Olga Rypakova smiled, then grimaced, but was still happy as she waved to the television cameras after the High Jump went to form in the second event of the Pentathlon.
Rypakova, of Kazahkstan, almost equalled her personal best of 1.88m, falling just a centimetre short, but was still the dominant figure in an event where the competition’s leader, Lyudmila Blonska, of the Ukraine, battled all the way to add victory in this discipline to that of her triumph in the opening one, the 60m hurdles.
But it shows how you can turn despair into joy. It meant Rypakova was th overall, having been last after finishing last in the hurdles.
After Blonska had cleared 1.84m, Ryapkova produced her best jump - in style as much as conviction.
She clapped her hands against her thighs, and looked more determined than she had ever done in the competition with more bounce in her run up, before clearing 1.87m.
There was no response from her rival, who failed on her three attempts at 1.87m, to leave Ryapkova to move into the third overall with 2011, with the 1029 points she secured.
But as the morning session ended, Blonska was still in front with 2093, following the 1029 she secured with her high jump season’s best of 1.84.
Karin Ruckstuhl, of the Netherlands, who was fourth in this event in Budapest in 2004, jumped 1.81m, earning 991 points, to sit second overall with 2015.
RL
Rypakova, of Kazahkstan, almost equalled her personal best of 1.88m, falling just a centimetre short, but was still the dominant figure in an event where the competition’s leader, Lyudmila Blonska, of the Ukraine, battled all the way to add victory in this discipline to that of her triumph in the opening one, the 60m hurdles.
But it shows how you can turn despair into joy. It meant Rypakova was th overall, having been last after finishing last in the hurdles.
After Blonska had cleared 1.84m, Ryapkova produced her best jump - in style as much as conviction.
She clapped her hands against her thighs, and looked more determined than she had ever done in the competition with more bounce in her run up, before clearing 1.87m.
There was no response from her rival, who failed on her three attempts at 1.87m, to leave Ryapkova to move into the third overall with 2011, with the 1029 points she secured.
But as the morning session ended, Blonska was still in front with 2093, following the 1029 she secured with her high jump season’s best of 1.84.
Karin Ruckstuhl, of the Netherlands, who was fourth in this event in Budapest in 2004, jumped 1.81m, earning 991 points, to sit second overall with 2015.
RL
