Vlasic the high point of Madrid fiesta – European Athletics (EAA) – NEWS

Blanka Vlasic continued her dominance of the world of Women's High Jumping when she cleared 2.06m, equalled her own mark of the best height in the world this year, at the Madrid Grand Prix meeting on Saturday.

Croatia's reigning World Champion, who is now undefeated for more than a year with 31 consecutive victories to her name, cleared her winning height on her third attempt before failing three times at a World Record 2.10m.

"I expected to jump over 2.03 metres at least but as I'm a very competitive athlete I felt I had to jump higher. I'm glad to have got over 2.06m, that's a very good height, but I have to admit, I felt a little tired when I tried the world record," reflected Vlasic.

Spain's Ruth Beitia finished second with 2.01m before failing at 2.03m, which would have added a centimetre to her own Spanish record.

"Blanka is obviously the number one, although the difference between her and the rest of the top women isn't as great as it sometimes people might think, but little-by-little I feel I'm improving and if Blanka is the favourite for the gold medal at the Olympics then at least I can be in the group challenging her and aiming for a medal as well," said the delighted woman from Santander.

Russia's reigning Olympic champion Yelena Slesarenko also went over 2.01m but had to settle for third place as she only cleared on her third attempt while Beitia managed the height with her second effort.

There was also some outstanding jumping in the Women's Pole Vault with Russia's Svetlana Feofanova going straight to the top of this summer's European lists with a clearance at 4.75m, equalling the mark Poland's Monika Pyrek jumped in Sopot last week.

"It was my first outdoor competition this year so I'm quite happy but I felt I could have jumped even higher. The wind condition for the pole vaulters were quite difficult," said the former World and European Champion.

Completing a clean sweep of the top positions, fellow Russians Tatyana Polnova and Yulia Golubchikova took second and third place, clearing 4.65m and 4,60m respectively.

Belgium's Cedric van Branteghem also impressed with his 45.13 in the Men's 400m, the second fastest time by a European this year.

"I'm very happy and a little surprised. I ran 45.24 in France last week and I felt tired this week so I just thought to myself, 'OK, there's no pressure. Just run relaxed and have some fun'. I finally feel as though all my injury problems of the last few years are now behind me. I seem to be back to the level I was at in 2003 when I set the Belgian record (which still stands at 45.02)," said van Branteghem.

Ireland's David Gillick, the fastest man in European this year with 45.12, should have been in the same race as van Branteghem but the British-based Dubliner pulled out shortly before the start in order to safeguard a sore knee.

Before Saturday night, Spain's Mario Pestano had only beaten the Lithuanian icon and former Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year Virgilijus Alekna twice in their 39 meetings, and his last victory over the former Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year came nearly four years ago, but he finally got his hat-trick of victories over the Alekna by the smallest possible margin.

Pestano lead through the first four rounds with his opening 65.42m before seeing his lead snatched away from him when Alekna threw 66.54 with his penultimate effort.

The Spaniard, a winner at the 2008 SPAR European Cup two weeks ago, immediately responded with 67.01m and then had to hold his breath while the judges measured Alekna's sixth and final throw which flew out to almost exactly the same distance.

Alekna improved to 67.00m in the final round but a broad grin spread across Pestano's face when the scoreboard confirmed that a rare victory was his, even before he had taken his last throw, which was marked at 65.96m.

"Any time you beat Alekna it's a great win, because his history speaks for itself. I've competed very often in the recent few months but now it's down to some hard work for three weeks ahead of the Olympics.

Pestano comes from Tenerife but joked that he must be one of the few people not able to relax on the holiday island during the coming months. "There will be no time to go down to the beach before Beijing if I'm serious about trying to get a medal. I must be one of the palest people living there at the moment!"

Another field event exponent to excel was Portugal's Nelson Evora, the 2007 IAAF World Championships Triple Jump gold medallist, who bounded out to a wind-assisted 17.40m in the fourth round, a mark which held up for him to come out on top of a classy competition in which seven men broke the 17 metres mark.

Portugal's other top athletes also found it profitably to take a trip across the border.

Naide Gomes, who won the World Indoor Long Jump title on Spanish soil in March, jumped a wind-assisted 6.93m in the second round but had to settle for second place when Brazil's Maurren Higa Maggi leapt 6.95m with he final jump.

Reigning European Men's 100m and 200m champion Francis Obikwelu ran a season's 100m best of 10.08, the fourth fastest time by a European this year, a time made even more impressive by the fact that it was into a 1.1mps wind but the Portuguese sprinter also finished second, behind Netherlands Antilles' Churandy Martina who ran a meeting record 10.03.

"What made me happy was that I ran this race well within myself and still ran a good time despite the head wind. We had a false start so I was cautious in the blocks the second time around and I was also feeling my Achilles tendon a little so I eased off slightly at the end. Everything is coming together at just the right time for the Olympics," commented Obikwelu, who took a silver medal over 100m in Athens four years ago.

Strong winds in their faces also kept the times in the hurdles down to a modest level but Spain got a double success with Josephine Onyia achieving her seventh consecutive Women's 100m Hurdles win in 12.94 and Jackson Quiñónez made it four-in-a-row in the Men's 110 Hurdles with 13.57

Rounding off the European successes, the Ukraine's Iryna Lishchynska won the Women's 1,500m in 4:05.94.

European Athletics (EAA)