Pascal Behrenbruch in the heptathlon shot at the IAAF World Indoor Championships (© AFP / Getty Images)
Ashton Eaton continues as the clear leader in the men’s heptathlon and after a successful shot put, still has the world indoor record in his sights.
The US all-rounder had several good attempts with the third one landing at 14.88m, 32 centimetres more than in his world indoor record series in Istanbul 2012 and just 17cm less than his personal best from earlier this season.
Eaton has collected 2794 points after the first three events and there is little doubt he will win his second successive world indoor title, given that he gets a result in every event.
Ukrainian Oleksiy Kasyanov performed well in the shot put, crushing his personal best with 15.41m to sit in second place with 2685.
Competition for the medals is as tight for the men as it is for the women in the pentathlon. There are still five athletes close to each other and any of these five might win the silver or bronze behind Eaton.
Belarusian Andrei Krauchanka is much closer to a medal after the shot put. The 2008 world indoor silver medallist set a personal best of 15.42m in the third event and is in third place with 2581 points.
Canada’s Damian Warner has collected exactly the same amount of points in fourth place, 2581, but is behind due to Krauchanka having a higher score in two events. Warner achieved a 13.86m personal best in his first indoor competition.
Thomas Van Der Plaetsen is also in a good position following a 14.32m shot put PB. The Belgian has 2562 points for the fifth place.
In sixth, German Kai Kazmirek has scored 2527 with a 14.06m shot put and world leader Eelco Sintnicolaas has dropped down to seventh place with 2478 total points. Pascal Behrenbruch is in eighth place with 2450 points, but he topped the shot put with a 15.50m season’s best.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
