Dmitriy Karpov (© IAAF)
At the end of two exciting days, the Olympic bronze medallist Dmitriy Karpov from Kazakhstan won the Decathlon at the "International Mehrkampf-Meeting", which is part of IAAF World Combined Events Challenge.
However, while the Kazakh had been the overnight men's leader, Ukraine’s Lyudmila Blonska, the World Indoor Pentathlon champion, came from behind to win the women’s Heptathlon from the first day leader and compatriot, Natalya Dobrynska, who ended up fifth.
Men’s Decathlon
Karpov collected 8414 points, significantly improving his season’s best of 8293 from Götzis, Austria (27/28 May).
In second place was Maurice Smith from Jamaica who improved his personal best mark, with 8349 points, the 25-year-old decathlete thereby bettering his own Jamaican record (8269 – Götzis 2006). In third place was the former World Junior champion, Dennis Leyckes from Uerdingen/Dormagen, who collected 8310 points, which was a new European season’s best.
For Karpov, who convinced with 10.69 in the 100m, 15.98m in the Shot Put, 47.58 in the 400m and 60.31m in the Javelin Throw, the Ratingen event was quite a straight forward competition, and a clear indication that the injury problems which sidelined him for 2005 are now firmly behind him.
Second placed Smith was delighted. "I am very happy, it was a great atmosphere here. I made my best mark in Götzis, and now again," Smith comes from St. Catherine, which is close to the Jamaican capital, Kingston. He lives in Auburn, Alabama and studies education - "when I finish my career, I will become a coach.”
But the 25 year-old has plenty more goals. "My next Decathlon will be in Puerto Rico in August and my next goal is to make a new national record again,” confirmed Smith who had been staying in Ratingen with a local family - "I felt like I was at home.”
Smith’s best results were 10.69 in the 100m, 7.51m in the Long Jump, 16.07m in the Shot Put, 48.90m in the Discus Throw, and 14.00 in the 110m Hurdles. His weak events were the Javelin Throw (55.54 m) and the Pole Vault (4.55 m). "But I will improve more and more," promised Smith.
A big surprise happened for the fortunes of German Combined Event with Dennis Leyckes collecting 8310 points for third. His best results were: 2m in the High Jump, 48.48 in the 400m, and 5.45m in the Pole Vault.
"I had a lot of fun, and didn’t think a lot, this was the big secret,” confirmed Leyckes. After some years of big injuries, it seems he will come back onto the international circuit. His friend and flat mate, Stefan Drews from Leverkusen also made a new personal best, collecting 8233 points and said after the 1500m race: "Now we will buy a dishwasher from the prize money."
Dennis Leyckes, Stefan Drews, and the World Indoor Champion Andre Niklaus (recovering from injury and pre-selected for Gothenburg), are now qualified for the German team for the European Chmapionships.
There was more for Germany to be happy about, as 21-year-old Pascal Behrenbruch from Frankfurt collected 8199 points, and Norman Müller from Halle ended with 8129 points.
Women’s Heptathlon
In the Heptathlon, there was good news for Germany too. Behind the 6427 points victory of World Indoor champion Ludmila Blonska of Ukraine, Lilli Schwarzkopf, was the next best, just 14 points adrift, in a marvellous new personal best.
Blonska, second overnight with 3695pts behind compatriot Natalya Dobrynska (3711), secured a good two day win thanks to highs of a 1.83m High Jump, 6.43m Long Jump, and a 2:12.52 in the 800m. It is a clear indication that Blonska, second in Götzis (6448), will be a force to be reckoned with at the European Championships, at least for the expected minor medal tussle behind Sweden's Carolina Klüft.
But Ratingen was also a very tidy competition for Schwarzkopf, who had finished third in Götzis with 6335, her pervious PB. "On the first day I had some events with which I wasn’t satisfied. Like 1.77m in the High Jump and 13.28m in the Shot Put.” In total the young lady from Paderborn collected 6413 points. Behind Klüft’s 6719, Russia’s Yuliya Ignatkina’s 6463, and Blonska’s Gotzis and Ratingen totals, Schwarzkopf’s performance was the fifth best of the summer.
"I never thought, that I could improve my result from Götzis again", said Schwarzkopf, who threw 52.13m in the Javelin, leapt 6.20m in the Long Jump, and ran 2:09.63 in the 800m.
This weekend, Claudia Tonn from the same Club as Schwarzkopf, finished third with 6373 points. Tonn, 25, made a big show in the Long Jump, with a first attempt producing 6.75m. “I want to qualify for Long Jump in Gothenburg also,” confirmed Tonn, who will jump for Germany at the European Cup in Malaga next week. "I am a Long Jump Heptathlete", the 1.82m tall young lady said with a laugh. She had a second attempt of 6.60m - in front of the board.
Jennifer Oeser from Leverkusen was fourth with 6251 points, and overnight leader Dobrynska was fifth (6240). Only four points behind was the former European Indoor Champion, Karin Ertl, and the young Julia Mächtig from Neubrandenburg, came in seventh place with 6066 points.
Ursula Kaiser for IAAF
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