Alina puts her best foot forward | 15.02.2013
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| Alina Fyodorova of Ukraine. (Getty Images) |
Her selection thus meant the competition for the remaining spot in the pentathlon would bring an extra edge to the event at the national indoor championships in Sumy.
It was no surprise then that both Alina Fyodorova and Anastasiya Mokhnyuk raised their game as the event was the main feature on the championships' opening day.
Of the five events, Fyodorova achieved four personal bests as she won with a total of 4622, beating Mokhnyuk by 114 points.
But it was Mokhnyuk who set the early standard. She produced three PBs, the first of those in the opening event as she ran 8.34 in the 60m hurdles where Fyodorova also had her quickest-ever time of 8.75.
Fyodorova, who was 13th at the European Athletics Championships in Helsinki, then took control as she produced a best high jump of 1.85m, even though Mokhnyuk's 1.82m was the best she has achieved indoors.
The next discipline, the shot put, saw Fyodorova strengthen her position with a brilliant PB of 14.94m as Mokhnyuk reached 12.83m.
The long jump was the one event where Fyodorova did not set a best mark as she reached 6.16m with Mokhnyuk clawing back points by leaping eight centimetres more before the 800m made the difference.
Fyodorova completed her great day with her final PB, running 2:17.20, as Mokhnyuk's 2:20.86 was also her fastest ever.
But the title went to Fyodorova and now she will await selection for Göteborg. Her teammate Melnychenko will go to Sweden in fine form as she showed by finishing second in the 60m hurdles in a lifetime best of 8.26 as Anna Plotitsyna won in 8.19.
Oleksiy Kasyanov won the men's 60m hurdles in a personal best of 7.85 and Dmytro Savytskyy, the European under-23 silver medallist, improved his shot put PB to 20.27m. Anzhelika Shevchenko, the fastest in Europe over 1500m, confirmed her great shape by winning her first round 800m with indoor personal best 2:03.68.
Meanwhile in Kyiv, Mykhaylo Medvid, Ukraine's former combined events senior coach and current coach of Beijing Olympic heptathlon champion Nataliya Dobrynska, was appointed as the national head coach of the Ukrainian team.
