France’s Djhone sets new European indoor 300m record – European Athletics (EAA) – News

Newly-minted French 400m indoor record holder Leslie Djhone stole the show at the Pas de Calais meeting in Lievin, France, on Friday when he set a European indoor 300m best of 32.47.

The previous European best for the non-championships distance was 32.61 by Sweden's Johan Wissman on the same track four years ago. Russia's Roman Smirnov finished second with 32.88.

It was a good night for French sprinters on home territory as the 2009 European Athletics Rising Star of the Year Christophe Lemaitre won the 60m in 6.58, just getting the verdict from Great Britain's Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, who was given the same time but finished second after the photo-finish was examined.

"It was hard work and I was too tired to keep up my rhythm all way to the line but I'm pleased. If I keep this up then I am sure I'll go under 10 seconds (for the 100m) in the summer," said Lemaitre, who last July set a European 100m junior record of 10.04 when winning the European Athletics Junior Championships title in Novi Sad, Serbia.

Jamaica's Sheri-Ann Brooks won the women's 60m in 7.20 but France's Myriam Soumare chased her all the way to the line and finished second in the same time while fellow FrenchwomanVeronique Mang, who will accompany Soumare to the World Indoor Championships in Doha next week, was third with 7.23.

Cuba's 2008 Olympic 100m hurdles gold medallist Dayron Robles confirmed his superb shape with a 60m hurdles win in a very quick 7.45 but Russian champion Yevgeniy Borisov was second in 7.53, the second fastest time by a European this year and a mark that makes him the fifth fastest man in the world this year.

The women‘s 60m hurdles went to Cuban Anay Tejeda in 7.95. Norway's Christina Vukicevic finished third in 7.96 after a close finish in which only one-hundredth of a second separated the top three but Vukicevic ran a Norwegian national record of 7.93 in  her heat, her third improvement in the last six days.

The men's Triple Jump was equally closely fought with Cuba's Alexis Copello winning with 17.24m but only beating Sweden's revitalised Christian Olsson by one centimetre.

Olsson, the 2003 world champion and 2004 Olympic Games gold medallist, has bounced back this winter after three years of injuries and is second on the world season leader board with the 17.32m he jumped two weeks ago in Birmingham.

Belgium's Kevin Rans equalled his own recent national indoor Pole Vault record by clearing 5.71m while France's Bob Tahri, who recently set a European indoor 5000m record, won the 3000m with fast 7:38.39, although the European 3000m Steeplechase record holder outdoors came up short in his bid to beat the European indoor record of 7:32.41 set three weeks ago by Spain's Sergio Sanchez.