Nevertheless, three European athletes who made the long trip to South Korea notched up useful victories.

Ukraine’ Anna Mishchenko won a closely fought women's 1500m in 4:03.52, coming very close to her personal best and 2011 world-leading mark of 4:03.00, which she set at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Doha last Friday.

Germany’s 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships silver medallist Silke Spiegelburg came out on top in the pole vault when she was the only woman to go over 4.50m, before failing with her three attempts at world-leading 4.65m.

Israel’s Jillian Schwartz and Germany’s Carolin Hingst were third and fourth respectively with both women clearing 4.40m.

Poland’s 2002 World Junior Championships javelin gold medallist Igor Janik, who also won at the 2005 European Athletics U23 Championships, won again in Daegu after triumphing there 12 months ago; this time throwing almost two metres further than he did in 2010 when he launched his spear out to 82.18m.

For good measure, Janik also had a backup throw of 81.05m which would have sufficed for victory as Germany’s Mark Frank was the only other man to go beyond the 80-metre mark when he threw 80.45m.

Funmi Jimoh, of the United States, won the long jump with 6.52m. Russia’s Anna Nazarova, the 2011 European leader with 6.77m, went out to exactly the same distance as Jimoh but had to settle for second place as it was her only valid effort.

American sprinter and reigning 200m world champion Allyson Felix won over half-a-lap of the track in 22.38 while Russia’s 2010 European Athletics Championships bronze medallist Aleksandra Fedoriva got her summer off to a promising start when she finished third in 23.17.

Another American sprinter to excel was Walter Dix, who won the men’s 100m in 10.00, but Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure showed good form with 10.09 for third place.

China’s Zhang Wenxiu won the women’s hammer with 73.49m while Moldovan record holder Zalina Marghieva was second with 71.14m. Russia’s 2006 European Athletics Championships gold medallist and former world record holder Tatyana Lysenko had an evening to forget as she finished third with her best throw being a relatively disappointing 70.40m.

 European Athletics (EAA) – News