Lyudmila Kolchanova of Russia takes 2007 World long jump silver (© Getty Images)
Ludmila Kolchanova became the third women to break the seven-metre barrier in the Long Jump while Yuriy Borzakovskiy collected his fifth national title to highlight the second day of the Russian national championships in Saransk on Tuesday (13).
Kolchanova, the reigning European champion, has again and again proved wrong those pessimists who claimed her career was near its end. Producing a solid and consistent series - 6.82m, 6.83m, 6.93m, 6.81m, 6.76m – the 30-year-old capped with a 7.01m leap in the final round to solidify her hold on the No. 3 position on this year’s world list.
“Maybe I lacked strong form for the past several years,” Kolchanova said. “But it returned back to me in May. So I’m on the move to the Europeans. My opponents were excellent but as I noticed they were psychologically not so stable. But still I’m sure that the best women long jumpers are from Russia.”
Behind her, the competition was fierce providing chief coach Valentin Maslakov with a selection headache prior to the European championships. Tatyana Kotova was second with a 6.90 best, with heptathlete Tatyana Chernova third at 6.79m. World leader (7.13m) Olga Kucherenko was fourth at 6.78m with this season’s revelation Darya Klishina fifth at 6.73m.
National title No. 5 for Borza
Here in Mordovia, 2004 Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy is considered as a local. We dared asked his mother Yekaterina if there was any truth to that and were surprised to learn that it indeed was very close to the truth. Their family left Mordovia 36 years ago but always maintained their links to the area. So ‘Borza’ confessed that he felt very much at home in Saransk where he was given an eunthisastic welcome.
Borzakovskiy won a tactical race clocking 1:48.35, and declared that he’s quite satisfied with his present form and ready for the Europeans. Borzakovskiy added that 1:44 should be enough for the victory in Barcelona.
His seven-year-old blond son, Yaroslav, who was running with his father after the final, told us that he would like to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a runner himself. “Maybe still a tennis player?” his father asked. The young boy’s answer was a firm “no”.
In some sense the women’s 800m was equally as tactical as the men’s and was won by the most experienced tactician, Tatyana Andrianova, in 2:00.96 after clocking 1:59.86 in the heats.
Again capacity crowds on hand
Eighteen titles in all were at stake on Day two. The unseasonably warm weather conditions cooled to about 25 C taking mercy on the athletes bidding for their Barcelona team spots. But the strong gusting winds did hamper some of the results.
The “Start” stadium was again overflowing with fans - if the old man Newton had to invent his apple law he would fail to make it here. There were so many spectators that his legendary apple won’t have had a spare inch to fall upon.
Strong women’s 4x400m relay expected in Barcelona
The women’s 400m is always an attractive event – this year the field included 2009 World bronze medallist Antonina Krivoshapka, former World 200m champion Anastasiya Kapachinskaya, along with Natalya Nazarova and Tatyana Firova. But the surprise winner turned out to be European U-23 champion Kseniya Ustalova in 50.33. Kapachinskaya closed strongly to take the runner-up spot in 50.52 with Firova (50.88) third.
The men’s title went to Vladimir Krasnov in 45.53.
Antyukh's switch from the flat reaps dividends in the 400m Hurdles
The 400m Hurdles titles were dominated by the two most experienced runners in the field, 29-year-old Natalya Antyukh and Yuriy Dereviagin, two years her junior. Both lead from the start en route to 54.20 and 50.24 victories, respectively.
Antyukh has not only changed the color of her hair, but her event as well from the 400m flat. Antyukh said that after being part of the Russian national teams since 2001, she was longing for a new challenge. She added that in her youth her idol was Irina Privalova who had switched from the sprints to 400m Hurdles and eventually took Olympic gold in 2000. And one sunny day Privalova politely suggested to Antyukh that she follow her example. Antyukh agreed.
It took a careful reading of the finish photo to give Yevgeniy Borisov the title in the 110m Hurdles as he and Konstantin Shabanov both clocked 13.42. In the women’s 100m Hurdles, Olga Samylova upset Tatyana Dektiareva 12.79 to 12.84. Earlier Dektiareva clocked 12.74 in the heats.
The women’s High Jump was dominated by Svetlana Shkolina who topped 1.97m. But it was painful to watch the competition in Men’s Pole Vault where the winds wreaked havoc with the competitors. Dmitriy Starodubtzev took the title at 5.55m.
Elsewhere, Dmitriy Plotnikov was the best in men’s Long Jump at 8.04m. Mikhail Idrisiv and Anna Gurova won the 100m titles in 10.33 and 11.25, respectively. Russian leader Anna Avdeeva won the Shot Put by more than half a metre with a 19.29m put. Ivan Youshkov took the men’s title at 19.69m. The discus titles went to Bogdan Pischalnikov (65.93m) and Svetlana Saikina (57.76m).
Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF
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