Olga Rypakova (c) after her Long Jump gold in Bangkok (© Nicolas Messner/FISU)
Russia and Belarus claimed two gold medals each as other former Soviet republics won the remaining events on the second day (10) of athletics of the 24th World University Games at the Main Stadium of Thammasat University's Rangsit Campus in the Thai capital.
Career best For Rypakova
Kazakhstan’s former Heptathlon specialist and 2007 Triple and Long Jump Asian champion Olga Rypakova provided the highlight of the day with her 6.85 leap in the Long Jump. The 22-year old took the lead only in the fourth round with a personal best of 6.82 and confirmed her victory with a 6.85m effort in the fifth one.
Rypakova gave her country the first athletics gold in the history of the Games and confirmed her medal ambitions for the upcoming 11th World Championships in Athletics, to be held in Osaka, 25 August 25-2 September. The Kazak plans to double in Osaka. She shows a Triple personal best of 14.69 from the Asian championships in Amman.
Early leader Elena Sokolova (6.61) and Greece’s Stylianh Pilatou (6.52) rounded out the podium spots. Slovakia’s Jana Veldakova, who led the qualifiers on Thursday with 6.64, could only manage 6.30 and did not make the cut-off.
Following Ksenia Agafonova’s 10.000m win on the opening day, Russia added two more golds in the women’s Shot Put and Pole Vault to lead the medal tally. Alexandra Kiryashova went faultless and cleared 4.40 before failing three times at a would-be personal best of 4.55 to win on a countback over Germany’s Kristina Gadschiew, who equalled her PB of 4.40 with her second attempt. Nicole Buechler improved her best to 4.35 to clinch the bronze medal.
In a low-par final, Irina Tarasova prevailed in the Shot Put with a 17.46m toss, ahead of Belarus’ Yuliya Leantsiuk ( 17.20) and Poland’s Magdalena Sobieszek (16.88).
Belarus’s Darya Pchelnik took the Hammer Throw gold with a 68.74m effort, closely followed by Ireland’s Eileen O'Keeffe (68.46). Czech Lenka Ledvinova (66.41) finished third.
In a close final, Yauheniya Valadzko bettered her personal best to give Belarus its second victory on Friday, taking the 100m hurdles in 13.03 seconds, ahead of Turkey’s Nevin Yanit (13.07) and Ukraine’s Yevgeniya Shigur (13.08), the fastest in the semifinal with 13.02. The latter’s countryman Serhiy Demydyuk peaked at the right time and ran away from the field to take the 110m Hurdles crown in a personal best of 13.33. Third in Izmir 2005, the 24-year old was never challenged by China’s Ji Wei (13.57) and Brazil’s 2003 Universiade champion Anselmo Gomes Da Silva ( 13.58).
Lithuania’s Viktorija Zemaityte threw the Javelin to 45.26 and held on in the 800m to take the Heptathlon in 5971 points and give her small nation its first gold medal in the Games history. She was third after the first day, only 15 points behind the leader. Ukraine’s Ganna Melnichenko, who held a narrow lead after the first day and started well on Friday with a 6.31m Long Jump, faded in the javelin (34.41) and had to be content with third (5852) behind Belgian Sara Aerts (5904).
Qualifying action...
Apart from the finals, Australia’s Sean Wroe (45.96) and Croatia’s 18-year-old 2006 World Junior champion Danijela Grgic (52.53) posted the best times in the 400m semifinals.
Nine of the 13 men's High Jump finalists cleared 2.20, led by Cypriot Kyriakos Ioannou, Ukraine’s Viktor Shapoval and Russia’s Alexander Shustov.
Runner-up in 2005, Egypt’s Omar Elghaizaly wants to improve the color of that medal and give his country its first athletics title in the history of the Games. Elghaizaly led the Discus Throw qualifying with 61.11, followed by Estonia’s Mart Israel (59.90) and Belarus’ Dzmitry Sivakou ( 58.90).
One day after anchoring the Finnish squad to the 4x100m Relay gold, Johanna Manninen recovered from a false start and posted the fastest time in the second round of the women’s 100m with 11.36. Australia’s Adam Miller was the swiftest man in the second round with 10.40.
Nine finals will be staged on Saturday on the third day of athletics competition. Men and women will contest in the 100m, 400m, and the Half Marathon. The men’s High Jump, Discus and Javelin Throws will also be staged.
Over 1500 student athletes aged between 17 and 28 from 150 countries will be competing here in 15 sports until 18 August. Some of the athletes participating here take the Universiade as part of their final tune-up for the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, to be held in Osaka, Japan, August 25-September 2.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF
