Mabel Gay of Cuba in action during the women's triple jumpe qualification round in Doha (© Getty Images)
It’s been a lacklustre season in the women’s Triple Jump in 2010, a point vividly illustrated in this morning’s opening round, where 13.89m – a mark which barely made the world top-30 a season ago – was enough to reach Saturday afternoon’s final.
At the top end there was no surprise. Yargeris Savigne, the reigning World champion indoors and out, led all qualifiers with a 14.59m with her first and only jump. Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan wasn’t far behind with a 14.57m season’s best, also in the first round.
“Expect good things from Cuba in Doha,” said Savigne, the world leader at 14.84m.
Savigne and Rypakova were only two of four jumpers who managed the modest 14.20m standard needed to automatically advance to tomorrow afternoon's first final.
Mabel Gay, who finished behind Savigne in Berlin last summer, was next with a 14.27m best, signaling that another Cuban 1-2 podium finish could be in the cards. Slovak Dana Veldakova also surpassed the automatic qualifier with a 14.25m best, but the Russian team, Anastasiya Taranova-Potapova and Anna Pyatykh, needed all three jumps before securing their places in the final. Taranova-Potapova, the reigning European indoor champion, didn’t secure her slot until her final jump of 14.08m, while Pyatykh, a two-time World indoor bronze medalist, moved on with a 14.04m best.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
At the top end there was no surprise. Yargeris Savigne, the reigning World champion indoors and out, led all qualifiers with a 14.59m with her first and only jump. Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan wasn’t far behind with a 14.57m season’s best, also in the first round.
“Expect good things from Cuba in Doha,” said Savigne, the world leader at 14.84m.
Savigne and Rypakova were only two of four jumpers who managed the modest 14.20m standard needed to automatically advance to tomorrow afternoon's first final.
Mabel Gay, who finished behind Savigne in Berlin last summer, was next with a 14.27m best, signaling that another Cuban 1-2 podium finish could be in the cards. Slovak Dana Veldakova also surpassed the automatic qualifier with a 14.25m best, but the Russian team, Anastasiya Taranova-Potapova and Anna Pyatykh, needed all three jumps before securing their places in the final. Taranova-Potapova, the reigning European indoor champion, didn’t secure her slot until her final jump of 14.08m, while Pyatykh, a two-time World indoor bronze medalist, moved on with a 14.04m best.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
