Mario Pestano of Spain wins the Discus Throw at the World Athletics Final (© Getty Images)
Some expected Spanish medal challengers for this summer’s 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Finland, 6-14 August, took several gold medals during day two of the Mediterranean Games in Almeria, Spain, on Thursday (30 June). The results achieved were not brilliant, but the top athletes did their part for the host country in style.
MEN
Mario Pestano, who recently won the European Cup Super League in Florence with a season's best of 66.29m, took the men's Discus Throw easily with a 63.96m winning mark in the last round. He was the only competitor over the 60m line in the competition.
2004 Olympic Games silver medallist, Francisco Javier Fernández, who is IAAF World Ranked number one in the walking events at the moment, won the men's 20km Race Walk in a similar fashion. The former World record holder, who has a fast season's best of 1:17:52 from June, won with a margin of more than a minute in 1:22:45, ahead of Juan Manuel Molina, another Spaniard, taking the second place with a 1:24:11 clocking.
Romain Barras (FRA) won the men's Decathlon with a fine total score of 8127 points beating another Frenchman Rudy Bourguignon who scored 7886 points for the second place. It was a season's for Barras who scored a personal best of 8196 points while winning the World University Games in 2003.
Slovenian sprinter Matic Osovnikar became a double winner this time talking home the 100m title in 10.35, he won the 200m earlier on Wednesday. Osovnikar advanced to the semifinals in the Athens Olympics last summer.
In the High Jump it was a surprising one-two finish for Cyprus. Kyriacos Ioannou won with 2.24m jump infront of Yiannis Constantinou, who took second place with a season's best of 2.21m, same height which was cleared also by Grégory Gabella (FRA), who was third, and Nicola Ciotti (ITA), who had to settle for fourth place.
WOMEN
In the women's finals Glory Alozie (ESP) won the 100m Hurdles in 12.90 into a headwind before Adrianna Lamalle (FRA) clocking a personal best of 12.99 for second place.
Margaret Maury (FRA) won the 5000m in 15:22.59 season's best time, and Benedetta Ceccarelli (ITA) surprised home favourite Cora Olivero in the 400m Hurdles, who was fastest in the heats, with times of 55.76 and 55.85 respectively. Véronique Mang (FRA) won a tight 100m final in 11.44 reaching the finish line slightly before countrywoman Sylviane Félix, who was clocked 11.46.
Cristiana Checchi (ITA), only had one measured attempt in the women's Shot Put competition, but that was a personal best of 18.59m, more than one metre clear from Laurence Manfrédi (FRA), who threw 17.47m for the second place.
Fiona May (ITA) jumped a season's best of 6.64m to won the Long Jump to beat Niurka Montalvo (ESP), also recording a season's best of 6.55m. Elisa Rigaudo (ITA) was fastest in the 20km Race Walk in 1:32:44.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
