The Russian World indoor record quartet parade with the cheque (© Getty Images)
A Russian 4x400m relay World indoor record* brought the Norwich Union Indoor International match to a rousing conclusion in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall this afternoon on a good day for one World champion, Kajsa Bergqvist, and a bad one for a trio of the sport’s other top global names.
The Russian quartet of Yuliya Gushchina, Olga Kotlyarova, Olga Zaytseva and Olesya Krasnomovets took more than half a second from the record set by Russia at the World Indoor Championships in Budapest two years ago, clocking 3:23.37 in a commanding performance that was rewarded with $30,000 from the organisers.
Splits - Yuliya Gushchina 51.75; Olga Kotlyarova 50.40; Olga Zaytseva 51.03; Olesya Krasnomovets 50.19 - thanks to Mark Butler.
“Last night our coach said we have a very strong team and we could have the record,” said Gushchina, clutching a giant cheque. “We are all so pleased.” That victory helped the Russians to an impressive win in the match against Sweden, Italy, Great Britain and a Commonwealth Select team.
2.01 for Bergqvist
Bergqvist was also in commanding form. The Swedish high jumper opened her 2006 season with a comfortable victory over Russia’s Yekaterina Savchenko. The outdoor World champion had an early failure at 1.85m, and failed her first attempt at 1.95m, but her second jump at that height was enough to secure the win.
She then sailed over 1.98m (as if inspired by the World record which had happened only seconds before) and then cleared 2.01m with ease to claim the stadium record. She put the bar up to 2.04m – would have been a Swedish indoor record and have made her the third best equal athlete indoor all-time – but couldn’t find the extra height.
“It was a lovely win and I’m glad I broke the stadium record,” she said. “I’m feeling in very good shape for what is going to be a very long but important season.”
Bergqvist, of course, has her sights set on winning the European Championships in her own country this summer – “That will be special,” she said. The Swede who was the 2001 and 2003 World Indoor champion will have thoughts of another title in Moscow on her mind in March, and some other athletes today also had major medal ambitions as their sights too.
Tonique-Williams well beaten in rare indoor outing
Not least Zaytseva who will surely be one of the favourites for the World Indoor 400m title in Moscow after comprehensively beating the World and Olympic champion Tonique Williams Darling here. The 21-year-old blasted clear of the Bahamian runner from the start and won by nearly three seconds, some 20 metres, in a stadium record of 50.62.
Veronica Campbell, the Olympic 200m champion suffered defeat at the hands of an in-form Russian. The Jamaican finished second in the 60m in 7.15, four hundredths behind Yuliya Tabakova, but claimed she was satisfied with her time in her first race of the year.
Mutola injured but Chizhenko looks sharp anyway
If it was a bad day for Campbell and Williams-Darling, it was a worse one for Maria Mutola. Like Campbell, the Mozambique athlete who is the six-time World indoor 800m champion, was running for the Commonwealth Select team and came into the race feeling confident that her injury worries of the last couple of years were behind her.
But not only did Mutola suffer defeat at the hands of Russia’s Yuliya Chizhenko, who set an indoor pb of 2:02.40 but she was stretchered-off from the arena with a calf injury, potentially a serious blow to her ambitions of retaining her Commonwealth title in March.
“On the second lap it felt tight like a ball and I thought about stopping,” she said. “But when the Russian came through I tried to pick it up and decided to finish. I hope it’s not a big deal and will heal in a couple of days.”
Mutola’s injury aside, Chizhenko looked in thrilling form with her second impressive victory in a week. “I am a 1500m runner and this was a speed training session for me,” she said ominously, after overhauling Mutola on the line in probably the race of the day.
Further world season leads…
There were three world leading marks at the meeting, including a 6.59 second run for a 60 metres victory to World and European indoor champion Jason Gardener. The Briton maintained his cool on the start line as one of his chief rivals, South Africa’s Morne Nagel, was disqualified for a second false start, false starting being one of the features of the day.
“You have to keep your cool and stay focused on your race,” said Gardener, who beat Russia’s Andrey Yepishin by five hundredths. “The rules are simple, you don’t move until the gun goes.”
Gardener has said he will not be defending his World Indoor title in Moscow, choosing to aim for the Commonwealth Games 100m gold instead.
Kenya’s Paul Bitok, another Commonwealth hopeful, set a world leading time in the 3000m, clocking 7:49.63 to beat Russia’s Pavel Shapovalov. Sweden's Susanna Kallur also put herself at the top of the world lists running 7.86 to win the women's 60m Hurdles from Jamaica’s Lacena Golding Clarke.
British record holder Sarah Claxton was disappointed to be disqualified for false starting in that race but her compatriot, the multi-eventer Kelly Sotherton, produced the first of two personal bests, finishing fourth in 8.26.
Sotherton, the Olympic Heptathlon bronze medallist, later equalled her indoor long jump pb, leaping 6.44 in a competition won by Russia’s Tatyana Kotova who complained afterwards of a slight injury in her back.
“That’s a great start to the day and to the season,” said Sotherton, who’s aiming for the Commonwealth heptathlon title.
There was much else for the home crowd to cheer with victories going to Britons in the men’s Long Jump (Nathan Morgan with a pb of 8.05), in the men’s 1500m (Andrew Baddeley with a pb of 3:43.50), and in the men’s 400m (Daniel Caines winning in 46.50).
Pavlov, only fourth
One of the few disappointments for a generally triumphant Russian team was Igor Pavlov’s fourth place in the men’s Pole Vault. The World and European indoor champion managed only 5.25m but looked to be struggling with a thigh injury. The event was won by Sweden’s Alaji Jeng who cleared 5.55m from Italy’s Giuseppe Gibilisco, the 2003 outdoor World champion.
In fact there were no victories at all for the Italian team, but that was not surprising as most of the original line-up was unable to get out of Italy because of bad weather and many athletes had to perform two or three times.
In that light, and putting Bergqvist’s form and Russia’s World indoor record* aside for a moment, the performance of the day came from Angelo Iannelli who ran the 1500m in 3:58.60 and returned an hour later to complete the 3000m in 8:09.84. He finished last in both but won admiration for his efforts.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF
*World record pending ratification
