by Stuart Weir
Saturday night Fever in Apeldoorn
[Or 9 things that impressed me]
1 It was a night dominated by field events with long jump or triple-jump, high jump and pole-vault happening simultaneously. Great to see them venter stage,
2 It was a great evening for Italy and Switzerland. An Italian, Andy Diaz Hernández, won the men’s triple jump with 7.71 – the first Italian winner since Daniele Greco (7.70) in Goteborg in 2013. Roberta Bruni was 5th in the pole-vault on her birthday. Larissa Iapichino won the long jump – see more below.
For Switzerland Angelica Moser won the pole-vault with 4.80 and Annik Kalin jumped a national record 6.90 in the long-jump but it was only good enough for silver. Audrey Werro and Rachel Pellaud (another birthday girl) reached the final of the 800m
3 What is 0.02 seconds between friends? Rachel Pellaud (2:03.53) made the 800m final Wilma Nielsen (2:03.55) did not.
4 The women’s long jump was a brilliant competition. Annik Kalin took the early lead with 6.90 but Larissa Iapichino countered with 6.95. The great Malaika Mihambo was out of sorts for most of the evening but as great champions do, she produced 6.88 with her final attempt to take bronze.
Larissa Iapichino was delighted to equal her mother (Fiona May‘s) achievement in winning the European Indoors and could not resist pointing out in her post-race interview that mum had only jumped 6.91 while she had won with 6.94! However mum has won the World championship – indoors and outdoors, taken an Olympic silver and jumped 7 meters so Larissa has a bit of catching up to do.
5 One thing that disappointed me was the number of fouls in the long-jump, 18 out of 47.
6 It has been a particularly difficult few weeks for Ukraine with American support seemingly waning. Oleh Doroshchuk’s 2.34 PR, WL to win the high jump was particularly pleasing. Great to see him win but where was Gimbo?
7 The women’s pole vault was a great competition with Angelica Moser overcoming failures at 4.70 and 4.75 before winning with a first-time clearance at 4.80. From a GB perspective it was said not to have an entrant, Holly Bradshaw (former European Indoor champion) has retired and Molly Caudery (reigning World Indoor Champ) is injured. I suppose we ought to let the others have their turn!
8 Jeremiah Azu won GB’s first gold medal – see separate post.
9 Sander Skotheim from Norway took the heptathlon with 6558. (The heptathlon was a fantastic competition, as the Dutch fans love their multi-events).
