Samba-Mayela and Belocian impress at French Championships, Jaeger breaks world U18 heptathlon best

Wilhem Belocian dominating 110m hurdles victory highlighted the second day of the French National Championships in Albi on Sunday (13).

Belocian sped to a 13.20 performance, well clear of runner up Jeanice Laviolette, who clocked 13.52. It was the second best performance ever for the 25-year-old, who lowered his career best to 13.18 at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco last month.

“I'm really happy, I'm just two-hundredths off of my personal best," he said. "There are still things to work on of course, but I'm happy with the title and this interesting time."

Elsewhere, 400m hurdles standout Ludvy Vaillant opted for the 400 flat instead and took the win there, clocking 45.46.

Melina Robert-Michon and Alexadra Tavernier produced notable victories in the discus and hammer throws, the former throwing 60.06m and the latter 72.76m.

Carolle Zahi completed the short dash double, clocking 22.98 to add the 200m title to the 100m crown she nabbed on Saturday, when teenager Cyrena Samba-Mayela produced one of the highlights of the championships' opening day.

The 2017 world U18 silver medallist lined up in Albi following victories over quality international line-ups in Chorzow and Marseille in recent weeks. She was head and shoulders above her domestic opposition, winning in 12.73 (1.5m/s) – the fastest ever time by a European teenager.

Former world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie won the pole vault with a 5.80m clearance with younger brother Valentin finishing second with 5.70m.

World bronze medallist Hugues-Fabrice Zango won the triple jump. His opening effort of 16.86m gave him just a slender lead, but the Burkinabe jumper then bounded out to a wind-assisted 17.33m to take a comfortable victory.

🥇 Cyréna Samba-Mayela (@LMAthletisme) est sacrée 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘁 𝗘𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗿𝘀 du 100 m haies en 12''73 (+1.5) à Albi et devient la 8e meilleure performeuse française de l'histoire ! Magnifique ! 🔥

🏟 #CFAthlé pic.twitter.com/tGJ9RlfvoO

— FFA (@FFAthletisme) September 12, 2020

Jaeger breaks world U18 heptathlon best

Henriette Jaeger broke the world U18 best in the heptathlon on Sunday (13), tallying 6301 points in Moss, Norway.

The 17-year-old Norwegian clocked 13.21w (+2.7) in the 100m hurdles, cleared 1.69m in the high jump, threw the shot 14.69m and capped the first day with a 24.23 performance in the 200m before sealing the victory with a 6.33m leap in the long jump, a 35.71m javelin and a 2:11.37 run in the 800m to breaks the previous U18 best of 6221 set by Spain's Maria Vicente in Gyor, Hungary, in 2018.

Joseph sets Swiss sprint hurdles record

European U23 champion Jason Joseph improved on his own national 110m hurdles record to win at the Swiss Championships in Basel on Saturday (12).

The 21-year-old sped to 13.29 (0.4m/s) in the heats to take 0.05 off the record he had set earlier this year. He followed it with a 13.31 clocking in the final to win his third successive national senior title.

Fellow 21-year-old William Reais set a PB of 20.24 (0.2m/s) to win the men’s 200m, moving to second on the Swiss all-time list, while Silvan Wicki won the 100m in 10.18.

Ajla del Ponte, winner of two 100m races on the Wanda Diamond League circuit this year, took the women’s 100m in 11.27 and 400m hurdles specialist Lea Sprunger dropped the barriers and stepped down in distance to 200m, winning in 23.08.

Elsewhere, Ditaji Kambundji won the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.07, just 0.03 shy of the Swiss U20 record, and 2016 world U20 champion Angelica Moser set a PB of 4.66m to win the pole vault.

Veszelka beats Taylor in Samorin

Tomas Veszelka's upset victory in the triple jump over four-time world champion Christian Taylor was the key highlight at the PTS Meeting, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, in Samorin, Slovakia, on Friday (11).

The unheralded Slovak jumped 16.69m in the third round and 16.66m in the sixth to hold off Taylor who managed a best of 16.53m with his final effort of the night. Taylor leaped a world-leading 17.46m to win in Ostrava on Tuesday.

Veszelka, 25, reached the final of the 2018 European Championships where he finished eighth and has a 17.09m lifetime best from 2019.

Elsewhere, Laviai Nielsen won the 400m in 51.70 to nab her third straight one-lap victory of the season. Dutchwoman Lieke Klaver was second in 51.92.

Ukraine's Anna Ryzhykova, the year's second fastest 400m hurdler, produced in a dominant run to take the victory in 55.21, the first this season in her specialty. Sara Slott Petersen of Denmark was second in 56.38. Estonia's Rasmus Magi won the men's race, clocking 49.32.

Mike Rodgers of the US took the 100m in 10.15 and Cindi Ofili the 100m hurdles in 12.99.

On the infield, Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova of Belarus took the long jump in 6.70m, a stadium record, and compatriot Maksim Nedasekau won the high jump on countback over Lithuanian Andrijus Glebauskas at 2.25m.

Gabriela Gajanova of Slovakia won a competitive 800m contest with ah 2:01.26 season's best to hold off Finn Sara Kuivisto, who clocked 2:01.60, a lifetime best.

New athletics centre inaugurated in Linz

The new Upper Austria Athletics Centre in Linz was inaugurated with a small meeting on Friday (11).

Local star Verena Preiner, the bronze medallist in the heptathlon at last year's World Championships, won the 100m hurdles in 13.71 and anchored an Upper Austrian 4x100m relay squad to a 45.65 performance.

Another rising star, teenager Kevin Kamenschak, also produced a notable performance. The 16-year-old finished third in the 1500m, improving his personal best to 3:48.43, nearly three seconds faster than his previous best of 3:51.15. Andreas Vojta, who won the race in 3:45.47, helped pace the rising talent. Jan Sykora of Czech Republic was second in 3:47.35. The performance elevated Kamenschak to fourth on the 2020 world U18 list. Joel Ibler Lilleso of Denmark leads that list with 3:44.50.

The Oberbank Leichtathletik-Zentrum Oberösterreich underwent a recent €2.8 million renovation after last year's decision by the city of Linz that its Gugl Stadium would serve as a football-only facility. The centre in Linz-Keferfeld offers a small stadium with a new eight-lane track, ideal conditions for all technical events and an indoor training hall. The tribune can be modified to seat up to 3000 spectators.

From Olaf Brockmann

Hashioka leaps world-leading 8.29m

In just his second competition of the outdoor season, world U20 champion Yuki Hashioka sailed out to a world-leading 8.29m (-0.6m/s) to win the men’s long jump at the Japanese University Championships in Niigata on Friday (11).

All three of his valid jumps would have been sufficient to win, but he improved with each round. After an opening effort of 7.92m, he followed it with 8.06m before producing his best leap in the fourth and final round.

Elsewhere in Niigata, Mei Kodama sped to 11.35 (-0.2m/s) to win the women’s 100m, moving to third on the Japanese all-time list. Soshi Mizukubo won the men’s event in a PB of 10.14 (1.8m/s).

Fajdek defeats Nowicki in Poznan

Pawel Fajdek's late season momentum continued at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix on Friday (11).

The four-time world champion threw 78.06m in the western Polish city to defeat compatriot Wojciech Nowicki, one of this season's two 80-metre throwers, for the second consecutive meeting. Nowicki, a three-time world bronze medallist, threw 75.14m to finish second.

Michal Haratyk prevailed in a quality shot put competition with a 21.55m best. Nick Ponzio of the US was second with 21.07m, with two-time world champion David Storl third with a 20.58m best.

Piotr Lisek topped 5.72m to win the pole vault before bowing out with three tries at 5.80m. Compatriot Robert Sobera was second on countback over Matt Ludwig and Ernest Obiena at 5.52m.

Elsewhere, Jessica Turner clocked 55.89 to win the 400m hurdles, her second victory of the summer. And Malwina Kopron took the women's hammer, reaching 72.48m in the second round.

Jon Mulkeen and Bob Ramsak for World Athletics