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IAAF Golden League Rome - 3rd Stop In The 6-Stop Tour

Tyson Gay 9.77 AR, Christin Wurth-Thomas 3:59.98, Tons Of Big Performances For World Stars

LetsRun.com
July 10, 2009
*Results

The 3rd Golden League meet of the year was spectacular. There were big races all over the place, led by Tyson Gay tying his American record in the men's 100 and defeating Asafa Powell in the process.

In terms of distance races, Kenenisa Bekele's run for the jackpot continued, as Maggie Vessey earned a stunning win in the women's 800, Christin Wurth became just the 5th American to break 4:00 and Dorian Ulrey got the Olympic A standard!

Great races and events all throughout the meeting and some surprisingly good American mid-d performances. We start our recap with the men's 100 and then take you event-by-event first through some great distance action, then the sprint events, then the field events.

Lead Story - Men's 100m, Women's 1,500m

Men's 100m - Boom! 9.77 For Tyson Gay (Ties His AR, 3rd All-Time)
The men's 100m doesn't require a lot of analysis, but this race lived up to its billing as a much hyped prize fight between heavyweights Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell. We just hope the even bigger and more hyped fight of Gay versus Bolt now follows suit.

Tyson Gay had shown every time he'd run in 2009 that he was back and in either top form or near-top form. Yet, he hadn't had to defeat any big-time competition all year. Well, any worries about Gay are officially over as he tied his American record and blitzed the field.

Gay moved to the lead midway through the race but then Jamaica's Asafa Powell showed he also is in fine form as he moved closer to Gay at 60m. Gay began to pull away from Powell in the final 40m as Powell tightened noticeably as he was put under intense pressure, while the American was fluid through the line.

Message in a bottle?
Gay's performance signals to the world what Usain Bolt has known all along: a healthy, fit Gay will mean tough competition for the Jamaican superman. Gay's seasonal bests are now a barely wind-legal 19.58 and a 9.77 with virtually no wind.

1 Tyson Gay USA 9.77 20
2 Asafa Powell JAM 9.88 16
3 Yohan Blake JAM 9.96 14
4 Daniel Bailey ANT 9.97 12
5 Steve Mullings JAM 10.01 10
6 Michael Rodgers USA 10.03 8
7 Richard Thompson TRI 10.05 6
8 Michael Frater JAM 10.09 4
9 Travis Padgett USA 10.17

Distance Events
Women's 1,500m - Christin Wurth-Thomas Breaks 4:00! - Meet Record For Maryam Jamal!

The metric mile produced two outstanding performances in Rome, led by a world leader and meet record for Bahrain's Maryam Jamal in 3:56.55 and the first sub-4 (and 5th by an American woman) for Christin Wurth-Thomas in 3:59.98.

IAAF Golden League

In warm, calm conditions, the race rabbit got the splits perfectly right and the two race leaders ran aggressive, confident races. The splits were 63, 64, 64 and 60 for Jamal. Wurth-Thomas deserves praise for again running aggressively and getting herself in front of the pack and near the pace in a big field. The American started to fade in the third lap, but pulled herself back up and closed really smoothly to pass Lausanne 800m winner Oksana Zbrozhek in the final 150m. Zbrozhek really went for it with Jamal and paid a big price in the last 200m, providing the perfect carrot for Wurth-Thomas.

Jamal was defeated in a sprint finish less than a week ago in Lausanne by Ethiopian Gelete Burka. That race was marred by poor pacemaking, though in the end Burka showed that she is the class of the world currently. But Friday in Rome, Jamal lowered Burka's world best of 3:58 to a very strong 3:56 to exact a rather meaningless bit of payback.

Wurth-Thomas joins Jenny Barringer in the American sub-4:00 club, becoming the first US duo to break the barrier in the same year.

Susan Kuijken, the NCAA champion from Florida State and The Netherlands, was in last place 600m into the race and did not perform well, though she still ran 4:09 for a next-to-last finish.

Splits for rabbit, Jamal and Wurth-Thomas
62.91 400m for the rabbit
2:07.85 (2:56 at the bell for Jamal, great job by the rabbit)
3:11.81 (Jamal, Wurth-Thomas 1.5 seconds back)
3:56.55 (60.3 last lap for Jamal, 62-high for Wurth-Thomas)

On the boards:
2nd in 3:59.98 1500 in ROME!!!

1 Maryam Yusuf Jamal BRN 3:56.55 20
2 Christin Wurth-Thomas USA 3:59.98 16
3 Oksana Zbrozhek RUS 4:01.48 14
4 Sonja Roman SLO 4:02.13 12
5 Viola Kibiwot KEN 4:03.22 10
6 Mariem Alaoui Selsouli MAR 4:03.76 8
7 Kalkidan Gezahegne ETH 4:04.04 6
8 Lidia Chojecka POL 4:04.83 4
9 Irene Jelagat KEN 4:05.11 3
10 Anna Mishchenko UKR 4:06.56 3
11 Iris Fuentes-Pila ESP 4:06.74 3
12 Meskerem Assefa ETH 4:09.29 3
13 Susan Kuijken NED 4:09.48
14 Mimi Belete BRN 4:11.21
Judit Varga HUN DNF
Iryna Lishchynska UKR DNS

Women's 800 - Maggie Vessey!!!!!
At the US Trials, we said we'd pay meets to have a camera focused exclusively on Maggie Vessey as her come-from-behind tactics are unbelievably exciting (and bizzare). After today, the price went up as Vessey's remarkable 2009 season and remarkably entertaining tactics continued as she got a shocking victory in the women's 800.

Vessey, who was 4th in the US Trials after falling more than 20 meters behind with 200 to go, was never that far back in Rome. She did run in her customary last place position for the last lap but she was in contact with the pack, which was taken through 400 in 57.95 in another perfect job by the rabbit. Vessey was probably just under 60 seconds. By 500, Vessey was already moving up but when you move up that soon, there is a lot of traffic. Heading into the final turn, 2009 US champ Hazel Clark had the lead, but Vessey was trying to move up on the outside. But moving up three or four wide on a turn isn't an easy thing to do and Vessey didn't get a lot of traction. Coming into the final 100, Clark still had the lead and Vessey was 5th. Heading down the homestretch, Clark started to falter and it was clear her bid for victory was over. Vessey, however, wasn't gaining any ground. With 20 meters to go, she was in third, with 10 meters to go she was still in third. Then suddenly she started to gain and at the line - the improbable had happened.

She had her 2nd major victory of the 2009. First the Pre Classic in Eugene. Now the Golden Gala in Rome.

Vessey 2:00.13 to Italy's Elia Piccione's 2:00.14 and Spain's Mayte Martinez's 2:00.21. 2007 world champion Janeth Jepkosgei was 6th in 2:01.39 and Hazel Clark 7th in 2:01.41.

The commentators said Vessey was likely disappointed that she didn't break 2:00.00, which is what she needs for the World Championships.

We sure hope she isn't upset. And we sure hope that the IAAF gets a brain and gives the winners of any event in a Golden League meet an automatic A standard.

You win one of the biggest meets in the world - make that two of the biggest meets of the world - and you are told you aren't fast enough for Worlds. Give us a break. Pure stupidity that needs to be fixed.

Results below and Race video.

PS. We'd love to have someone email us Vessey's splits, as we imagine they were unbelievably even throughout the race. We were right. Her splits are in this thread. Very even: Her splits were extremely even: 29.9, 30.2, 30.1, 29.8

On the boards: Maggie Vessey making some noise in the 800 ... could do great at Worlds
*
Maggie Vessey - Does Any Else Think It Was Cool To See an American Middle Distance Runner Win in Rome ???!!!

1 Maggie Vessey USA 2:00.13 20
2 Elisa Cusma Piccione ITA 2:00.14 16
3 Mayte Martínez ESP 2:00.21 14
4 Ekaterina Kostetskaya RUS 2:00.53 12
5 Anna Rostkowska POL 2:00.57 10
6 Janeth Jepkosgei KEN 2:01.39 8
7 Hazel Clark USA 2:01.41 6
8 Daniela Reina ITA 2:02.59 4
9 Yvonne Hak NED 2:02.82
Natalya Tsyganova RUS DNF

Men's 5k - Bekele's Dominance Is Growing
The Kenenisa Bekele show continued in Berlin as the greatest distance runner in track and field history won his third straight Golden League 5k.

IAAF Golden League

Scary to think that Bekele claims he is just working himself into shape, as in the end, he was the clear winner and unchallenged over the last 200. For his efforts, he was rewarded with his first sub-13:00 clocking of the year, a world-leading 12:56.23.

The meet organizers wanted fast pacemaking and they got it. They were hoping for a 12:50 type race and despite what the announcers on the IAAF feed were saying, the pace making was pretty good. The opening 1k was 2:34.52 (2:36 is 13:00-flat pace), and followed by kms of 2:37.35 and 2:38.04, so 3k was passed in 7:49.91 even though there was a 64 second lap in there from 1,800 to 2,200. Just when it looked like the pace was going to slow a great deal, Mark Kiptoo, the 33-year-old captain of the 2009 Kenyan cross-country team, decided to get things going again and ran a 60.09 to tow the field through 3,400 in roughly 8:50. Clearly a ton of guys were going to break 13:00 if they kicked.

As the race was unfolding, Bekele did what everyone expected him to do. He stayed near the front but clearly had no interest in forcing the pace. With 800 left, only six guys were still in contention with the lead group. With 600 to go, Bekele went to the lead and just slowly pushed down the pace.

Considering he was on track for a world leader, Bekele didn't need to throw down. His gradual acceleration over the last 600 was more than enough. Approaching 200 to go, a Kenyan or two was still trying to hang with Bekele but never did the viewer feel they were about to make a move. With about 220 remaining, Bekele looked over his shoulder, checking to see how hard he'd need to go. Bekele probably didn't feel too threatened as it didn't look like a big fight was coming, but one doesn't want to blow a possible $1 million dollar jackpot. Bekele threw down a 26-high last 200 to get the win. He covered his last 800 in just over 1:59, as the next-to-last lap (leader to leader) was 62.27 and the final lap by Bekele was a 57.01.

Coming down the homestretch, Bekele pulled way clear of the field. But the guys behind him were still running fast. The next five or six finishers all set personal best times, with the top 6 in the race all breaking 13:00.

The scary news for Bekele's supposed rivals is that Bekele is clearly getting better. Meanwhile, many of his supposed rivals are getting worse. The runner-up in Berlin, Abraham Chebii, ran 13:25 in this race and Ali Abdosh, the winner in Hengelo last month, ran 13:29.

Results:
KM Splits: 2:34.52, 5:11.87 (2:37.35).749.91 (2:38.04),  10:25.34 (2:35.43), 12:56.23 (2:30.90)

1 Kenenisa Bekele ETH 12:56.23 20
2 Mark Kosgey Kiptoo KEN 12:57.62 16
3 Leonard Patrick Komon KEN 12:58.24 14
4 Lucas Kimeli Rotich KEN 12:58.70 12
5 Bekana Daba ETH 12:59.22 10
6 Imane Merga ETH 12:59.75 8
7 Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio KEN 13:02.40 6
8 Chakir Boujattaoui MAR 13:09.62 4
9 Hussain Jamaan Alhamdah KSA 13:11.81 3
10 Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa KEN 13:12.09 3
11 Alemayehu Bezabeh ESP 13:18.74 3
12 Dino Sefir ETH 13:19.20 3
13 Abraham Chebii KEN 13:25.04
14 Ali Abdosh ETH 13:29.21
15 Sergio Sánchez ESP 13:49.85

Men's 1,500 - Kiprop Dominates Then Makes It Interesting As Two White Boys Shine
Casual track and field fans get excited every time Usain Bolt runs. Distance aficionados, at least those of us at the LRC corporate headquarters, get really pumped every time we see 2008 Olympic champ Asbel Kiprop run.

The race in Rome was hyped as a clash between Kiprop, new world 1,500 junior mile record holder William Biwott Tanui, and 2009 world 1,500 leader Augstin Choge. Once Choge was a late scratch, we fully expected to see the Asbel Kiprop show.

And that's what we got but with an asterisk. The rabbiting wasn't as good as in most of the other races as they went out in 53.24 before running over 60 (60.22, 1:53.46) for the next 400. At 1k, Kiprop was antsy and he passed the one remaining rabbit well before the bell. At the bell, Kiprop had two seconds on the field. At 1,200 (2:49.01), Kiprop was 2.5 seconds up on the field.

But what looked like a coronation for the newly-named Olympic champ soon got interesting as his lead started to diminish greatly over the final 200. With 30 or 40 meters to go, Morocco's Amine Laalou was about to pull up next to Kiprop. Did Kiprop have anything left? He had been glancing at the video board but hadn't picked it up. Just when one thought Kiprop might be spent, he picked it up almost like an inexperienced high schooler sometimes does and got the victory in 3:31.20 to Laalou's 3:31.56. The new world junior mile record holder Tanui (WBT) was third in 3:32.03.

Kiprop waved his finger at the finish like he was disappointed with his run.

Farther back, there were two very notable performances. Australian 22-year-old Jeff Riseley's fine 2009 campaign continued as he had a huge new PR of 3:32.93 to finish 8th. Coming into the year, he was a 3:36 guy, although en route to a 3:51.25 mile in Bislett, he had passed 1,500 in 3:35.23.

NCAA 4th placer and USA 3rd placer, Dorian Ulrey of Arkansas, had a huge PR of 3:35.23 - giving him the Worlds A standard that he needed to punch his ticket to Berlin. Ulrey ran a very smart race, as early in the race, he ran in last on the rail. After passing 800 in 1:55-mid and 1,200 in 2:52-mid to high, Ulrey finished off the race of his life and gave himself a great 22nd birthday present a day early (he turns 22 tomorrow).

People who were somehow hoping that Alan Webb would wiggle his way on to the Berlin team given his A standard can officially give up on that now.

On the boards: dorian ulrey does it!

1 Asbel Kipruto Kiprop KEN 3:31.20 20
2 Amine Laalou MAR 3:31.56 16
3 William Biwott Tanui KEN 3:31.70 14
4 Tarek Boukensa ALG 3:32.03 12
5 Belal Mansoor Ali BRN 3:32.10 10
6 Juan Carlos Higuero ESP 3:32.59 8
7 Mohamed Moustaoui MAR 3:32.60 6
8 Jeffrey Riseley AUS 3:32.93 4
9 Antar Zerguelaine ALG 3:33.09 3
10 Arturo Casado ESP 3:34.05 3
11 Taoufik Makhloufi ALG 3:34.34 3
12 Dorian Ulrey USA 3:35.23 3
13 Gideon Gathimba KEN 3:36.82

Men's 800 - Alfred Yego Coming Into Form
The defending world champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Alfred Yego, who hadn't been having a stellar 2009 (2nd at Pre, 6th in Ostrava, 5th in Lausanne), proved that he's great at rounding into form when it's important to do so as he had by far his best race of 2009, getting a dominating victory in Rome in what probably was his last race prior to the Kenyan World Championships Trials.

Yego had time to let up and enjoy this one as he was the best over the final 200.

1 Alfred Kirwa Yego KEN 1:45.23 20
2 Mohammed Al-Salhi KSA 1:45.61 16
3 Nadjim Manseur ALG 1:45.64 14
4 Mbulaeni Mulaudzi RSA 1:45.69 12
5 Boaz Kiplagat Lalang KEN 1:46.25 10
6 Manuel Olmedo ESP 1:46.64 8
7 Abraham Chepkirwok UGA 1:46.75 6
8 Lukas Rifeser ITA 1:46.91 4
9 Luis Alberto Marco ESP 1:47.95
10 Miguel Quesada ESP 1:49.71

Women's Steeplechase

Jamaica's Mardrea Hyman did her best to rabbit this thing out on world record pace, but she could only last a km at 2:59.38. The world record holder and 2008 Olympic champ Gulnara Galkina slowed from there but did hang on for a world-leading win of 9:11.58 as the 2007 world champ Yekaterina Vokova was 2nd in 9:17.40.

1 Gulnara Galkina RUS 9:11.58 20
2 Yekaterina Volkova RUS 9:17.40 16
3 Ruth Bisibori Nyangau KEN 9:17.85 14
4 Sofia Assefa ETH 9:23.61 12
5 Habiba Ghribi TUN 9:24.40 10
6 Sophie Duarte FRA 9:25.62 8
7 Lydia Jebet Rotich KEN 9:30.29 6
8 Jessica Augusto POR 9:32.10 4
9 Cristina Casandra ROU 9:33.36 3
10 Mekdes Bekele ETH 9:39.88 3
11 Elena Romagnolo ITA 9:42.59 3
12 Iríni Kokkinaríou GRE 9:46.62 3
13 Delilah Di Crescenzo USA 9:48.36
14 Zulema Fuentes-Pila ESP 9:48.81
15 Roisin McGettigan IRL 9:56.71

Sprint Events

Women's 100m - Stewart Writes Her Name High On All-Time List
Jamaica's Kerron Stewart can now certainly be called the favorite for the women's 100m at the Berlin World Championships. In fact, her 10.75 with barely any wind puts her #4 on the all-time lists behind FloJo (she shouldn't count at the very least due to wind issues), Marion Jones (she doesn't count), Merlene Ottey (has had drug issues) and Christine Arron. Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser (10.91) ran very quickly but was simply out-powered by countrywoman Stewart.

Stewart Reacts To The Win
IAAF Golden League

1 Kerron Stewart JAM 10.75 20
2 Shelly-Ann Fraser JAM 10.91 16
3 Chandra Sturrup BAH 10.99 14
4 Carmelita Jeter USA 11.01 12
5 Kelly-Ann Baptiste TRI 11.06 10
6 Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie BAH 11.11 8
7 Stephanie Durst USA 11.13 6
8 Sheri-Ann Brooks JAM 11.18 4
9 Aleen Bailey JAM 11.22

Men's 110 Hurdles - Robles Remains Unbeaten
The Olympic champ and world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba overcame a poor start to get a come-from-behind victory in 13.17 to remain unbeaten in 2009.

American Dexter Faulk, who was dead last at the US Trials final, got off to a very good start and had the lead for the first half of the race, but Robles pulled ahead halfway into the race. However, he couldn't totally let up as coming up strong on the outside was Antwon Hicks. Hicks, the winner in Oslo earlier this year, was clearly looking to make amends for his DQ at the US champs with a big upset. However, in the end, Hicks had to settle for 2nd in 13.27 while Faulk was third in 13.30. US Champion David Payne was last among the finishers in 13.87.

1 Dayron Robles CUB 13.17 20
2 Antwon Hicks USA 13.27 16
3 Dexter Faulk USA 13.30 14
4 Aries Merritt USA 13.42 12
5 Stanislavs Olijars LAT 13.60 10
6 Ryan Wilson USA 13.73 8
7 Dayron Capetillo CUB 13.76 6
8 David Payne USA 13.87 4
Richard Phillips JAM DNF

Women's 100m Hurdles - Super Performance For Olympic Champion Dawn Harper
Olympic Champion Dawn Harper of the USA ran a fantastic 12.55 (+0.4 m/s wind) to defeat the world's best in the second-fastest performance of the year. Olympic runner-up Sally McClellan (12.76) of Australia got out of the blocks well as she hoped to make it two big wins in a row in her event following her Lausanne win. But the Aussie's form and speed did nothing but wane as the race progressed and Harper pulled away. McClellan would finish 5th today while Harper erased her rainy 6th-place from Lausanne.

The top duo from Jamaica and Canada were in the race as was Ginny Powell, the third US representative for Berlin.

American Damu Cherry opted not to run Rome though she had won the first two Golden League competitions and was 4 wins away from a piece of the jackpot. Those wins would have been extremely difficult to string together, but it's a shame she could not continue her quest.

IAAF Golden League
1 Dawn Harper USA 12.55 20
2 Delloreen Ennis-London JAM 12.67 16
3 Brigitte Foster-Hylton JAM 12.68 14
4 Perdita Felicien CAN 12.70 12
5 Sally McLellan AUS 12.76 10
6 Priscilla Lopes-Schliep CAN 12.76 8
7 Virginia Powell USA 12.79 6
8 Christina Vukicevic NOR 13.01 4
9 Micol Cattaneo ITA 13.30

Women 400m - Richards Simply #1
Facing the best quarter milers from Jamaica and her top American rival Alyson Felix, plus the hyper-talented Amantle Montsho of Botswana, Sanya Richards remained a jackpot contender nonetheless with another regal performance. She made her move on the final turn, as most of the big contenders were within striking distance.

In the final 100m, even a novice track observer could tell that Richards is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the world. Her lead widened as she powered down the final stretch well clear of the competition. Still in early July, Richards has soundly defeated every contender this year and her 49.47 is yet another well-below-50-second clocking for super-Sanya.

1 Sanya Richards USA 49.46 20
2 Shericka Williams JAM 50.31 16
3 Amy Mbacke Thiam SEN 50.71 14
4 Novlene Williams-Mills JAM 50.90 12
5 Allyson Felix USA 50.94 10
6 Amantle Montsho BOT 51.10 8
7 Libania Grenot ITA 51.32 6
8 Monica Hargrove USA 51.72 4
9 Bobby-Gaye Wilkins JAM 52.34

Men's 400h- Kerron Clement Edges Phillips
The race lived up to its pre-race hype. Isa Phillips came into the race as the best of 2009 with a 4-race win streak, but in the end, the defending world champ, Kerron Clement, got a narrow win. Coming into the homestretch, Clement had a sizeable lead but he chopped his steps as he almost always does heading into the last hurdle. But then again he found enough to hold on once again after clearing the final hurdle.

1 Kerron Clement USA 48.09 20
2 Isa Phillips JAM 48.11 16
3 L.J. van Zyl RSA 48.37 14
4 Danny McFarlane JAM 48.59 12
5 Javier Culson PUR 48.95 10
6 Justin Gaymon USA 49.55 8
7 Markino Buckley JAM 49.68 6
8 Joe Greene USA 49.77 4
9 Kenji Narisako JPN 49.91

Men's 400 - Chris Brown Holds On
The big two of men's 400 meter running in LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner will clash for the 1st time in 2009 on Monday. Thus in Rome, we had the race for "Who is most likely to get the bronze at Worlds?"

The answer. Chris Brown - but barely!!!

Coming off the final turn, about 6 guys were in contention but halfway down the final straight, Chris Brown was the clear leader in lane 4, but timing things perfectly and moving up in lane 7 was the Irishman David Gillick. At the finish, it was too close to call but it looked like Brown had held on and indeed he had with 44.81 to Gillick's 44.82. A 2nd-straight fine run for Gillick, who set the Irish National record of 44.77 in Madrid on July 4th. Three years in a row, Gillick has lowered the Irish NR. He ran 45.23 in 2007, 45.12 last year and now 44.77.

The 44.81 was Brown's 1st time under 45.00 flat this year. We think he's now the 13th guy to have done that in 2009. Coming in third, was Trinidad's Renny Quow in 45.02. The bronze medallist from 2008, American David Neville, continued his struggles in 2009 as he was just 7th in 45.71.

1 Chris Brown BAH 44.81 20
2 David Gillick IRL 44.82 16
3 Renny Quow TRI 45.02 14
4 John Steffensen AUS 45.28 12
5 Ricardo Chambers JAM 45.31 10
6 Gary Kikaya COD 45.34 8
7 David Neville USA 45.71 6
8 Darold Williamson USA 46.41 4
9 Jamaal Torrance USA 47.63

Women's 400h - How Do You Spell Upset? Jesien!
Poland's Anna Jesien scored a big upset over the Olympic gold medallist Melaine Walker and silver medallist Sheena Tosta, as Tosta edged Walker at the line.

1 Anna Jesien POL 54.31 20
2 Sheena Tosta USA 54.57 16
3 Melaine Walker JAM 54.58 14
4 Tiffany Williams USA 54.81 12
5 Anastasiya Rabchenyuk UKR 55.39 10
6 Kaliese Spencer JAM 55.40 8
7 Josanne Lucas TRI 55.54 6
8 Nickiesha Wilson JAM 56.64 4
9 Benedetta Ceccarelli ITA 58.39

Field Events

Men's Long Jump - Dwight Phillips' 8.61m Meet Record Crushes Saladino
Faced with another tough international competition, American Dwight Phillips continued his tremendous 2009 comeback with a first-round jump of 8.61m that put the competition to rest. The remainder of the long jump entrants looked rather mundane compared to the soaring first jump of the 2004 Olympic champion from the USA.


Phillips 8.61!!

1 Dwight Phillips USA 8.61 0.0 20
2 Irving Saladino PAN 8.27 -0.1 16
3 Fabrice Lapierre AUS 8.22 -0.2 14
4 Loúis Tsátoumas GRE 8.19 +0.1 12
5 Mitchell Watt AUS 8.12 -0.3 10
6 Brian Johnson USA 7.90 0.0 8
7 Yahya Berrabah MAR 7.78 -0.7 6
8 Roman Novotný CZE 7.68 -0.1 4
9 Sebastian Bayer GER 7.67 -0.4

Women's Pole Vault - Partial Return To Form For Yelena
Yelena Isinbayeva was itching for another chance to perform after being seriously under challenge in the Oslo Golden League meet. Going for the Jackpot, Isinbayeva erased all doubts today as her pink outfit and strapped knee cleared 4.75m with much room to spare on her first jump of the competition.

Though she missed three times at 4.95, she was very close and couldn't complain.

1 Elena Isinbaeva RUS 4.85 20
2 Yuliya Golubchikova RUS 4.70 16
3 Svetlana Feofanova RUS 4.70 14
4 Fabiana Murer BRA 4.60 12
5 Silke Spiegelburg GER 4.60 10
6 Anna Rogowska POL 4.60 8
7 Anna Battke GER 4.46 6
8 Monika Pyrek POL 4.46 4
9 Stacy Dragila USA 4.26
10 Anna Giordano Bruno ITA 4.26

Men's Javelin - Thorkildsen Comes Through To Sink Pitkamaki
Poor Temo Pitkämäki of Finland had to watch as his Norweigan rival sent his Golden League aspirations down the drain in the final round. A huge throw of 87.46m for Andreas Thorkildsen signaled a sudden, though not unexpected, return to top form after struggling for weeks.

Throw after throw for Thorkildsen fell to the earth in the 75m range as Pitkamaki was besting 80m regularly. But one throw is all it takes and Thorkildsen found his form on throw number 6.

1 Andreas Thorkildsen NOR 87.46 20
2 Tero Pitkämäki FIN 83.68 16
3 Mark Frank GER 82.75 14
4 Vadims Vasilevskis LAT 81.70 12
5 Oleksandr Pyatnytsya UKR 80.43 10
6 Mike Hazle USA 76.91 8
7 Eriks Rags LAT 74.75 6
8 Alexander Vieweg GER 72.98 4
9 Chris Hill USA 67.17

Women's HJ - Vlašic Misses 2.00m!
Blanka Vlašic fell behind after 2 misses at 2.00m and uncharacteristically couldn't make her third attempt, recording her first failure to clear 2.00m in scores of consecutive competitions. Italian Antonietta Di Martino put the pressure on Vlašic with a second attempt clearance at 2.00m and Vlašic couldn't match her. A big upset and Vlašic's third major defeat of the season (2 Golden League meets and the European Indoor Championships).

1 Antonietta Di Martino ITA 2.00 20
2 Blanka Vlašic CRO 1.97 16
3 Chaunté Howard USA 1.97 14
4 Svetlana Shkolina RUS 1.94 12
5 Viktoriya Klyugina RUS 1.90 10
6 Marina Aitova KAZ 1.90 8
7 Amy Acuff USA 1.90 6
8 Melanie Skotnik FRA 1.90 4
9 Karolina Gronau POL 1.85

            
  

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