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| Olympic high jump champion Ivan Ukhov of Russia. (Getty Images) |
The final day of the Russian Championships saw Olympic high jump gold medallist Ivan Ukhov take the title as he prepares to return to the Luzhniki Stadium in two weeks for more glory.
Ukhov won in London 12 months ago with a superb jump of 2.38m but that may not be enough to make the top of the podium this time.
Ukraine's Bohdan Bondarenko leads the world list with 2.41m but Ukhov's win here with 2.30m was a season best as he beat Aleksandr Shustov, who was second with 2.27m.
It is a good base to take into the Championships where he will be one of the big hopes based on his gold in London.
Russia name their team on Tuesday and it will feature an athlete who defies the years.
Yuriy Borzakovskiy is now 32 but he will be chasing his fifth World Championship medal after winning the 800m in these trials in 1:46.98 ahead of Stepan Poistogov, 26, who was second in 1:47.30.
Mariya Abakumova is the defending javelin world champion after her championship-record glory in Daegu with 71.99m and she will chase a second successive gold on the back of victory at the Russian Championships with 65.99m.
World junior record holder Sergey Morgunov won the long jump with 8.06m as he beat Aleksandr Petrov who had a best 7.94m.
And while Yulia Zaripova is the Olympic and world champion at the 3000m steeplechase, she is now second on the European Athletics 1500m rankings after a superb win in 4:02.56.
Sweden's Abeba Aregawi has run almost six seconds quicker as she dominates the distance but Zaripova will be the favourite for the steeplechase back in Moscow.
Over 1500m at these Championships, she beat Svetlana Podsyonova, who was second in 4:04.01, with Yelena Korobkina third in 405.43.
Irina Gumenyuk won the triple jump with 14.50m but multiple Olympic and World gold medallist Tatyana Lebedeva was back in sixth with 13.97m.
Olympic silver medallist Yevgeniya Kolodko won the shot put with a season's best of 19.86m ahead of Irina Tarasova with 18.52m and Anna Avdeyeva with 18.34m.



