Slovenian discus thrower Kristjan Ceh (© AFP / Getty Images)
A world-leading sprint hurdles clocking by Finland’s Annimari Korte and a Slovenian discus record from Kristjan Ceh were the key highlights on Sunday (7) as athletics action continued its return in European countries that are emerging from lockdown.
Korte clocked 12.84 in the 100m hurdles at the Uusi Alku meeting in Lahti, Finland, the second second fastest of her career, trailing just the 12.72 national record she set last year in Joensuu. She clocked 13.03 in the heats.
Korte competes next in Oslo's Impossible Games on Thursday where she'll contest the 200m hurdles.
That rarely-run event was also on the Lahti men's programme. Oskari Moro, the national record holder in the 400m hurdles, clocked 23.24 to break a national record set 33 years ago.
Topi Raitanen, an 8:21 steeplechase runner, won the flat 3000m in 7:52.89, just shy of his 7:52.82 career best set last season.
Top marks from Ceh and Reh
There were some other solid results at meetings in Central Europe.
Kristjan Ceh, the European U23 champion in the discus, broke the Slovenian record at a throws meeting in Domzale on Sunday (7), reaching 66.29m.
His effort shattered the previous mark of 64.79m set by Igor Primc in 1999. It was the 21-year-old's first competition since the national winter throwing championship on 7 March when he threw 63.48m. He set his previous lifetime best of 63.82m when taking the continental U23 title in Gavle, Sweden, last year.
German distance runner Alina Reh returned to competition today in a race that was so low-key that it was actually kept secret.
Running in wet conditions, the 23-year-old clocked 31:26 at the Berlin 10-K Invitational, shy of Irina Mikitenko's 30:57 German record which was her stated target. But, she told DPA, she was pleased with the performance.
"I'm happy with the time, although I originally wanted to achieve a result of around 31 minutes," she said.
Keeping in line with local restrictions on mass events, 13 runners participated in the race, eight men and five women.
Johannes Motschmann clocked 29:11 to win the men's race.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics
