Hungary’s Krisztian Pars got a modicum of revenge for his surprise defeat by Poland’s Pawel Fajdek at the IAAF World Championships last week when he produced a 2013 world-leading 82.40m at the 11th Athletics Bridge meet in the Slovak town of Dubnica on Wednesday (21).The meeting was part of the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge but the Olympic champion was pushed hard by Fajdek, who achieved a personal best of 82.27m and maintained his place at the top of the men’s Challenge standings, although just by six centimetres.The one final event for the men in this year’s IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge is at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Rieti, Italy, on 8 September and Wednesday’s result means that there will be a thrilling climax to the race for the US$30,000 first prize, which Pars won in 2011 and 2012.Competing in the main stadium in front of around 4000 spectators, but with just four attempts, Pars started with a 80.94m meeting record and Fajdek replied with 80.66m. In the second round, Pars was again over 80 metres with 80.73m while Fajdek had a foul.Pars again improved the meeting record to 81.54m but then Fajdek answered with huge throw, a personal best and 2013 world-leading mark of 82.27m.However, Pars showed his competitive mettle and launched his implement out to 82.40m, another world lead and meeting record, and just five centimetres shy of his personal best which has stood since 2006. Fajdek was unable to respond and fouled again.<div class="quote">"The conditions were excellent. I’m happy I was still able to throw that far after the World Championships where I had problems with my shoulder," said Pars. </div>Slovakia’s Moscow finalist Marcel Lomnicky was the best of the rest with 77.91m, beating Czech Republic’s World bronze medallist Lukas Melich who threw 77.83m. Unfortunately, Slovenia’s 2008 Olympic champion and 2009 World champion Primoz Kozmus suffered back problems while warming up and could not throw.Before the women’s competition, Poland’s Moscow silver medallist Anita Wlodarczyk was already close to 75 metres while warming up and so some big distances were anticipated.The 2009 World champion began with 74.79m and then reached 76.16m for a meeting record. Following a third-round foul, she then threw 78.22m, which is the seventh best throw ever and just 24cm short of her own national record which she threw in Moscow.Behind Wlodarczyk, USA’s 2013 World University Games champion Jeneva McCall threw a life-time best of 74.77m in round two for second place. Cuba's three-time World champion Yipsi Moreno was third with 73.30m. With two events left in the women’s Challenge, Wlodarczyk is in pole position with 232.74m, the cumulative distance of her best three performances in Challenge meetings.In the other events, the first sub-10 100m in Slovakia was achieved, albeit wind-assisted with a with 2.5m/s breeze, by US sprinter Mike Rodgers with a splendid 9.90. Jamaica’s Nesta Carter was second in 9.98.Jamiaca’s Carrie Russell, helped by a 2.9m/s wind, clocked 11.00 to win the women’s 100m with her compatriot Natasha Morrison second in 11.17. Canada’s Moscow bronze medallist Derek Drouin cleared his opening height of 2.21m only on his third attempt, but then jumped 2.26m and then a meeting record of 2.33m with his first tries before calling it a day.Kenya’s 3000m Steeplechase World champion Milcah Chemos had planned to attack the 2000m Steeplechase world best of 6:03.38 but the windy conditions made a serious attempt impossible. After a 3:04 first kilometre, Chemos slowed over the final 800m and had to settle for a time of 6:16.95.Two Czech pole vaulters went over 5.68m for what was another meeting record, with Jan Kudlicka beating Michal Balner on count back. There were good Hurdles wins for Cuba’s 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles in 13.35 (3.8m/s) and USA’s Moscow finallist Queen Harrison in 12.95 (1.4m/s). There was also a surprise win for Bulgaria’s Georgi Ivanov in the Shot Put with 20.25m over Canada’s Moscow bronze medallist Dylan Armstrong, who could only reach 20.15m.Phil Minshull and organisers for the IAAF

Pars and Wlodarczyk throw long in Dubnica - IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge

Pars and Wlodarczyk throw big distances in Dubnica – IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge

Hungary’s Krisztian Pars got a modicum of revenge for his surprise defeat by Poland’s Pawel Fajdek at the IAAF World Championships last week when he produced a 2013 world-leading 82.40m at the 11th Athletics Bridge meet in the Slovak town of Dubnica on Wednesday (21).

No less than 10 gold medals were decided on day four of the World University Games with the hosts Russia taking half of them in Kazan on Wednesday (10).However, the plaudits for the best performance went to South African sprinter Anaso Jobodwana who added to his 100m title when he sped to the 200m crown in 20.00. The 20-year-old student at Jackson State University in the USA will be mildly frustrated by the fact that the wind reading was 2.4 metres-per-second, but even though the breeze was too strong for record purposes, it didn’t invalidate what a fine run it was.Jamaica’s Rasheed Dwyer and Japan’s Shota Iizuka were second and third in 20.23 and 20.33 respectively.&nbsp; The first final of the afternoon was the women’s Hammer and the USA’s American collegiate (NCAA) champion, Jeneva McCall, clinched her global title with her third-round effort of 73.75m.Russia’s 2013 world leader Oksana Kondratyeva had to be satisfied with silver with 72.22m while Moldova’s 2011 World University Games champion Zalina Marghieva was unable to defend her title and finished third with 71.10m. In the morning, Russian athletes achieved a clean sweep in the women’s 20km Race Walk. The four Russians were packed together right from the start onwards and never let the other competitors come near. After the disqualification of former World record-holder Vera Sokolova, Anisya Kirdyapkina took the gold medal in a World University Games record of 1:29:30, Irina Yumanova passed the line second in 1:30:41, with Lina Bikulova a distant third in 1:32:30.Russia easily were the winners of the team title.Russia’s Dmitry Tarabin put all his energy into the first attempt and his 83.11m was enough for the gold and make it a husband-and-wife double after his spouse Mariya Abakumova won the women’s title on Tuesday.A surprising winner in the men’s 400m Hurdles was Slovakia’s Martin Kucera. With a fifth place in Tuesday’s semifinal, he only just scraped into the final. Coming into the home straight, and running in lane one, he was near the back of the field but in the last 100 metres he overtook the complete field before finishing in a personal best of 49.79. Finland’s Hanna-Maari Latvala, who entered the competition with a season’s best time of 23.62, had the best start of the field in the 200m final and kept her lead until 40 metres before the end, when she was overtaken by Kimberly Hyacinthe. The Canadian took the gold in a personal best of 22.78 while Latvala broke the 23-second barrier for the first time by clocking 22.98 for the silver medal. USA’s Vashti Thomas won the 100m Hurdles in a super-quick 12.61. She had by far the best start and kept her advantage the whole race. She broke the World University Games record of Poland’s Lucyna Langer, set in 1979 at altitude in Mexico City, by 0.01. Belarus’ Alina Talay was second with 12.78.Russia’s two-time World University Games champion Alexandra Kiryashova could go no higher than 4.20m in the Pole Vault, which placed her seventh and opened the door for her compatriot Anastasia Savchenko to take her title. Savchenko cleared all her attempts up to and including 4.60m on her first attempt before three failures at a World University Games record-equalling height of 4.70m. The last event of the day was the women’s 3000m Steeplechase and Russia’s Olympic and World champion Yulia Zaripova typically went into the lead straight from the gun.She won in a European-leading time of 9:28.00 and finished more than 12 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.Russia’ 2011 World champion Tatyana Chernova is the overnight leader in the Heptathlon with 3861 points, only 66 points shy of her day-one total when she took the world gold in Daegu, and 167 points ahead of Czech Republic’s Eliska Klucinova. Latvia’s Laura Ikauniece is just 24 points behind Klucinova and the gap between places two and five is only 80 points so, barring Chernova having a disaster, an interesting battle for silver and bronze can be expected.Hans van Kuijen for the IAAF

South Africa's Jobodwana sizzles to sprint double at World University Games

Jobodwana sizzles to sprint double at World University Games

No less than 10 gold medals were decided on day four of the World University Games with the hosts Russia taking half of them in Kazan on Wednesday (10).