Francoise Mbango (left) with fellow Edmonton 2001 medallists Lebedeva and Marinova (© Getty Images)
In today's Karelia Games - EAA permit meeting - in this eastern Finnish town on the Russian border, Francoise Mbango of Cameroon leapt to an African women's Triple Jump record of 15.03m (+1.3m/s).
The 27 year-old African champion who finished second in both last year's Commonwealth Games, and the 2003 World Indoor championships, produced her Area record leap in the fifth round having already reached out to 14.83m with her previous attempt.
Previously this year, Mbango had jumped 14.88m indoors when taking her World Indoor silver on 15 March, and the same distance outdoors when coming second in Oslo on 27 June.
Her performance today makes her the third longest jumper of 2003 and the 12th woman to have broken the 15 metres barrier outdoors all-time.
Mbango who took the World silver medal in 2001, was pursued in the fifth and sixth rounds by Finland's European silver medallist Heli Koivula, who produced a national record of 14.39m on the same attempt as Mbango's record mark. Koivula who was recently married to South Africa's Olympic Discus bronze medallist Frantz Kruger, was fifth in the 2001 World Championships.
Elsewhere at the meeting which is part of the Finnish Federation's annual Elite Games series, Australia's Patrick Johnson took a sprint double - 10.34 (+0.6 m/s) and 20.76 (-0.3m/s). In fact it was a triple win because the Australian record holder also won an extra 100m which was added to the programme - 10.24 (+3.4m/s)
Russia's Vladislav Shiriaev won the men's 400m Hurdles in 49.69 seconds. The Shot was taken by Ville Tiisanoja with a put of 20.10m, while America's Carl Brown threw 65.92m in the men's Discus.
Finland's former World Junior champion won the men's Hammer with a 78.23m heave, while Mia Strommer settled the women's competition with 65.53m.
Taina Kolkkala beat European bronze medallist Mikaela Ingberg in the women's Javelin - 61.96m to 60.04m.
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