Thirteen sets of medals were awarded on the second day of the Russian Indoor Championships, held at the CSKA Indoor Arena in Moscow on February 17-19.Kseniya Ryzhova further improved on her 400m world lead and personal best of 51.06 she set yesterday in the preliminary round of the women’s 400m. In the final, the world 4x400m champion clocked 51.03 to move to equal 10th on the Russian indoor all-time list.European 400m hurdles champion Irina Davydova placed second in 52.51 and World University Games silver medallist Alena Tamkova was third in 52.86.“I wanted to dip under 51 seconds today, but the first lap was too fast,” said Ryzhova, who went through 200m in 23.60. “I gave it my all until the last meters of the race, because I still remember how I lost by a narrow margin at the Russian Winter. In the World Indoor Championships final, it will be mostly about tactics, not about the time, I think.”European under-23 champion Lev Mosin, who was the fastest in the 400m preliminary round on Monday, confirmed his status as the national leader, winning the men’s final in a personal best of 46.32.Aleksandr Khyutte, who switched from short sprints to the 400m just this year, finished second in 46.56, his first sub-47-second clocking. National 400m hurdles champion Denis Kudryavtsev finished third in 47.15.Ukhov is on the hunt for recordsWorld leader and Russian indoor record-holder Ivan Ukhov was the only athlete to clear 2.38m in the high jump. Afterwards he made two unsuccessful attempts at a would-be world indoor record height of 2.44m and passed his final attempt.“The qualifying mark was 2.18m, so there were just too many people. I wanted to enter at 2.30m, but realised that by that time I might as well fall asleep in the sector,” joked the Olympic champion after having to face 37 rivals in the final. “The competition lasted forever, that’s why by 2.44m I couldn’t focus properly.”Daniil Tsylplakov placed second with an outright personal best of 2.34m, while European indoor champion Sergey Mudrov was third with a season’s best of 2.32m. Aleksey Dmitrik, who cleared 2.40m earlier this year, had to settle for fourth place on count-back with the same height as Mudrov.Long jump world leader Svetlana Biryukova won the national title in a face-off with Darya Klishina, jumping 6.87m. Two-time European indoor champion Klishina jumped 6.67m in both the first and second round to take silver. Olympic silver medallist Yevgeniya Kolodko gained a confident victory in the shot put with 18.88m to move to equal second on this year’s world season list. Silver medallist Irina Tarasova sent her implement out to 18.31m to achieve the entry standard for next month’s IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot.“If I could achieve this kind of result with my technique today, it means I can go further if I execute attempts properly,” said Kolodko. “Today I felt sleepy all the way. It feels good to win, but this level of performance wouldn’t be enough to be a medal contender at the World Indoors, especially compared to Christina Schwanitz’s 20.05m.”In the men’s shot put, Maksim Sidorov took yet another national title, winning with a season’s best of 20.78m. Aleksandr Lesnoy surpassed the 20-metre mark for the first time indoors, placing second with 20.51m, while Valeriy Kokoyev took the bronze with 20.34m.Shubenkov tears the track – and his spikes – on the way to victoryWorld bronze medallist Sergey Shubenkov confirmed his dominance at the national level, winning the 60m hurdles and equalling his season’s best of 7.55. Shubenkov didn’t have a remarkable start, but managed to avoid major mistakes in the race. “I had to work really hard,” said the European champion. “I even tore one of my spikes in the preliminary rounds! Last year I ran faster at the Russian Championships, but I feel great, so let’s say it’s all about timing. I’ll get to Sopot and do my best.”Konstantin Shabanov took the silver in 7.64, while Shubenkov’s training partner Aleksey Dryomin finished third in 7.70.In the women’s 60m hurdles, victory went to Yekaterina Galitskaya who improved her personal best three times in one day.In the heats, she dipped under eight seconds for the first time in her career with 7.99, then in the semi-final she went event faster with 7.98. In the final, Galitskaya registered a winning time of 7.93, taking her to third on this year’s world season list.World finalist Yuliya Kondakova placed second in 8.04, also achieving the World Indoors qualifying standard.The women’s 800m final at the Russian Championships was, as always, competitive. The strongest finishing spurt among all contenders brought Anna Shchagina the victory with a personal best of 2:01.29, the second-best time in the world this season behind Britain’s Laura Muir (2:00.94).Yekaterina Kupina was second in 2:01.46 and Svetlana Karamasheva won the bronze in 2:01.64. Schagina is expected to go for the 1500m title on the last day of the Russian Indoor Championships.None of the men’s 800m finalists had the World Indoors qualifying standard of 1:47.00, so the final had to be fast. The main rivalry unfolded between Stepan Poistogov and Ivan Nesterov. They were close with one lap to go, but Poistogov was the one who managed to maintain the pace.Poistogov stopped the clock in a lifetime best of 1:46.53 with Nesterov also clocking a PB, taking silver in 1:47.18. Daniil Strelnikov won the senior bronze and the under-23 gold with a personal best of 1:47.67.“We changed our training during the off-season, made it more endurance-based, rather than speed-based. I never had a strong finish before,” said Poistogov, husband of Olympic 800m bronze medallist Yekaterina Poistogova. “My goal for Sopot is not to exit in the first round.”In the men’s triple jump, world indoor bronze medallist Lyukman Adams won the national title with 16.97m. Although it takes him to third on this year’s world season list, it is three centimetres shy of the qualifying standard for the World Indoor Championships.Elsewhere, the 200m national titles went to Yekaterina Vukolova (23.60) and Vyacheslav Kolesnichenko (21.23).Elena Dyachkova and Alla Glushchenko for the IAAF

Thirteen sets of medals were awarded on the second day of the Russian Indoor Championships, held at the CSKA Indoor Arena in Moscow on February 17-19.

Ryzhova improves 400m world lead, Ukhov dominates high jump at Russian Indoors

At the Governor Cup in Volgograd on Saturday (25), Svetlana Biryukova matched her own world-leading mark in the long jump, leaping to 6.98m and improving the meeting record of 6.93m with the former record-holder Tatyana Lebedeva looking on.It was one of several quality performances in the jumping events as 2011 world silver medallist Aleksey Dmitrik broke the meeting record in the high jump with 2.32m and Pavel Shalin surpassed eight metres in the men’s long jump.Biryukova (nee Denyaeva), now 22, is currently enjoying her best season so far. After setting the world-leading mark with her 6.98m PB in Moscow two weeks ago, she once again confirmed her excellent form in Volgograd.All three of her jumps – 6.77m, 6.79m, 6.98m – were better than 2011 world silver medallist Olga Kucherenko’s 6.69 m. World triple jump silver medallist Ekaterina Koneva was third with an indoor PB of 6.56m.“It was unusual to witness someone taking away my record,” said Lebedeva, the 2004 Olympic champion. “Last year Kucherenko came very close to it, jumping 6.90m, so I had a feeling it would not stand for long.“I liked the style of Biryukova’s jumps, and curiously she also combines long and triple jumps, the same as I did. She has a fast run up, and this gives her the potential to jump even farther. Hopefully the new record would bring her good luck at the World Indoors.”Dmitrik, competing in his indoor season opener, had first-time clearances up to and including 2.28m. He passed at 2.30m, and then cleared 2.32m on his third attempt to equal his best ever seasonal debut.He tried 2.35m, but stopped after two unsuccessful jumps. Dmitrik took victory ahead of up-and-coming 21-year-old Daniil Tsyplakov, who cleared 2.28m. 2010 European champion Aleksandr Shustov was only third with 2.20m.Two-time Olympic champion and world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva witnessed a quality duel in the men’s pole vault as Aleksandr Gripich beat 22-year-old Anton Ivakin on count-back, both clearing 5.50m. Ivakin, the European under-23 champion, currently trains under Isinbayeva’s former coach, Yevgeniy Trofimov.Pavel Shalin – who, like Biryukova, is also a talented triple jumper – continued his strong form in the long jump, breaking eight meters for the second time in three days.Fresh from the Moscow Indoor Championships, where he set an indoor PB of 8.08m, Shalin was just two centimetres shy of that mark in Volgograd, triumphing with 8.06m. The winning jump came on his third attempt, having found himself in a difficult situation after his first two jumps – 7.64m and a foul.Vasiliy Kopeykin was second with 7.80m and Denis Bogdanov third with 7.78 m. Shalin now owns two of the three best jumps in the world this season, trailing Zimbabwean world leader Ngonidzashe Makusha by two centimetres.There was also a world-leading performance in the men's 1500m as Aleksey Popov won in 3:40.81 from Valentin Smirnov (3:42.55).In the sprints, world finalist Kseniya Ryzhova won the 400m in 52.85 to enter the top 10 on this year’s world indoor season list. Ryzhova, who was part of Russia’s victorious 4x400m team at last year’s World Championships, faced no real opposition as Olga Tovarnova finished almost a full second behind in 53.81. Ukrainian Natalya Pohrebnyak won the women’s 60m in 7.31.Lebedeva, who last summer brought her superb career to an end at the age of 37, was one of the organisers of the event in her home city. This year’s Governor Cup meeting faced difficult times because of a terrorist attack on the city in December 2013.“Some international athletes refused to come after they heard of the bombings,” said Lebedeva. “But I am happy that we still managed to host the event for 13th time running. The stands were full, it was amazing.“Our goal is to make people in Volgograd interested in athletics, and step by step we are getting close. We don’t have ambitious plans like joining the Diamond League; we just want to host a small nice traditional event that all the athletes would love.”Natalya Maryanchik for the IAAF

At the Governor Cup in Volgograd on Saturday (25), Svetlana Biryukova matched her own world-leading mark in the long jump, leaping to 6.98m and improving the meeting record of 6.93m with the former record-holder Tatyana Lebedeva looking on.

Biryukova improves Lebedeva’s meeting record in Volgograd

The traditional Moscow Christmas Cup meeting on Sunday (12) saw two world-leading performances from a pair of Svetlanas: middle distance runner Svetlana Karamasheva and long jumper Svetlana Biryukova.Both women may not be immediately recognisable to athletics fans outside of Russia but that is probably only because they recently got married and have changed their family names. Both also put down early season markers that they could be among the challengers for medals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in the Polish city of Sopot in just under two months’ time.Biryukova (nee Denyaeva), now 22, improved her best by 22cm, leaping out to 6.98m to win at the Christmas Cup for the second year in a row, once again beating the 2011 and 2013 European indoor champion Darya Klishina.A year ago, the two women’s best marks were 6.75m and 6.66m and although this time Klishina improved by two centimetres and cut the sand at 6.68m, Biryukova improved by much more.Karamasheva (nee Podosyonova) produced a world-leading performance over 1000m in 2:39.16, the second world-lead in five days for the 25-year-old who won over 2000m in Yekaterinburg in 5:55.64 on 7 January.The 2013 IAAF World Championships 1500m semifinalist, who has an outdoor best of 3:59.61, faced no real opposition in her race with Alena Balakshina being distant second in 2:42.06. Another 1500m specialist, Kristina Khaleyeva, preferred to focus on 2000m this time, where she ran just fast enough to win in 6:04.42. In the men’s high jump, in the absence of Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov who the day before in Novocheboksarsk had cleared a world-leading 2.38m, Ivan Ilyichev took the victory with a personal best of 2.30m. For Ilyichev, the 2009 World University Games bronze medallist but a man who has often found his best performances under cover, it was a two-centimetre improvement on his personal best which he had previously achieved on no less than four separate occasions between 2007 and 2010, when he was considered one of Russia’s most promising prospects before his career hit a plateau.Lev Missirov, 23, went over the same height of 2.30m for a four-centimetre improvement to his best but had to settle for second place on count back. &nbsp;Representing the bright new generation of Russian male long jumpers, Aleksandr Petrov took the victory in this event with 7.87m. In the shot put, Alexander Lesnoy won the men’s event with 19.90m and Irina Tarasova took the women’s title with a relatively modest 17.82m.In the women’s 300m, the fastest was the 2013 World Championships 400m finalist Kseniya Ryzhova in 37.23. Worthy of a mention is the comeback after child birth of the 2008 Olympic Games 4x100m champion Alexandra Fedoriva-Shpaer. In her first run since 2012, she clocked 41.61. European 400m hurdles champion Irina Davydova won over 500m in 1:10.12. Natalia Maryanchik for the IAAF

The traditional Moscow Christmas Cup meeting on Sunday (12) saw two world-leading performances from middle distance runner Svetlana Karamasheva and long jumper Svetlana Biryukova.

Two world leads at Moscow Christmas Cup, Biryukova jumps 6.98m

The traditional Moscow Christmas Cup meeting on Sunday (12) saw two world-leading performances from a pair of Svetlanas: middle distance runner Svetlana Karamasheva and long jumper Svetlana Biryukova.

Moscow, Russia &nbsp;- The 21st edition of the Moscow Christmas Cup was held in the Russian capital’s old Sports Palace, with the highlight being two Long Jump competitions on Friday (12).The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist Darya Klishina leapt out to 6.66m, her best result since last July, but had to settle for second best behind fellow 21-year-old Svetlana Denyayeva, eighth at last year’s European Athletics Championships, who achieved a personal best 6.75m.In similar fashion, there was an slight upset in the men’s Long Jump with the The 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships silver medallist Pavel Karavayev winning with 7.95m while Pavel Shalin was a close second with 7.91m.Aleksander Shpaer was the first in the men’s 60m, clocking 6.73 while Yekaterina Filatova was the fastest women with 7.32.Svetlana Topylina was the fastest in the women’s 60m Hurdles, crossing the line in 8.15.The 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships Triple Jump gold medallist Aleksey Fyodorov bounded out to 16.60m. Other field event exponents in the spot light were Shot putters Aleksander Bulanov and Irina Tarasova, who won with 19.20m and 17.51m respectively.There were a variety of races over non-standard distances, as has become traditional at early season Russian indoor meetings. The 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships 40m silver medallist Yuliya Terekhova &nbsp;won over 300m in 38.10 while&nbsp; Yegor Babenko took the men’s 300m in 34.48; the 500m events were won by Kseniya Prytkova &nbsp;in 1:10.26 and Denis Skorobogatov in 1:03.81.Anna Schagina took the honours over 1000m with 2:38.38 while Kirill Simakov improved to 2:23.96 as the best in the men’s race.Nickolai Dolgopolov and Rostislav Orlov for the IAAF &nbsp;

Long Jump surprises in Moscow Christmas Cup

The 21st edition of the Moscow Christmas Cup was held in the Russian capital’s old Sports Palace, with the highlight being two Long Jump competitions on Friday (12).