Marvellous middle-distance running in Moscow, European 1500m lead for Podosyonova | 14.06.2012

The Kuts Memorial meeting in Moscow's Znamensky Stadium produced some super-fast women's middle distance races on Wednesday, including a big breakthrough for Svetlana Podosyonova.

The 24-year-old from Omsk took nearly eight seconds off her previous best to become the first European women to go under four minutes for 1500m this year, when she won in 3:59.61.

A close second Yekaterina Gorbunova who also went under four minutes for the first time in her career when she clocked 3:59.89.

The 1500m world indoor record holder Yelena Soboleva was third with 4:00.33 and Kristina Khaleyeva fourth with 4:00.53 while the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships and European Athletics U23 Championships gold medallist Yelena Arzhakova ran 4:00.82 but had to be content with fifth place.

Both Khaleyeva and Arzhakova, the latter herself coached by two-time European Athletics Indoor Championships 1500m gold medallist Yekaterina Podkopayeva, also both reduced their personal bests by more than five seconds.

Yekaterina Poistogova carried on the spate of personal best performances when she won the 800m in 1:57.93, equalling the second best time by a European runner this year.

Second over two laps of the track in the Russian capital was another Podkopayeva protégée Yelena Kofanova in1:58.83 while the next three women home: Yulia Tutayeva 1:59.40, Tatyana Markelova 1:59.43 and Yekaterina Kupina 1:59.85, also produced lifetime best performances.

The men's 800m didn't have quite as much depth but was won by Stepan Poistogov in a personal best of 1:46.02.