Holm - close miss at 2.36m

Sweden's threetime World Indoor High Jump champion Stefan Holm was the star of the 45th annual Cena Slovenska Slovak Gold - EAA - meet yesterday.

In his second outdoor competition of the year Holm went over all heights at the first attempt until 2.32 which he mastered with his second. Out of his three attempts at 2.36 which would have been a new world leading mark and outdoor personal best, the second attempt was the best. He was over and only a small touch with his legs was responsible for his failure.

"I'm satisfied. I'm right there where I wanted to be in my preparation for the Olympic Games. Pity about the second jump at 2.36  It was very close. I should have tried to have more concentration for the third one. I went for the jump very quickly. But it proved the stadium is good, good for a 2.40 jump."

"I wanted to see where Sorin Matei jumped 2.40 (it was in 1990 in Bratislava). My next competition will be the European Cup in Bydgoszcz, where I want also to see the stadium where my Polish friends jumped 2.36 (Walerianczyk last year) and 234 (Sposob last weekend)."

Holm is now third on the world season lists (2.34 Sposob, 2.33 Baba).

The meet was for the first time since 1993 not part of IAAF Grand Prix but retains a great history with World records by Sergey Bubka (5.85 in 1984 - his first ever outdoors) and 6.05 in 1988.

Other highlights on a nearly windless afternoon were the Shot Put as South African Janus Robberts clearly beating the best Slovaks. He is training currently in Trnava, Slovakia.

There was also a very nice deep 400m Hurdles women's race where even the last placed Miriam Hrdlickova (57.43) nearly attacked her own Slovak record of 57.26.

One Slovak record was registered as Miriam Bobkova achieved 13.46 at 100m Hurdles and bettered her own mark from 2002 (13.48 in Bratislava on June 11).

Alfons Juck for the IAAF

Selected results

Men
100 m (-0.1): 1. Patrick Jarrett, JAM 10.39, 2. Julian Golding,GBR 10.48

200 m (0.0): 1. Julian Golding, GBR 20.87

400 m: 1. Fernada Blackley, USA 46.25, 2. Matija Sestak,SLO 46.30, 3. Paul Lewis, USA 46.55, 4. Andrey Tverdostup,UKR 46.78,.7. Iwan Thomas, GBR 47.34, II-1. Duaine Ladejo, GBR 48.06

800 m: 1. Ramil Aritkulov, RUS 1:47.91, 2. Sergey Kozhevnikov, RUS 1:48.33, 3. Neil Speaight, GBR 1:48.75, 4. Jozef Repcik (86) 1:49.04

1500 m: 1. Barnabas Bene, HUN 3:43.29, 2. Vladimir Bartunek, CZE 3:45.19, 3. Milan Fedak 3:45.83 PR

110 m H (0.0): 1. Andy Turner, GBR 13.73, 2. Stanislav Sajdok, CZE 13.95, 3. Cedric Lavanne, FRA 13.95, 4. Jan Cech, CZE 14.01, 5. Jared Macleod, CAN 14.09

LJ: 1. Stepan Wagner, CZE 765 (-0.7)

HJ: 1. Stefan Holm, SWE 232 (216/1, 220/1, 224/1, 227/1, 232/2, 236/xxx), 2. David Jaworski,POL 224, 3. Vladimir Chubsa, BLR 224, 4. Adam Shunk, USA 220, 5. Peter Horak 216, 6. Dalibor Hon, CZE 216, 7. Dalton Grant, GBR 212

SP: 1. Janus Robberts, RSA 20.55 (x-20.20-19.94-20.28-20.55-x), 2. Milan Haborak 20.17, 3. Mikulas Konopka 19.63, 4. Antonin Zalsky, CZE 18.86, 5. Jaroslav Zitnansky 17.96, 6. Jaroslav Pittner 17.28

Women

100 m (0.0): 1. Lucia Ivanova 11.81, 2. Evelyna Lisenko, ROM 11.83

200 m (-0.1): 1. Aminata Diouf, SEN 23.63, 2. Estie Wittstock, RSA 23.81, 3. Evelyna Lisenko, ROM 23.99, 4. Miriam Bobkova 24.13

400 m: 1. Antonia Yefremova, UKR 51.60, 2. Helen Karagounis, GBR 52.68, 3. Estie Wittstock, RSA 52.80, 4. Barbara Petrahn, HUN 53.63

800 m: 1. Oksana Zbrozhek, RUS 2:01.96, 2. Tatyana Pashnina, RUS 2:02.22, 3. Akostua Serwaa, GHA 2:02.68, 4. Natalya Kutkina, RUS 2:02.87, 5. Petra Lochmanova, CZE 2:05.00, 6. Marie-Louise Henig, RSA 2:05.73, 7. Aurelie Coulaud, FRA 2:06.33, 8. Kitty Cziraki, HUN 2:06.51

100 m H (+0.5): 1. Patricia Buval, FRA 13.28, 2. Joanna Bujak, FRA 13.42, 3. Miriam Bobkova 13.46 NR, 4. Ursa Kop, SLO 13.78, 5. Tatiana Pavliy, RUS 13.86, 7. Cecile Michot, FRA 13.87

400mH: 1. Marina Shiyan, RUS 55.81, 2. Ilya Zunda, LAT 56.32, 3. Mariya Menshikova, RUS 56.56, 4. Marta Chrust, POL 56.60, 5. Maria Rus, ROM 56.72, 6. Alena Rucklova, CZE 57.31, 7. Irena Zauna, LAT 57.37, 8. Miriam Hrdlickova, 57.43, II: 1. Sara Oresnik, SLO 58.85

TJ: 1. Trecia Smith, JAM 14.34 (+0.1), 2. Liliana Zagacka, POL 13.83 (0.0), 3. Dana Veldakova 13.41 (0.0), 4. Constanta Stucan, ROM 13.20 (-0.2), 5. Althea Williams, CAN 12.96 (-0.1)

HJ: 1. Iva Dupalova (84) 175

JT: 1. Indre Jakubaitite, LTU 59.26, 2. Oksana Yarigina, RUS 57.71, 3. Barbara Madejczyk,POL 56.38, 4. Barbora Spotakova, CZE 55.07, 5. Yelena Makarova, RUS 53.52, 6. Natalya Davydova, RUS 52.39.