Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus - 4th in Olympia (© Getty Images)
World champion Shot putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus, at the Minsk city championships (24/25 Feb) held at the national Olympic track and field training sport complex, produced a mighty 20.86m Belarussian record release, the furthest put in the world of 2006.
On 28 January in Mogilyov at the Belarussian Indoor Championship Ostapchuk had established the previous 2006 best of 20.30m.
However, almost a month later in Minsk she improved her own national record in the very same hall in which she had set the previous mark of 20.56m three years to the day (24 Feb 2003).
On her first attempt the shot landed at 19.80m, and with her second it sailed past 21m but she accidentally fouled-out that effort. In the third round everything came together perfectly with a mighty 20.86m heave the result. The 25-year-old then passed her remaining efforts.
Ostapchuk, 25, is now the outstanding favourite for the global title at the 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Moscow, Russia (10 – 12 March). In the 2001 edition in Lisbon she came second to Russian Larisa Peleshenko, and two years later took silver again behind another Russian, Irina Korzhanenko, and finished seventh at the last championships in Budapest 2004.
The nearest opponent in the world to Ostapchuk is compatriot Natallia Khoroneko who put 19.55m on 10 February, though the 23-year-old is likely to be below-par considering that her father died very recently.
National team head-coach Anatoly Baduev hopes for other medals in Moscow too:
Andrey Mihnevich, the 2003 World outdoor champion, has only competed once this winter with a 20.78m, win at the nationals.
At 1500m, Alesya Turava has had back problems but her recent third place in Valencia (4:06.46) is a sign of better health.
Natallia Safronova, won the national Triple Jump title with 14.20m, and the women’s 4x400m squad is also strong.
Mikhail Dubitski for the IAAF
Belarus team for Moscow:
Women
60m Alena Nevmerzhitskaya
400m Ilona Usovich
1500m Alesya Turava
Triple jump Natallia Safronova
Shot Put, Nadzeya Ostapchuk, Natallia Khoroneko
Relay 4õ400 m ( Ilona Usovich, Yulyana Zhalniryuk, Anna Kozak, Natallia Solohub, Irina Khlyustova (in reserve))
Men
60m Maksim Lynsha
Shot Put Andrei Mikhnevich
RESULTS
24/25 February, Minsk, Minsk Champs:
Men
60: Maksim Lynsha 6.75; Maksim Lynsha 6.75; 2 Vitali Chechetko 6.96; 2 Vitali Chechetko 6.96; 3 Oleg Bondar 6.99; 3 Oleg Bondar 6.99;
800: Igor Kachura 1:53.61; Igor Kachura 1:53.61;
1500: Aleksander Donchenko 3:51.91; Aleksander Donchenko 3:51.91;
3000: Dmitriy Baranovskiy 8:34.10; Dmitriy Baranovskiy 8:34.10;
60H: Vasili Dmitriev 8.13; Vasili Dmitriev 8.13;
HJ: Andrei Chubsa 2.10; Andrei Chubsa 2.10; 2 Danila Gorodetski 2.05; 2 Danila Gorodetski 2.05;
PV: Dmitri Belikov 4.90; Dmitri Belikov 4.90;
LJ: Nikolai Konnikov 7.37; Nikolai Konnikov 7.37; 2 Maksim Shaban 7.27; 2 Maksim Shaban 7.27; 3 Aleksei Postupailo 7.18; 3 Aleksei Postupailo 7.18;
TJ: Dmitri Detsuk 16.10; Dmitri Detsuk 16.10; 2 Aleksander Vorobei 15.84; 2 Aleksander Vorobei 15.84; 3 Andrei Yakovchik 15.60; 3 Andrei Yakovchik 15.60;
SP: Yuri Belov 19.87; Yuri Belov 19.87; 2 Dmitri Goncharuk 19.48; 2 Dmitri Goncharuk 19.48; 3 Dmitri Kunats 17.51; 3 Dmitri Kunats 17.51;
Women
60: Alena Neumiarzhytskaya 7.23; 2 Anastasia Shuliak 7.47; 3 Natallia Abramenko 7.52; h: Alena Neumiarzhytskaya 7.20;
200: Natallia Abramenko 24.38;
400: Natallia Salahub 53.55; 2 Iryna Khliustava 53.71; 3 Yulyana Zhalniruk 54.09;
800: Kristina Vedernikova 2:12.44;
1000: Anastasia Starovoitova 2:48.10;
60H: Natallia Tsilents 8.45;
PV: Svetlana Makarevich 3.70; 2 A Yunkevich 3.60;
TJ: Natallia Safronava 13.92;
SP: Nadzeya Ostapchuk 20.86 NR; 2 Tatsiana Ilyushkina 18.01; 3 Yulia Leontyuk 17.86
