Season leaders in the 3000m steeplechase, Abdelaziz Merzoughi of Spain and Mitko Tsenov of Bulgaria progressed safely through to Sunday’s final without mishap on Friday morning at the European Athletics U23 Championships in Tampere, Finland.
Tsenov crossed the line in a jog in the first heat winning in 8:45.02 from Italian Giuseppe Gerratana who clocked a lifetime best 8:46.05. The second heat was taken by Romain Collenenot-Spiret in a slower time of 8:52.52 with Merzoughi content to shadow him across the line in second.
The season’s top performers in the 110m Hurdles progressed without problems to the final with Aliaksandr Linnik of Belarus bringing his career best down from 13.88 to 13.76 into a 1.1mps headwind to lead the qualifiers. In heat one France’s Simon Krauss edged Germany’s Gregor Traber while in heat two it was Linnik over Koen Smet of the Netherlands.
Only two men had clean cards up to and including the qualifying height of 2.20 in the High Jump. Season leader, Daniil Tsyplakov of Russia, required only three efforts to go through to the final while Greece’s Adonios Mastoras had four clearances. Douwe Amels of the Netherlands chose a good morning to clear a season’s best of 2.20, an improvement of 5cm over his previous 2013 best coming into these championships. Exactly 12 men cleared the qualifying height with Croatia’s Alen Melon bringing up the rear with a personal outdoor best by 2cm though he has gone higher indoors.
Kazmirek keeps Shkurenyov at bay
In the first event of the second day of the Decathlon, Russia’s Ilya Shkurenyov (14.29) clawed back seven points over the high hurdles from the leader, Kai Kazmirek of Germany (14.35), but it still leaves the German with a healthy lead of 164. Czech Adam Helcelet took a firmer grip on bronze by outgunning Ashley Bryant of Great Britain clocking 14.38 to the Briton’s 14.45 to move 47 points clear in third. But with only 13 points separating Helcelet from silver, he has everything to play for in his battle with the Russian.
In the Discus Shkurenyov applied more pressure with a 45.09, but Kazmirek, alert to the danger, responded with a lifetime best 44.77 to restrict the Russian to a seven point advantage leaving him with 157 still to make up with three events remaining. After a shaky foul at the first time of asking, Helcelet registered a season’s best 41.21 before going out to a career best 43.03 to maintain his grip on bronze.
Sidorova and Zhuk-Krasnova to final with one jump
The season’s top performers all went through to the final of the women’s Pole Vault with only Sweden’s Angelika Bengtsson showing a wobble at her opening height of 4.15. Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova and Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova took only one jump to qualify while Austria’s Kira Gruenberg cleared a career best of 4.20.
Shanice Craft of Germany secured her place in the Shot Put final with her second round effort 17.10. The Ukraine’s Olha Holodnaya required just one attempt of 16.84 to go through with Croatia’s Valentina Muzaric on 16.80. France’s Fabienne Digard set a lifetime best of 16.57 as fourth best of the morning.
Four women qualified for tomorrow’s Hammer final with their first throw including season leader Sophie Hitchon of Great Britain. But it was Russia’s Yelizaveta Tsareva who went furthest with 67.59 to improve her lifetime best by over a metre set earlier this summer winning the U23 trials in Cherboksary. Sweden’s Eleni Larsson also set a new career best of 67.13 with her second effort. Barbara Spiler of Slovenia and Alexia Sedykh of France also secured their final place with their first attempts.