Javelin throwers Tero Pitkamaki and Maria Abakumova competed in two different meetings on German soil on Sunday (25), but the end result for both athletes was the same as they produced the best throws in the world since 2011.World silver medallist Pitkamaki was throwing at the Werfertage meeting in Bad Kostritz. In the first round, Germany’s David Golling smashed his PB by more than three metres to take an early lead with 80.67m.After a slow start, Pitkamaki eventually found his rhythm in the fourth round, sending his Javelin out to 89.03m to break Raymond Hecht’s meeting record of 87.87m from 2002.Not only was it the Finn’s best mark since 2007 – the year in which he won the World title – but it was also the best mark in the world since August 2011.“I’m very happy with the competition and the distance, even though the wind was not quite perfect,” said the 30-year-old.Behind Pitkamaki and Golling, European under-23 silver medallist and World Championships representative Bernhard Seifert of Germany finished third with 79.01m.Elsewhere in Bad Kostritz, Germany’s two-time World champion David Storl won the Shot but was pushed all the way by Argentina’s German Lauro.The South American record-holder opened with 20.32m and it took Storl until the third round to take the lead with his 20.47m effort. But that was short-lived as Lauro responded with 20.61m in the fifth round, then improved further with 20.91m on his final attempt.Storl had saved enough for the final throw of the competition, though, and sent his Shot out to a meeting record of 21.02m.In the women’s event, Germany’s World silver medallist Christina Schwanitz was similarly tested against tough opposition. US champion Michelle Carter recorded 19.33m to Schwanitz’s 19.40m in the first round before the home favourite went on to improve with 19.71m and then 20.18m to secure the victory.Abakumova defeats Obergfoll againSince her disappointment of missing out on winning gold in front of her home crowd at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia’s Maria Abakumova has now twice defeated World champion Christina Obergfoll – including today’s triumph in Elstal.The pair were competing at the DKB Cup meeting just three days after their last clash at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Stockholm, where Abakumova also came out on top. This time, the World bronze medallist produced a winning mark of 69.75m, the best performance in the world since her own winning throw at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu.Obergfoll finished almost four metres adrift with a best throw of 65.82m. In a competition which featured four of the top-five finishers from the World Championships, Australia’s Kathryn Mitchell finished third with 62.17m, just two centimetres ahead of Germany’s Linda Stahl.There was one other World champion competing in Elstal, pole vaulter Raphael Holzdeppe, although he had a competition he’ll be keen to forget as he failed to register a valid mark.It left the way clear for Olympic silver medallist Bjorn Otto to enjoy a comfortable victory with 5.80m, 20 centimetres ahead of Czech record-holder Jan Kudlicka.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Javelin world leads by Pitkamaki and Abakumova in Germany

Javelin throwers Tero Pitkamaki and Maria Abakumova competed in two different meetings on German soil on Sunday (25), but the end result for both athletes was the same as they produced the best throws in the world since 2011.

Renaud Lavillenie will have to wait two more years to take
another stab at winning the World Championships gold medal that has so far
eluded him – and continues to do so – in his glittering career.The Olympic champion from France was beaten by Germany’s
Raphael Holzdeppe, who was in incredible form and was the only athlete not to
record any failures up to and including the winning height of 5.89m.Lavillenie, meanwhile, cleared the same height but needed
three attempts to do so, having also recorded a couple of failures earlier in
the series.Holzdeppe’s team-mate Bjorn Otto took the bronze, meaning
the podium featured the same three medallists from last year’s Olympic Games
and European Champions. Unfortunately for Lavillenie, it was a different order.Lavillenie’s younger brother Valentin was the first to exit
the competition, failing at his opening height of 5.50m. China’s Xue Changrui
was the only casualty of the next height, 5.65m, missing it three times.With the bar at 5.75m, there were 10 men left in the
competition, four of which went out at that height. The most notable of those
was Greek record-holder Konstadinos Filippidis, winner at the Lausanne Diamond
League meeting earlier in the season.Brazil’s Augusto de Oliveira, Russia’s Sergey Kucheryanu and
Sweden’s Alhaji Jeng joined Filippidis on the bench after similarly missing
three times at 5.75m.USA’s Brad Walker, the 2007 World champion, sailed over
5.82m at the first time of asking, as did Holzdeppe and Otto. Lavillenie needed
two attempts, while Malte Mohr stayed in the competition with a third-time
clearance.Holzdeppe then sailed over 5.89m to maintain his lead.
Lavillenie was the only other athlete to get over the bar, but a third-time
clearance meant he still trailed his German rival. He would need to clear the
next height, 5.96m, in fewer attempts than Holzdeppe to snatch the gold.But it was not to be and both athletes notched up three
failures at the final height of the competition, giving Holzdeppe the gold
medal.Though distraught, Lavillenie was gracious in defeat and
made his way over to the stands where Holzdeppe was celebrating to congratulate
him on his victory; Lavillenie’s mind already thinking about his next shot in
Beijing in two years’ time.Jon Mulkeen for the
IAAF

Report: Men’s Pole Vault final – Moscow 2013

Renaud Lavillenie will have to wait two more years to take another stab at winning the World Championships gold medal that has so far eluded him – and continues to do so – in his glittering career.

There was a brief moment of tension for pre-event favourite Renaud Lavillenie in this morning’s qualifying round of the men’s Pole Vault.The Olympic champion from France was the last athlete to enter the competition, by which point 12 other athletes – including his younger brother Valentin – had cleared 5.55m. He needed to clear 5.65m to guarantee his place in the final, where he hopes to win his first World Championships gold medal.But Lavillenie failed on his first attempt, and for a brief moment it looked as though he may be in trouble. However, his very next effort saw him sail over the bar and into the final. It will be the first time since 1993 that brothers have featured in a World Championships Pole Vault final.Czech record-holder Jan Kudlicka was the only other man to go over 5.65m in a qualifying round where several athletes under-performed and missed making the final.Cuba’s Lazaro Borges, the silver medallist in Daegu two years ago, could only manage 5.40m to finish 21st overall. Brazil’s World junior champion Thiago Braz da Silva also cleared just 5.40m, some 43cm shy of the South American record he set earlier this year.Olympic finalist Steve Lewis and 2003 World champion Giuseppe Gibilisco crashed out of qualifying, failing to clear a height.All the other genuine medal contenders made it through, though. All three German athletes – Bjorn Otto, Raphael Holzdeppe and Malte Mohr – qualified with ease, all of them clearing 5.55m.USA’s Brad Walker, the 2007 World champion, and Greek record-holder Kostadinos Filippidis both advanced with first-time clearances at 5.55m. Brazil’s Augusto de Oliveira, who briefly held the South American record earlier this season before Da Silva bettered it, needed three tries at 5.40m but went over 5.55m at the first time of asking to qualify for Monday’s final.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Report: Men’s Pole Vault qualifying – Report

Report: Men’s Pole Vault qualifying – Moscow 2013

There was a brief moment of tension for pre-event favourite Renaud Lavillenie in this morning’s qualifying round of the men’s Pole Vault.

Renaud Lavillenie heads to Moscow as one of the biggest gold-medal favourites of any event.The French pole vaulter has produced the best six marks in the world this season, topped by his recent national outdoor record of 6.02m set in London, his last competition before heading to the World Championships.He is desperate to win gold too, having triumphed at every other major championship – Olympic Games, World Indoor Championships and European Championships indoors and out. Should he succeed, he will make history for his country; despite France taking six medals in the history of this event at the World Championships, none of them have yet been of a golden hue.Lavillenie is joined on the team by his younger brother Valentin. Should both make it through qualifying, surprisingly it won’t be the first time that a pair of brothers have competed in the Pole Vault final at the World Championships. Back in 1993 Sergey Bubka was joined in the final by older brother Vasiliy. That proved to be a lucky omen for the legendary Ukrainian as he took gold.German duo Bjorn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe are familiar rivals to Lavillenie. The pair took the silver and bronze medals behind Lavillenie at both the Olympic Games and European Championships last year. They have also beaten Lavillenie this summer; Holzdeppe at the Rome Diamond League and Otto at the Drake Relays.At 35 years of age, should Otto make it on to the podium, he would become the oldest ever Pole Vault medallist in the history of the World Championships. Bubka, who took gold in 1997 at the age of 33, is the oldest Pole Vault medallist to date.Greek record-holder Konstadinos Filippidis has been in top form this year, producing six of the seven best clearances of his career.Brad Walker, winner of the World title in 2007, heads to Moscow as the top US entrant. His season’s best of 5.83m puts him at fifth on this year’s world season list. The 32-year-old was winning major medals as recently as last year, taking bronze at the World Indoor Championships.Following Fabiana Murer’s victory in the women’s event two years ago, her Brazilian male counterparts have been steadily improving. Augusto de Oliveira and Thiago Braz da Silva have both broken the South American record this year. De Oliveira cleared 5.82m in June, only for World junior champion Da Silva to add one centimetre to the mark two weeks later.Other contenders include Czech record-holder Jan Kudlicka, Germany’s 2010 World indoor silver medallist Malte Mohr and defending silver medallist Lazaro Borges from Cuba.Poland’s Pawel Wojciechowski, the surprise winner in 2011, will not defend his title due to injury.Click <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/competitions/iaaf-world-championships/14th-iaaf-world-championships-4873/athletes" target="_blank">here</a> for OFFICIAL ENTRIES in the Moscow 2013 Athletes section.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Men’s Pole Vault – Preview

Renaud Lavillenie heads to Moscow as one of the biggest gold-medal favourites of any event.

A total of 67 athletes, 35 men and 32 women, have been named by the Germany Athletics Federation (DLV) to compete at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow.At the last World Championships in Daegu, Germany finished fifth on the medals table with three gold medals. Two of those gold medallists – discus thrower Robert Harting and shot putter David Storl – will defend their titles in Moscow, but 2011 Javelin champion Matthias De Zordo will miss this year’s World Championships through injury.Harting is joined on the team by his younger brother, Christoph Harting, and Martin Wierig, one of just two men to have defeated Harting this year.The youngest member of the team is 19-year-old long jumper Malaika Mihambo, winner at the recent European Junior Championships, while the oldest athlete on the team is 35-year-old Olympic Pole Vault silver medallist Bjorn Otto.Discus thrower Nadine Muller and hammer thrower Betty Heidler both took silver at the last World Championships and will once again be among Germany’s medal hopes at this year’s edition.No less than seven German men achieved the 8200 ‘A’ standard in the Decathlon, making selection in that event particularly difficult. The three places were given to the top-scoring athletes in the country this year – Pascal Behrenbruch, Rico Freimuth and Michael Schrader.With an average age of 25.1 years, the focus for the DLV has been on the future generation for this year’s World Championships.“The aim of these young athletes is to survive in the conditions of an international championship and develop their individual potential,” said DLV head coach Idriss Gonschinska. “We are convinced that this young team has the potential to compete with good overall results among the great nations of world athletics in Russia.”Injury has forced the withdrawals of 2011 World Pole Vault silver medallist Martina Strutz, discus thrower Anna Ruh and sprinter Anna-Lena Freese.The 4x100m teams will be finalised after a competition this Friday in Weinheim.DLV for the IAAFGERMAN TEAM FOR MOSCOWMen 100m: Julian Reus 1500m: Carsten Schlangen, Homiyu Tesfaye 5000m: Arne Gabius 110m Hurdles: Erik Balnuweit 400m Hurdles: Silvio Schirrmeister 3000m Steeplechase: Steffen Uliczka 50km Race Walk: Christopher Linke Pole Vault: Raphael Holzdeppe, Malte Mohr, Bjorn Otto Long Jump: Sebastian Bayer, Alyn Camara, Christian Reif Shot Put: David Storl Discus: Robert Harting, Christoph Harting, Martin Wierig Hammer: Markus Esser Javelin: Lars Hamann, Thomas Rohler, Bernhard Seifert Decathlon: Pascal Behrenbruch, Rico Freimuth, Michael Schrader 4x100m: Lucas Jakubczyk, Martin Keller, Maximilian Kessler*, Sven Knipphals, Alexander Kosenkow*, Matthias Lindner*, Reus, Roy Schmidt* 4x400m: David Gollnow, Eric Krueger, Jonas Plass, Miguel Rigau, Thomas SchneiderWomen 100m: Tatjana Pinto, Verena Sailer 400m: Esther Cremer 1500m: Diana Sujew 10,000m: Sabrina Mockenhaupt 100m Hurdles: Nadine Hildebrand 3000m Steeplechase: Gesa Felicitas Krause, Antje Moldner-Schmidt High Jump: Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch Pole Vault: Kristina Gadschiew, Carolin Hingst, Liza Ryzih, Silke Spiegelburg Long Jump: Lena Malkus, Malaika Mihambo, Sosthene Moguenara Shot Put: Christina Schwanitz, Josephine Terlecki Discus: Julia Fischer, Nadine Muller Hammer: Betty Heidler, Kathrin Klaas Javelin: Katharina Molitor, Christina Obergfoll, Linda Stahl Heptathlon: Kira Biesenbach, Julia Machtig, Claudia Rath 4x100m: Maike Dix, Katherina Grompe, Yasmin Kwadwo*, Pinto, Sailer, Inna Weit*Selection to be confirmed after competing in a 4x100m race this Friday in Weinheim

German team of 67 athletes announced for Moscow

A total of 67 athletes, 35 men and 32 women, have been named by the Germany Athletics Federation (DLV) to compete at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

About 27,000 spectators at the two-day German Championships in Ulm on 6-7 July saw throwers as strong as ever, sprinters getting into shape for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow and Alyn Camara causing an upset in the Long Jump.Olympic silver medallist Bjorn Otto was under pressure in the Pole Vault as Olympic bronze medallist Raphael Holzdeppe cleared 5.75m on his first attempt. But Otto showed strong composure as he jumped over the bar at 5.80m, forcing Holzdeppe to raise the bar to 5.85m, which was too high for the 23-year-old.Otto went on to attempt 5.92m, but had to be content with what was his first ever outdoor national title, despite being just three months shy of his 36th birthday.World Champion David Storl dominated the Shot competition with his first throw over 21 metres this season. With his winning effort of 21.04m, he moved up to eighth on this year’s world rankings. His next stop will be the Shot meeting in Biberach on Monday, and afterwards he’ll trust in his coach Sven Lang to get him into shape for the World Championships.Fast times for Reus and SailerJulian Reus achieved A standards for Moscow in both the 100m (10.14) and the 200m (20.36) but will probably focus on the shorter distance and the sprint relay at the World Championships.Verena Sailer clocked the second-fastest time of her career in the 100m, winning in 11.09.“Today, everything just fitted perfectly,” said the 2010 European champion. “Before the race, I was so excited I almost felt sick warming up. But then I simply enjoyed the race.”Camara jumps to victoryThe big surprise of the championships came from Alyn Camara of Leverkusen who won the Long Jump ahead of the big favourites. He leaped 8.02m in round three before being surpassed in the final round by two-time European indoor champion Sebastian Bayer (8.04m).But Camara, the last jumper of the competition, fought back and jumped to victory with 8.15m. Christian Reif, the 2010 European champion, finished third with 7.90m.“Sebastian pushing me in the last round was necessary for me to improve – I didn’t even feel pressure, it was normal tension of a competition,” said Camara. “When I hit the board, I already felt that this was going to be a great jump.”In the women’s Pole Vault, Martina Strutz impressed with a flawless performance up to the height of 4.60m. A clearance at 4.65m on her second attempt – her best performance since winning the silver medal at the 2011 World Championships – won her the German title ahead of Silke Spiegelburg, who cleared 4.50m. Third place with 4.45m went to 19-year-old Anjuli Knasche, fourth at the World Junior Championships last year.Two medals for the Harting familyOlympic champion Robert Harting was accompanied on the podium by his 23-year-old brother Christoph who won bronze with 62.61m. Robert Harting, who had competed at the Paris Diamond League meeting on the day before, dominated the competition with five throws beyond the 66-metre mark, his best attempt being measured at 67.95m.“I know that 68 metres won’t scare anyone in a World Championships final,” said Harting. “I will still have to improve by one or two metres.”Martin Wierig, too, showed good shape with a throw of 66.10m which won him silver. For Moscow, he is looking at a top-six finish.Hammer title No.9 for HeidlerWorld record-holder Betty Heidler celebrated her ninth national title in the Hammer Throw with a series of six throws beyond the 70-metre mark.But she wasn’t completely happy with her winning attempt of 73.93m hopes to do better at the World Championships. “I am going to Moscow to win a medal,” she said. “I think that this is a realistic goal. My shape on the day itself will decide which medal it will be.”European indoor champion Christina Schwanitz dominated the Shot Put and again showed that she is in top shape with 19.76m.Muller beats the youngstersNadine Muller left behind the up-and-coming Germans in the Discus where she won gold with 64.17m ahead of Anna Ruh (63.79m) and Shanice Craft (60.77m), first and second at the World Junior Championships in Barcelona last year.In the men’s Javelin, it was again Thomas Rohler who won with 83.56m. The women’s title went to Linda Stahl with 63.70m, almost two metres ahead of Christina Obergfoll (61.73m), who competed in Paris the night before.Silke Bernhart for the IAAF

Otto celebrates first national title as Storl gets into shape

About 27,000 spectators at the two-day German Championships in Ulm on 6-7 July saw throwers as strong as ever, sprinters getting into shape for the IAAF World Championships in Moscow and Alyn Camara causing an upset in the Long Jump.

Dortmund, Germany – Spectators in the sold-out Helmut-Körnig-Halle in Dortmund expected a show-down in the men’s Pole Vault at the German Indoor Championships this weekend (23-24), and the athletes didn’t let them down.Olympic silver medallist Björn Otto defended his national title with a jump of 5.85m, but his opponents put up a strong fight.It was German outdoor champion Malte Mohr who looked most confident in the field, clearing 5.55m, 5.70m and then a season’s best of 5.80m on his first attempt. Otto was under pressure early as he needed three attempts for 5.70m, at which point he was in just fourth place.Otto then failed his first attempt at 5.80m, but as ever the 35-year-old showed great composure. With a clearance of 5.85m, he secured his third national indoor title, having won in 2007 and 2012. Afterwards, he attempted 6.01m but without success.There were good performances also from Hendrik Gruber and Tobias Scherbarth, who came third and fourth respectively with a height of 5.75m, making it difficult for German head coach Jörn Elberding to decide who to take to the European Indoor Championships in Gothenburg next week. For Olympic and European bronze medallist Raphael Holzdeppe, his 5.70m was only good enough for fifth place.“I had a good attempt at 6.01m,” said Otto, “but my goal was not to break the German record, I wanted to qualify for the European Indoors.” Asked for the key to his longevity, he said: “Less training!”World lead for SchwanitzOn the first day of the two-day championships, world leader Christina Schwanitz was the big favourite in the Shot. In the absence of European Champion Nadine Kleinert, who has already finished her indoor season, Schwanitz took her second national indoor title in style.In the third round of the competition, she achieved a mark of 19.79m, improving her outright PB by 11cm. All four of her valid attempts would have been enough to win.“I was angry because the competition started slowly and all other events seemed to be more important than the Shot,” said Schwanitz. “This anger, combined with a little bit of luck and the right feeling for the Shot, caused something perfect – finally a PB after five years!”Schwanitz, who now moves up to second place on the German indoor all-time list behind Astrid Kumbernuss (20.30m), will head to the European Indoors as the big favourite as six of the ten best marks in the world this year have been achieved by the German. “I’m looking forward to the Championships. And maybe I can throw even farther.”Ralf Bartels said goodbye to his fans at his last German Indoor Championships with a mark of 20.08m to win indoor title number six.Fast sprints from Sailer and ReusAnother highlight of the championships were the 60m sprint events where the big favourites stormed to victory.Verena Sailer, the 2010 European 100m champion, nearly missed the competition because of the flu, but she recovered quicker than expected and showed that she was still up to speed. She won the final in 7.18, her second-fastest time this year and only three hundredths short of her PB.“I wanted to race ahead of the European Indoors,” she said. “Several people have told me that I haven’t lost shape because of the flu. Mentally, that was really important to me.”20-year-old Tatjana Pinto could not quite challenge her German relay partner yet. But with a time of 7.24 she, too, proved that she was in good shape and ready for Gothenburg.In the men’s event, Julian Reus made a strong impact in the preliminary rounds with times of 6.66 and 6.60. And in the final, he was aiming to go even faster. Crossing the finish line in a PB of 6.56, he clocked the fastest winning time at German Indoor Championships since 1999. In Gothenburg, he wants to make it to the final and is looking for a place amongst the top six.Reif beats Bayer in the Long JumpIn the men’s Long Jump, European champion Sebastian Bayer was mainly aiming for the qualifying standard for the European Indoors because flu had hit him hard a couple of weeks before. So he was happy with second place and 7.97m, which put him on the road to Gothenburg.For Christian Reif, the 2010 European champion, eight metres doesn’t appear to be a problem this winter. He took the title with 8.06m and had a couple more promising attempts, but overstepped four times.Erik Balnuweit clocked 7.61 in the 60m Hurdles, taking the title away from Gregor Traber (7.68) who took his last chance to qualify for the European Indoors. Gold in the women’s 60m Hurdles went to Nadine Hildebrand in 8.07 ahead of the defending champion Cindy Roleder (8.11).Solo runs in the 3000m1500m specialist Carsten Schlangen opted for the 3000m. Increasing his speed after three laps, he disposed of his opponents quickly and celebrated an unchallenged victory in 7:55.37.Corinna Harrer, Olympic semi-finalist in the 1500m, followed his example and performed an impressive solo run in the women’s 3000m, winning in 9:04.21.“I’ve only just come back from a training camp,” explained Harrer. “My main aim this winter will be the European Indoors. As we don’t have an indoor hall in Regensburg, my coach and I are going for the longer distances during the winter. In Gothenburg, I want to make it to the top five and looking at my training results, I think I can run 8:45.”In the 1500m, Anett Horna caused an upset for the Sujew twins Elina and Diana when she overtook the sisters on the last lap to claim victory in 4:13.26.“We are very disappointed,” said Diana and Elina Sujew. “We wanted to keep the pace fast, but it wasn’t quick enough. We were aiming to make the final at the European Indoors, but now we’re not sure if that’s realistic.”The top female sprinters in the 200m all achieved PBs with Inna Weit (23.53) beating Maike Dix (23.61) and World Junior sprint relay silver medallist Katharina Grompe (23.72).Silke Bernhart for the IAAF

Otto and Schwanitz shine in Dortmund

Spectators in the sold-out Helmut-Körnig-Halle in Dortmund expected a show-down in the men’s Pole Vault at the German Indoor Championships this weekend (23-24), and the athletes didn’t let them down.

Olympic Pole Vault champion Renaud Lavillenie is ready to take the Prefontaine Classic to new heights when he competes at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Eugene on June 1.Lavillenie will make his first-ever trip to Hayward Field to take on the two men who joined him on the Olympic podium last year – Bjorn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe.The 26-year-old is currently the dominant vaulter on the planet. He owns a PB of 6.03m and was the only athlete in the world last year to win all three major titles, taking gold at the IAAF World Indoor Championships, the European Championships and Olympic Games.Otto is another member of the six-metre club, joining it last year at the age of 34. Now 35, the German is the oldest vaulter in the field for Eugene. Countryman Holzdeppe, just 23, has a PB of 5.91m and took bronze at the European Championships last year. Like Lavillienie, for Otto and Holzdeppe this will be their first visit to Eugene.The only Pre Classic entrant familiar with the Eugene facility is American record-holder Brad Walker. Three of Walker’s most memorable jumps came at Hayward Field, including his victories at the 2012 US Olympic Trials and 2009 US National Championships. But Walker still relishes his clearance of 6.04m at the 2008 Pre Classic, the American record that still stands. It also still stands as the US all-comers record.Three additional Olympians are confirmed for the Pre Classic field – Malte Mohr of Germany, Steve Lewis of Great Britain, and Konstadinos Filippidis of Greece. Mohr is the 2010 World indoor silver medallist, while Lewis and Filippidis hold the national records for their respective countries.Organisers for the IAAF

Lavillenie to renew rivalry with German duo in Eugene

Olympic Pole Vault champion Renaud Lavillenie is ready to take the Prefontaine Classic to new heights when he competes at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Eugene on June 1.

American shot putter Ryan Whiting continued to dominate his event this winter when provided the best performance of the evening at the ninth edition of the Pedro’s Cup indoor meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Tuesday (12). In absence of local favourite and two-time Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski, the reigning World indoor champion Ryan Whiting was always the clear favourite in the men’s Shot Put competition but had to show his competitive mettle before emerging as the winner with an effort of 21.38m. His compatriot Cory Martin took the lead with an indoor lifetime best of 20.84m in the second round. Whiting immediately overtook him later in the second round with 20.88m, but that only motivated Martin further. On his next attempt, Martin set yet another personal best, this time reaching 20.98m. It was only in the fifth round that Whiting finally managed to prove his superiority. His effort was measured at 21.38m, a new meeting record and the second longest mark in the world this year, a distance only beaten by himself. In fact, Whiting is the only man over 21 metres so far this year, a barrier he has broken in each of his three meetings and his penultimate effort effectively sealed the win in Bydgoszcz.The two Americans were followed by Germany's former European champion Ralf Bartels who reached 19.63m. Seven centimetres further back was the best Polish thrower Rafal Kownatke.There were only three events in the Pedro's Cup but all featured top international fields.The men’s Pole Vault competition featured Germany's two Olympic medallists from the London 2012 Olympic Games, Bjorn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe. However, Holzdeppe, vaulting off a shortened run-up, failed three times at his opening height of 5.50m and departed ignominiously. Another top German, Malte Mohr, met with the same fate after successive failures at 5.60m, 5.70m and 5.75m.Otto on top of his gameBy contrast, while his compatriots struggled, Otto showed impressive form. After an easy opening clearance at 5.50m, he went straight up to 5.70m and cleared the bar yet again by a big margin on his first attempt. As it turned out, the two vaults were enough to give the Olympic silver medallist the win but Otto continued with three attempts at 5.85m. All three vaults at the meeting record height were unsuccessful, although he came close on both the second and the third attempts.“I am happy with today’s competition,” said Otto. “I had hoped to vault higher, but I was using new poles tonight, and the experiment was successful.”Sweden’s Alhaji Jeng proved to be the best of the rest. A third-time clearance at 5.60m was enough to clinch the second place. British record holder Steven Lewis finished third at 5.50m. The women’s field included the 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist Yarisley Silva, as well as Great Britain's 2013 world leader Holly Bleasdale and Poland's 2009 World champion Anna Rogowska. This trio, along with US vaulter Mary Saxer, were the only competitors left by the time the bar reached 4.50m. Both Silva and Bleasdale cleared this height on their first attempts; Saxer did so with her second attempt while Rogowska, who had earlier cleared 4.40m, passed straight to 4.60m.The next height proved decisive. Silva had a very impressive first-time clearance at 4.60m and none of the other three managed to go clear. Rogowska could not even reach the bar on either of her first two attempts, and her third, while better, was not quite good enough to get over so the Polish star thus finished down in fourth place, as Bleasdale took second and Saxer third.With victory assured, Silva asked for the bar to go up to 4.70m. Both of her first two attempts were extremely close, the third a bit less so.“I did not vault the way I expected tonight,” commented the disappointed Rogowska. “But there is enough time before the European Indoor Championships to settle the technical issues. I am healthy and I hope this year will be a much happier one than the last.”Bydgoszcz will stage more top class athletics action next month when the city is the host for the 2013 IAAF World Cross Country Championships on 24 March.Pawel Jackowski for the IAAF

Ryan Whiting continues to dominate the Shot Put with big win in Bydgoszcz

American shot putter Ryan Whiting continued to dominate his event this winter when provided the best performance of the evening at the ninth edition of the Pedro’s Cup indoor meeting in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Tuesday (12).

Meeting records from Bjorn Otto in the Pole Vault and Murielle Ahoure in the 60m, plus a world-leading performance in the 60m Hurdles by Kevin Craddock, were among the highlights of the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on Friday (8).The 60m Hurdles world lead was in fact rewritten twice this evening in the German city as former US indoor champion Omo Osaghae clocked 7.53 in the heats. But that lasted for just 70 minutes as the top mark of 2013 as American team-mate Craddock sped to a 7.50 victory in the final.In a close finish, Osaghae was just 0.02 behind to equal his personal best, while Hungary’s Balazs Baji set his third PB of the year with 7.57 in third place. It wasn’t a good night for World champion Jason Richardson who finished just sixth in his heat with 7.73, failing to advance to the final.Two weeks after shooting to the top of the 2013 world lists with her 7.00 national record in the 60m, Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast maintained her winning streak this season by setting a meeting record of 7.08. USA’s Barbara Pierre, who finished fourth at last year’s World Indoor Championships, finished second in 7.12 – her fastest time at sea level.Otto delighted the home crowd with victory in a close-fought Pole Vault contest. The Olympic silver medallist was expecting fellow German Raphael Holzdeppe to be his toughest opponent, but tonight the Olympic bronze medallist finished in fourth. Instead it was China’s Yang Yansheng, the 2005 World youth champion, who came to the fore.Otto and Yansheng were still tied in first place through to 5.80m, by which point all other athletes had exited the competition. Yansheng’s clearance at that height was a Chinese record, but the bar went up to 5.90m straight after. Otto cleared it on his second attempt to secure the win, while Yansheng failed twice and then for a third time at 5.95m.Meeting records by Ndiku and Clarke, world lead from SaladuhaThe quality of the speedy Dusseldorf track was again confirmed in the men’s 60m. After the heats it looked as though the final would be a three-way shoot-out between Jimmy Vicaut, Yunier Perez and Lerone Clarke – all of whom dipped under 6.60 in the first round.But Perez, one of the revelations of the 2013 indoor season after recently clocking a world-leading 6.51, pulled up 10 metres from the finish line in the final, seemingly carrying a slight injury. Clarke powered on ahead to equal the meeting record of 6.52, just about holding off Vicaut (6.53) with Angel David Rodriguez setting a Spanish record of 6.55 in third.As she prepares for the defence of her World triple jump title later this year, Ukraine’s Olha Saladuha opened her 2013 campaign with her best ever season opener. Any one of her five legal jumps would have comfortably been enough to win, but it was her second-round leap of 14.52m – a world-leading mark – that was the best of the day.German indoor champion Kristin Gierisch was a distant second with 13.91m, two centimetres ahead of World indoor record-holder Tatyana Lebedeva.Caleb Ndiku and Albert Rop upset their more experienced rivals in the 3000m. After a speedy opening kilometre of 2:31.41, the pace dropped slightly in the middle section of the race. But Ndiku and Rop took up the running in the last few laps, leaving behind the likes of double Olympic silver medallist Mahiedine Mekhissi, World indoor silver medallist Augustine Choge and 2004 Olympic bronze medallist Paul Kipsiele Koech.Ndiku crossed the line a clear winner in 7:38.77, almost a full second ahead of Rop (7:39.70) as the top four finishers bettered the previous meeting record. Mekhissi was third in 7:43.72, comfortably ahead of Koech and Choge. Souleiman takes 1500m, Lewis the sprint hurdles victorAyanleh Souleiman was one of the most improved middle-distance runners in the world last year, but an untimely injury before the Olympics meant he had to miss the London Games as his training partner Taoufik Makhloufi went on to strike gold. But if his performance in Dusseldorf tonight is anything to go by, perhaps 2013 will be Souleihman’s year.The 20-year-old defeated Bethwel Birgen, the Kenyan who had notched up two victories on the circuit this year, setting a Djiboutian record of 3:36.13 – and looking as though there is a lot more to come. Birgen finished half a second behind, while David Bustos (3:38.41) and Benson Seurei (3:38.58) set PBs in third and fourth.USA’s Yvette Lewis was the only woman to break eight seconds in the heats of the 60m Hurdles and it was the same story in the final. Her winning time of 7.94 was her best since her appearance at this same meeting in 2010 where she clocked 7.90.The men’s 800m boasted one of the best fields of the night, but it sadly did not live up to expectations. No one went with the pace maker, despite him going off at a moderate pace, and it left Polish pair Marcin Lewandowski and Adam Kszczot to battle it out on the last lap. Kszczot used his trademark finish to kick ahead and take the win in 1:47.96 – two and a half seconds slower than his winning time from this meeting last year.Olympic bronze medallist Timothy Kitum was a distant fourth, ahead of 2004 Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy and 2010 World indoor silver medallist Boaz Lalang.The women’s middle-distance events were similarly lacking in fast times. Olympic bronze medallist Yekaterina Poistogova was a clear winner of the 800m in 2:03.54, while Ukraine’s Anzhelina Shevchenko was just as convincing in the 1500m, winning in 4:09.13.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Otto, Ahoure and Craddock on top form in Dusseldorf

Meeting records from Bjorn Otto in the Pole Vault and Murielle Ahoure in the 60m, plus a world-leading performance in the 60m Hurdles by Kevin Craddock, were among the highlights of the PSD Bank Meeting in Dusseldorf on Friday (8).

Olympic silver medallists Bjorn Otto and Yarisley Silva came out on top at the first edition of the Golden Indoor Pole Vault meeting in Pardubice on Tuesday (5).Competing in front of 2500 spectators in a hall that is usually used for ice hockey, there was some great vaulting. Otto, Germany’s current top vaulter, was pushed all the way by Kostas Filippidis, who last week upped his own Greek record to 5.83m.In Pardubice, Filippidis went over 5.78m and tried at a would-be lifetime best of 5.88m, but it was not to be. Otto – who recently set a world age-35 best of 5.90m – cleared 5.83m on his second attempt to take the win before having a decent attempt at 5.93m; a height that would have been a world-leading mark and an indoor PB.Czech vaulter Jan Kudlicka finished third with 5.65m, taking some notable scalps in the form of Maksym Mazuryk (fourth, 5.55m), Olympic bronze medallist Raphael Holzdeppe (equal fifth, 5.55m) and 2010 World indoor silver medallist Malte Mohr (equal fifth, 5.55m).In the women’s competition Cuban record-holder Silva was a clear winner, clearing 4.71m on her third attempt – her second-best indoor mark to date. She then raised the bar to 4.81m – six centimetres above her outdoor Cuban record and a would-be world-leading height – but she only took one attempt before retiring from the competition.Russian Olympian Anastasiya Savchenko finished second with an outright personal best of 4.61m to beat compatriot Anzhelika Sidorova (4.50m). European champion and home favourite Jirina Svobodova had been the poster girl of the event, but had a bad day and no-heighted at 4.35m.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAFLeading resultsMEN 1 Bjorn Otto (GER) 5.83m 2 Kostas Filippidis (GRE) 5.78m 3 Jan Kudlicka (CZE) 5.65m 4 Maksym Mazuryk (UKR) 5.55m 5 Steven Lewis (GBR) 5.55m 5 Malte Mohr (GER) 5.55m 5 Raphael Holzdeppe (GER) 5.55m 8 Giuseppe Gibilisco (ITA) 5.55mWOMEN 1 Yarisley Silva (CUB) 4.71m 2 Anastasiya Savchenko (RUS) 4.61m 3 Anzelika Sidorova (RUS) 4.50m 4 Nikolia Kiriakopoulou (GRE) 4.35m 5 Stella-Iro Ledaki (GRE) 4.35m 6 Romana Malacova (CZE) 4.35m 7 Aleksandra Kiryashova (RUS) 4.20m 8 Natalia Mazuryk (UKR) 4.20m

Otto and Silva triumph in Pardubice

Olympic silver medallists Bjorn Otto and Yarisley Silva came out on top at the first edition of the Golden Indoor Pole Vault meeting in Pardubice on Tuesday (5).

With now only three weeks to go until the start of the IAAF Indoor Permit series, the Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe will have a mouth-watering clash in what is arguably the nation’s best event, as one of the highlights of the six-meeting series. On 2 February, the Karlsruhe Europahalle will play host to a rematch of the men’s Pole Vault final from both the Olympics and European Championships as the three medallists are reunited. France's Olympic and European champion Renaud Lavillenie will take on German duo Bjorn Otto and Raphael Holzdeppe, who both took silver and bronze respectively at the Olympics and European Championships.Lavillenie was the only athlete in any event to have won gold at the World Indoor Championships, European Championships and Olympic Games during the 2012 season.He has been the leading vaulter of the past few years, although he is not unbeatable – as both Otto and Holzdeppe know from personal experience. The pair defeated Lavillenie at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in London in July, while Holzdeppe also came out on top when he took on Lavillenie on home soil indoors in Lievin.Otto also ended his 2012 summer season on a high – quite literally – when he bettered Lavillenie’s world-leading mark by setting a German record of 6.01m, joining the very elite six-metre club.That, of course, is a club to which Lavillenie already belongs, having first cleared that barrier in 2009 and then again indoors in 2011.Indeed, Lavillenie excels indoors, having won the 2012 World Indoor title as well as the past two European Indoor titles. And with quality opposition in Karlsruhe in February, the meeting record of 5.80m – shared by Michael Stolle and Sergey Bubka – could well be under threat.In addition to the men's Pole Vault, other events at the Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe include the 60m Hurdles, 800m, 1500m and 3000m for men, and the Long Jump, 60m, 60m Hurdles, 1500m and 3000m for women.The women's 60m will feature the last two European 100m champions, Germany's Verena Sailer and Bulgaria's Ivet lalova, who won in 2010 and 2012 respectively.Jon Mulkeen and Organisers for the IAAF

Karlsruhe to play host to Olympic Pole Vault rematch

Karlsruhe to play host to Olympic pole vault rematch

With now only three weeks to go until the start of the IAAF Indoor Permit series, the Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe will have a mouth-watering clash in what is arguably the nation’s best event, as one of the highlights of the six-meeting series.