Dmitriy Valyukevich of Slovakia, seen jumping at 2004 World Indoors when still a Belarussian (© Getty Images)
In the men’s Triple Jump at the IAAF Central Europe Development meeting in Bratislava this afternoon Slovak World Championships finalist Dmitriy Valyukevich won with a new national indoor record.
The European U23 champion, who won in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday with 16.72m, improved his mark to 17.12m, the top international mark of the meeting. This was an improvement on the national indoor record which he had established in Bratislava on 21 January.
Another Budapest winner, Briton Karen Harewood, also scored another satisfying success in Bratislava. Harewood's time of 2:01.44 in the women’s 800m was slower than in Hungary, but that was mainly down to her running the last 550m out in front. The 30-year-old Corby athlete's next target is gaining selection for the World Indoors Championships in Moscow, Russia (10-12 March), and breaking the two-minute barrier.
"You have it in the back of your mind of doing it, but I'm sure there will be a race when it comes," said Harewood.
Dana Veldáková of Slovakia, 24, won the women’s Triple Jump with a national record of 14.09m, bettering the record performance which she established in Budapest on Friday (13.98m). Her twin sister Jana Veldáková took the Long Jump with a 6.34m leap, she had set her previous best of 6.41m on 21 January in the same stadium.
Britain’s 21-year-old Andrew Steele, won a thrilling men’s 400m against Ireland's David McCarthy in a near dead-heat (47.82). McCarthy seemed to have the race tied up until the powerful 21-year-old Steele closed a two-metre gap on him in the final 20 metres.
There was also a knife edge finish in the men’s 60m dash. Simeon Williamson won a race in which the first three, all Englishmen, were given the same time of 6.72. Williamson got the verdict ahead of Rikki Fifton and Tim Abeyie.
In the women’s 60m, Anyika Onuora not only posted a personal best of 7.31, but also achieved the qualifying standard for Moscow. Her powerful surge in the final 10m carried her 0.12s clear of Ireland's Emily Maher, who in turn held off team-mates Allis McSweeney and Ciara Sheehy.
Derval O'Rourke took a good win at the 60m Hurdles victory for Ireland achieving the Moscow qualifying time with a very fast victory in 8.02. England's number one Sarah Claxton, finished runner-up in 8.19.
Ciara Sheehy also again hit top form, adding to her Budapest 200m victory on Friday night with another in 24.17.
Dave Martin and the IAAF
RESULTS
IAAF Development Meeting for Central Europe, Bratislava, Slovakia
Men
60m: 1 S Williamson (Eng) 6.72, 2 R Fifton (Eng) 6.72, 3 T Abeyie (Eng) 6.72, 4 C Pickering (Eng) 6.80, 5 R Kwitt (Aut) 6.84, 6 J Grabusic 6.85
200m Race 1: 1 C van Branteghem (Bel) 21.87, 2 J Ellington (Eng) 22.17, 3 A Steele (Eng) 22.30
Race 2: 1 M Mentel (Svk) 22.27, 2 M Simovic (SCG) 23.02, 3 V Zich (Cze) 23.12
Race 3: 1 D Bacicin (SCG) 22.97, 2 J Pilic (Bsh) 23.82, 3 J Beres (Svk) 23.83
Race 4: 1 J Schiller (Cze) 22.31, 2 M Makoschitz (Ser) 23.37
400m Race 1: 1 A Steele (Eng) 47.82, 2 D McCarthy (Irl) 47.82, 3 R Buck (Eng) 48.19
Race 2: 1 C Campeanu (Rom) 48.46, 2 P Sajn (Slo) 49.89, 3 A Totsaas (Nor) 50.30
Race 3: 1 I Einar Aasen (Nor) 49.03, 2 J Hanzl (Cze) 49.41, 3 P Hort (Svk) 50.03
Race 4: 1 F Suciu (Rom) 48.42, 2 R Konvica (Cze) 50.84, 3 E Fatic (Bsh) 51.26
800m: 1 R Hill (Eng) 1:49.19, 2 G Balch (Eng) 1:50.28, 3 A Daehlin (Nor) 1:51.51, 4 D Znidaric (Slo) 1:55.98
60m Hurdles: 1 S Sajdok (Cze) 7.76, 2 W Sharman (Eng) 7.83, 3 M Novakovic (Ser) 7.86, 4 A Alterio (Ita) 7.86, 5 J Cech (Cze) 8.03, 6 M Rostad (Nor) 8.05, 7 D Malins (Eng) 8.07, 8 R Alleyne (Eng) 8.08
Triple Jump: 1 D Valyukevich (Svk) 17.19m, 2 C Fofana (Fra) 16.42, 3 A Moller (Den) 15.87, 4 J Golley (Eng) 15.85, 5 G White (Eng) 15.41, 6 J Dobrovodsky (Svk) 15.40, 7 M Hruska (Svk) 14.78, 8 M Miklos (Svk) 13.82
Women
60m: 1 A Onuoro (Eng) 7.31, 2 E Maher (Irl) 7.43, 3 A McSweeney (Irl) 7.47, 4 C Sheehy (Irl) 7.51, 5 D Allahgreen (Eng) 7.53, 6 M Hjort (Nor) 7.56, 7 L Miller (Eng) 7.59, 8 K-A Thomas (Eng) 7.69
200m Race 1: 1 C Sheehy (Irl) 24.17, 2 L Miller (Eng) 25.41, 3 M Andric (SCG) 26.91
Race 2: 1 L Fairs (Eng) 24.97, 2 J Sajdokova (Cze) 26.03, 3 B Kreisler (Aut) 26.40
Race 3: 1 K Slamova (Cze) 25.68, 2 M Griglakova (Svk) 26.49
400m Race 1: 1 L Owusu (Eng) 55.36, 2 A Ripanu (Rom) 55.78, 3 N Hafner (Slo) 57.95
Race 2: 1 L Fairs (Eng) 54.97, 2 M Macus (Slo) 56.92, 3 L Slanickova (Svk) 1min 00:12secs
Race 3: 1 A Morosanu (Rom) 53.53, 2 M Hadsic (Bsh) 58.00, 3 P Prokesova (Cze) 59.14
Race 4: 1 S Oresknik (Slo) 55.74, 2 L Jensen (Nor) 56.20
800m: 1 K Harewood (Eng) 2:01.44, 2 C Best (Eng) 2:05.77, 3 R Thompson (Eng) 2:09.21, 4 C Fugliova (Svk) 2:20.08
Long Jump: 1 J Veldakova (Svk) 6.34m, 2 J Hollman (Eng) 6.32, 3 D Scerbova (Cze) 6.30, 4 M Sestak (SCG) 6.24, 5 Z Bicikova (Cze) 6.00, 6 S Welstead (Eng) 5.82
60m Hurdles: 1 D O'Rourke (Irl) 8.02, 2 S Claxton (Eng) 8.19, 3 R Vukmorovic (Slo) 8.35, 4 M Cattaneo (Ita) 8.43, 5 M Bobkova (Svk) 8.49, 6 D Wockinger (Aut) 8.54, 7 J Hollman (Eng) 8.70
Triple Jump: 1 D Veldakova (Svk) 14.09m, 2 I Beskrovnaja (Svk) 13.15, 3 N Williams (Eng) 13.15, 4 M Haave (Nor) 13.14, 5 B White (Eng) 12.95, 6 D Yotova (Bulgaria) 12.77
