Karpov and Hellebaut are Multistars overnight leaders

 Kazakistan’s Dmitriy Karpov in the Decathlon, and the surprising Tia Hellebaut of Belgium in the Heptathlon were the overnight leaders yesterday in the Multistars, the first meeting of the 2003 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge, which begun on Saturday 10 May.
 
In the Decathlon, Handi Dhouibi of Tunisia produced a fast start to the two-day competition with 10.74 in the 100m, scoring 919 points. Karpov (10.91, 100m) responded on the Long Jump runway with 7.77m (1002), the best technical performance of the first day, and went into the lead with 1883 ahead of the 21 year-old Tunisian who consolidated his second place with 7.25m in the Long Jump, for a total of 1793 after the first two events.
 
The top man from Kazakistan maintained his lead in the Shot Put with 14.53 (761), for a total of 2644 points. In the meantime, Poland’s Krystof Andrzejak went into second position by scoring a valuable 827 points score in the Shot thanks to his 15.60m performance, the second best in this event behind the Italian Paolo Casarsa’s PB of 15.68 (832), which moved him into provisional fourth place in the ranking after three events.
 
Karpov scored one of the biggest performances of the first day with a PB of 2.12m in the High Jump (915) increasing his lead to 305 points over Andrzejak, who cleared 1.91 metres, but tragedy struck the Pole who had to drop out of the entire competition with an injury before the 400 metres.

Romain Barras of France cleared 2.00 (803) and moved into fourth place ahead of Casarsa (3193) and the US athlete Paul Terek (3170), thanks to his best performances of 10.93 for 100m (876 points) and 15.26 Shot (806 points).

Dhouibi’s 47.67 in the 400m earned him a score of 925 points which lifted him into second.

However, the best 400 metres performance was achieved by the Estonian Niki Joorits with 47.35 (941) which enabled him to move from ninth to fifth with a total score of 3994 points, 49 more overall than Casarsa who clocked 51.38. Terek ran the 400m in 49.65 and was placed fourth overnight with 4001 points.

Karpov mantained his lead after five events with 48.65 (878) by totalling 4437 points, so improving the meeting’s best overnight score of 4395 points which has been held by the US Sheldon Blockburger since 1993.The athlete from Kazakhistan has the potential to break the 8000 points barrier for the first time in his career, as the scoring table indicates that if everything goes to plan he could reach about 8165 points.

Karpov developed his passion for Combined events as his parents were multieventers too. “I am enjoying this meeting in Desenzano as we are competing in a nice and friendly atmosphere. It was very hard today, especially the 400m but among Decathletes there is a common sense of friendship. This has helped us a lot. Decathletes are like brothers who are always ready to support each other. It is really a fantastic feeling,” said Karpov.

Casarsa seems on schedule to break the 8000 points barrier after the first five events with 3945 points. He traditionally has a better second day when he faces his best events, the Javelin and the 110m Hurdles. “I will do my best to break this barrier. The entry standard of 8090 to compete at the World Championships in Paris is a bit outside my reach but I will try, either tomorrow or in three-weeks time in Götzis where I have been invited to compete. My real goal is to peak for the next European Cup Combined Event which will take place in Bressanone on 5 and 6 July.”
 
The women’s Heptathlon produced a major surprise with the Belgian Tia Hellebaut (a High Jump specialist with a PB of 1.90m) going into the lead with 1.85 in her favourite event (1041 points), after scoring 945 points in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 14.24. The best performance in the 100m Hurdles was scored by Czech Republic’s Michaela Hejnova with a 13.55 second clocking (1043 points, the best result of the day).

The Briton Jennifer Kelly produced the best result with a 13.85m release in the Shot Put, which also featured good results by Czech Sarka Berankova with 13.78m (779 points), who moved from tenth into seventh with a total of 2536 points. The Italian Gertrud Bacher moved from seventh into third with a good release of 13.68 (773 points). Bacher’s total rose to 2585 points.
 
Hellenbaut remained in first position with a best performance of 12.71m in the Shot Put (708 points).

The 200m saw the 17 year-old Briton Jessica Ennis run the best time of the day with 24.44 but this did not produce any significant changes in the overall overnight ranking. Finland’s Tiia Hautala was second with 3510 points after a steady day - Hurdles of 13.89, High Jump of 1.76, a 13.71m shot and a 25.42 200m, while Bacher stood third with 3480 points.

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

Leading results from the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge meeting in Desenzano del Garda:

Men:

1 Dmitry Karpov (Kazakistan) 4437 points (10.91/881 – 7.77/1002 – 14.53/761 –2.12/915 –48.65/878)
2 Hamdi Dhouibi (Tunisia) 4164 points (10.74/919 – 7.25/874 – 13.91/723 –1.91/723 –47.67/925)3 3 Romain Barras (Francia) 4055 points (11.02/856 – 6.82/771 – 15.00/790 – 2.00/ 803 – 49.56/835
4 Paul Terek (Usa) 4001 points (10.93/876 – 6.68/739 – 15.26/806- 1.94/749 – 49.65/831)
5 Mikk Joorits (Estonia) 3994 points (10.82/901 –7.06/828 -  13.21/680 – 1.82/644 –47.35/941)
6 Paolo Casarsa (Italy) 3945 points (11.07/845 – 6.80/767 –15.68/832 –1.94/749 –51.38/752)
7 Luca Ceglie (Italy) 3912 points (10.86/892 – 6.99/811 –12.54/639 –1.88/696 –48.74/874)
8 Michal Modelski (Poland) 3874 points (11.19/819 –6.83/774 –14.24/743 – 1.94/749  - 50.55/789)

Women:

1 Tia Hellebaut (Belgium) 3516 points (14.24/945 – 1.85/1041 – 12.71/708 – 25.72/822)
2 Tiia Hautala (Finland) 3510 points (13.89/994 –1.76/928 – 13.17/739 –25.42/849)
3 Gertrud Bacher (Italy) 3480 points (14.15/957 – 1.70/855 –13.68/773 – 24.91/895)
4 Margaret Simpson (Ghana) 3441 points (13.77/1011 –1.70/855 –12.60/701 –25.14/874)
5 Sarka Berankova (Czech Republic) 3419 points (14.28/939 – 1.67/818 – 13.78/779 –25.04/883)
6 Olga Alekseyeva (Kazakistan) 3416 points (14.74/876 –1.82/1003 –12.06/665 – 25.16/872)
7 Magalya Garcia (Cuba) 3416 points (13.76/1013 – 1.61/747 –13.58/766 – 24.96/890)
8 Christelle Preau (France) 3382 points (14.47/913 –1.82/1003 – 11.58/633 –25.60/833)