byLarry Eder
Okpareabo, Schippers, Asher, Euro Indoor 2015, photo by PhotoRun.net
Schippers 7.07 WL
KARLSRUHE (GER, Feb 6): Dafne Schippers opened her indoor season by setting a world-lead of 7.07 in the 60m heats at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe. The world 200m champion won the final but was a fraction slower at 7.08 ahead of Barbara Pierre in 7.09 and Dina Asher-Smith in 7.11. Mike Rodgers also claimed the world-lead over 60m with 6.52 which he matched in the final to beat Kim Collins in 6.54. Kendra Harrison converted her excellent form in the USA to the European indoor circuit as she lowered her world-lead in the 60m hurdles to 7.82 in the heats before winning the final in 7.86 ahead of world indoor champion Nia Ali (7.94) and Tiffany Porter (7.94). Cindy Roleder was fourth on home soil in 7.96. In the 1500m, Ethiopia’s Axumawit Embaye claimed the world-lead with 4:08.22 while Konstanze Klosterhaufen improved the European indoor junior record down to 4:08.38 in second. Adam Kszczot just missed the world-lead in the 800m by 0.03 with 1:45.96 ahead of Pierre-Ambroise Bosse in 1:46.25 while Augustine Choge took his second big win on German soil this month by winning the 3000m again in 7:43.22 ahead of Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha (7:43.45) with world indoor champion Caleb Ndiku fourth in 7:44.09. In the hotly anticipated pole vault showdown, Renaud Lavillenie sealed the win over Shawn Barber with a third-time clearance at 5.84m before setting a meet record of 5.91m on his third attempt. He had three unsuccessful tries at a world-lead of 6.01m. Raphael Holzdeppe was third with 5.70m. In the triple jump, Alexis Copello won in a world-lead of 16.99m while there were home wins for Marie-Laurence Jungfleisch in the high jump with 1.93m and Julian Howard in the long jump with 8.03m. Canada’s Tim Nedow won the shot put with 20.89. In total 4600 spectators followed the first meet of IAAF World Indoor Tour 2016.
Editor’s note: Face it, Dafne Schippers is on the global stage. Her strength, grit and focus make her truly dangerous in both sprints. What is fun, at least to me, is that she keeps her composure in face of mounting pressure. Last September, at the Great City Games in Gateshead, UK, Dafne told us that she was just then getting noticed in her own country. Dafne Schippers and Allyson Felix could be one of the finest moments of the 2016 Olympics.
