GERMAN MEETINGS – DUESSELDORF – 6. PSD Bank Meeting Düsseldorf – European Athletics (EAA) – News – Hat-trick for Bartels, Mohr over 5.85m

German shot putter Ralf Bartels and pole vaulter Malte Mohr left their mark on the 6th PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf.

The 32-year-old Bartels won his event with remarkable 20.91 metres in front of 2,000 spectators at the sold-out athletics arena at Arena Sportpark ahead of US American Ryan Whiting (20.15m), the current leader in the season’s world ranking.

Mohr maintained his excellent form by winning the pole vault in style with 5.85m. A further German highlight was the national record set by Katja Demut with 14.47m in the triple jump.

The event boasted four season world best marks and seven meeting records plus an equal season world best.

Kenyan Isiah Kiplangat Koech shone in the 5000 metres when the 18-year-old clocked 12:53.29, the fourth-best time ever achieved indoors. Koech said, “I felt that it was a fast race. But I didn’t know that it would be so fast. That’s great.“

China’s 2004 Olympic 110m hurdles champion Liu Xiang finished third in the 60m hurdles, his first competition in Europe for three years.

It was Bartels’s third victory in Dusseldorf after 2006 and 2010.

The 2009 world bronze medallist said, “I hadn’t reckoned with such a result. Dusseldorf simply suits me.“

Germany’s current best pole vaulter Mohr even attempted the season’s world best mark of 5.95m but in the end he missed it by just centimetres.

“It’s a bit annoying. I know I can do it. And it is always worthwhile to set a meeting record,” said Mohr.

For further information and results of the PSD Bank Meeting visit www.psd-bank-meeting.de.

European Athletics (EAA) – News