Hyleas Fountain of the USA runs 12.78 in the heptathlon 100m hurdles in Beijing (© Getty Images)
Fast start to the Heptathlon, Fountain leads after the first event
The first event of the first Heptathlon without Carolina Klüft in a major championship since 2002 started with a high standard 100m Hurdles. As expected American Hyleas Fountain, who ran a wind assisted 12.65 at the Olympic Trials, was easily the fastest winning her heat in 12.78 cutting a huge 0.2 seconds off her earlier wind legal personal best.
The 27-year-old American is the world leader in heptathlon this season (6667 points), but also faces a brand new challenge as her best achievement before this is a 12th place at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.
Second fastest in the first event was Canadian Jessica Zelinka, who recorded her first career sub-13 second performance in the 100m Hurdles with 12.97. Another big improvement came from Anna Bogdanova (RUS), who lowered her PB from 13.35 to 13.09 here. Such a great start raises her close to the fight for the medals here although her best heptathlon 6452 is more than 200 points behind Fountain’s world leading score.
2004 Athens Olympics bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton (GBR) has faced all kinds of problems this season, but her hurdling proved that the Briton is once more a medal candidate here. Her 13.18 result in the first event is a personal best just dipping under the previous 13.21 set at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. Sotherton hasn’t competed in a Heptathlon this season, but performances in individual events suggest that the 31-year-old is in great form.
Other top athletes who did well were American Jackie Johnson, this year’s NCAA champion for Arizona State, who started with a 13.22 performance, just 0.03 outside her PB. Ukraine had a strong first event too with Osaka World Championships silver medallist Lyudmyla Blonska setting a season’s best 13.31 and Nataliya Dobrynska bettering her personal best by 0.22 seconds.
Some athletes also fell well back from their earlier marks this season. Right from the top Russian Olga Kurban who has the fourth best result this season (6559) could only manage 13.77, well below her 13.29 PB earlier this season. Lilli Schwarzkopf (GER - 13.73) and Kamila Chudzik (POL - 13.79) were also disappointed in the first event.
Chinese Liu Haili made an impressive visit to the track too, she lowered her PB down to 13.56. She had only ran 13.87 before back in 2005.
Hyleas Fountain leads after the first event with 1158 points with Jessica Zelinka close behind with 1129. Anna Bogdanova has 1111 for the third place and Kelly Sotheron 1097 at fourth.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
Please NOTE when reading each event report that Silver medallist Lyudmyla Blonska failed a drugs test and so lost her medal
