Lisa Maihofer at the IAAF World Youth Championships, Cali 2015 (© Getty Images)
Cuba’s Adriana Rodriguez produced two personal bests on day one of the girls’ heptathlon on Friday (17) to lead the field overnight, the 16-year-old leaving pre-event favourites Alina Shukh of Ukraine and Sarah Lagger of Austria with considerable work to do on the second day of the event at the IAAF World Championships, Cali 2015.
Rodriguez started the day with a personal best in the 100m hurdles, her time of 13.43 the fastest of all competitors.
She then made a quick turnaround to set a lifetime best in the high jump, clearing 1.73m, and in the evening session, Rodriguez was near her personal best of 14.48m in the shot put, her biggest mark of 14.19m coming on her third effort.
Rodriguez fionished off with a 24.64 200m and has 3678 points after four events, 88 points clear of Germany’s Lisa Maihofer, who produced three personal bests on the first day to record a points total of 3590.
Maihofer made an impressive start to the day and took 0.24 off her 100m hurdles best with a time of 13.69. She then cleared 1.79m in the high jump and returned this evening with a personal best of 12.96m in the shot put.
The German rounded out a great day with another PB in the 200m, her run of 25.12 taking a huge chunk off her previous best of 25.97 and leaving her on a first-day tally of 3590 points.
In third after day one is Portugal’s Marisa Vaz Carvalho, who was launched to that position with personal bests in the 100m hurdles (13.36) and shot put (14.46m), and she also turned in decent efforts in the high jump (1.61m) and 200m (24.32), leaving her on a day-one total of 3580.
Surprisingly, the two favourites for the heptathlon languish a long way down the overall standings at this stage. Austria’s Sarah Lagger in is fifth position overnight on 3537 points.
Her 100m hurdles run of 14.36 seconds proved a disappointing start to the day, but the 15-year-old recovered well later in the day, recording personal bests of 1.76m in the high jump and 24.53 over 200m and she remains in the hunt for the gold medal on day two.
Ukraine’s Alina Shukh, who set the world best for the girls’ heptathlon with 6039 last month, had a disappointing first day and was well off her best in all four events. As a result, she goes into day two in 11th place with a current tally of just 3343 points.
Swiss medal hope Geraldine Ruckstuhl is currently in sixth place with 3502, just 78 points off a top-three spot, with her strongest event, the javelin, to come on day two.
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF
