Day 3: Bayer provides the perfect finale

Day 3: Bayer provides the perfect finale | 08.03.2009

Bayer celebrates his Long Jump gold with silver medallist
compatriot Nils Winter.

A stunning European long jump record of 8.71m by the previously unheralded Sebastian Bayer and an exhilarating final leg in the men’s 4x400m by Claudio Licciardello provided the perfect story book ending to an unforgettable final day of action at the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

A passionate sell-out crowd at the Oval Lingotto were treated to a jam-packed programme of 14 finals in the final session which served up a whirlwind of a little over two-and-a-half hours of drama and excitement. Leading the way was Bayer, of Germany, who in the final event to be completed in the programme, launched out to a staggering European record of 8.71m – and the second longest jump in history behind Carl Lewis’ world record of 8.79m.

Bayer had already wrapped up a high-class competition after a first round 8.29m by the time the slender 22-year-old took to the runway for his final jump. With the pressure lifted a relaxed Bayer produced the performance of the championships and herald a new dawn for European long jumping.

The top six all bounded out to personal bests with Bayer’s countryman Nils Winter jumping 8.22m and Marcin Starzak of Poland setting a national record of 8.18m for bronze. Bayer said: “Right now, I cannot tell you how I jumped that far. But the run up and the set up of the long jump was very good, we also saw that yesterday in the women’s event.”

Claudio Licciardello made up for the disappointment of ‘only’ winning the silver medal in the individual 400m yesterday, by running a stunning final leg in the men’s 4x400m relay to lead Italy to victory in the final track event of the championship.

For around 1550m, it looked as if Great Britain were set for gold and the silver belonged to Russia, until Licciardello found his best form with a split of 45.82 to haul his team from fifth, when he accepted the baton, to take the gold medal in 3:06.68. Great Britain were given the verdict from Poland in the battle for the minor medals, both setting identical times of 3:07.04.

A delighted Licciardello said: “It is a great day for Italy. This is historic because it is the first gold in the 4x400m relay in the history of the championships.”

Dwain Chambers, who set a European record of 6.42 in yesterday’s semi-finals, earned a comfortable success in the men’s 60m final, posting a slightly slower 6.46. The British athlete dominated from the outset and coasted to a straight-forward success. There was double joy for the passionate home crowd as Italy claimed the silver and bronze medals through Fabio Cerutti and Emanuele Di Gregorio, both registering 6.56. Former Olympic 800m champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy produced an assured performance to land victory in the men’s 800m – some nine years after last winning title.

Italian talisman Claudio Licciardello steers the home team to a dramatic gold medal win
in the men's 4X400m relay.

Silva unleashed a ferocious sprint over the final 200m to add to his 1998 and 2002 titles in 3:44.38. The minor medals went to Spain’s Diego Ruiz (3:44.70) and Yoann Kowal of France (3:44.75). The Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski added the European Indoor title with a masterful performance in the men’s shot.

The giant Pole dominated the competition from the first round with his biggest effort of 21.02m coming in the fifth round. France’s Yves Niare set a national record of 20.42m to propel him from fifth to the silver in the final round with German’s European outdoor champion Ralf Bartels taking bronze (20.39m).

France’s Renaud Lavillenie proved the class of the field in the men’s pole vault taking victory by equalling his personal best of 5.81m. He had a flawless record up to his winning height and although he failed in his attempt to break the championship record of 5.91m the 22-year-old rising star celebrated his first major success.

Russia’s Pavel Gerasimov took the silver medal on countback from Alexander Straub of Germany after both cleared 5.76m.
Estonia claimed only their second ever gold medal in the history of the championships courtesy of Mikk Pahapill, who set a personal best in all seven events to strike gold in the men’s heptathlon.

His total score of 6362 points moved him to ninth on the all-time World lists and he came within an agonising 12 points of Erki Nool’s national record (Nool is the other Estonia to win European Indoor gold, taking the heptathlon in the 1996 edition). The minor medals were secured by Oleksiy Kasyanov of the Ukraine (6205) and veteran world decathlon record holder Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic (6142).

Russian Yuriy Borzakovskiy canters home to European title
in 800m after a gap of nine-years.

Russian Mariya Savinova provided the highlight of the women’s programme winning a pulsating 800m final in a world lead time.She refused to be drawn on the suicidal early pace set by Britain’s Marilyn Okoro and ran a well-judged race to cross the line in 1:58.10. Savinova’s compatriot Oksana Zbrozhek set a season’s best of 1:59.20 for silver with Italy’s Elisa Cusma forcing her way across the line for a popular bronze in 2:00.23.

Russia’s Anastasiya Taranova-Potapova registered a world leading 14.68m in the third round to secure gold in the women’s triple jump. Marija Sestak’s season’s best of 14.60m was enough to bag the silver medal with Slovakia’s Dana Veldakova setting a national record of 14.40m for bronze. In the women’s 3000m Alemitu Bekele caused a major shock to land Turkey’s first ever European Indoor title to destroy Russia’s Anna Alminova’s hopes of landing a 1500m/3000m double.

The Ethiopian-born Bekele unleashed a killer-kick over the final 200m to destroy the field and set a national record of 8:46.50. Portugal’s Sara Moreira claimed silver in a PB of 8.48.18 with Mary Cullen of Ireland holding on for bronze (8:48.47). Alminova, the gold medallist in yesterday’s 1500m, trailed home sixth.

German Ariane Friedrich needed a leap of 2.01m to take the gold medal in a slightly below-par women’s high jump final. The expected fireworks between Friedrich and World outdoor champion Blanka Vlasic did not transpire as for the first time in nearly two years the Croatian failed to clear 2.00m. Vlasic finished down in an unfamiliar joint fifth with a modest best of 1.92m. Silver went to Ruth Beitia of Spain with 1.99m and Viktoriya Klyugina of Russia took bronze (1.96m).

Yevgeniya Polyakova went one better than at the last European Indoor Championships by producing a late surge to land gold in the women’s 60m.

The Russian posted a season’s best of 7.18 to edge Norway’s Ezinne Okparaebo by 0.03. Germany’s Verena Sailer took bronze in 7.22. Russia snared their tenth and their final gold medal of the championships by taking the women’s 4x400m in 3:29.12 from Great Britain (3:30.42).

Nonetheless, Russia needed a stunning final leg split of 50.86 from their individual 400m champion Antonina Krivoshapka to overhaul the British. Belarus, the 2007 champions, had to settle for bronze in 3:35.03.