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Wlodarczyk and Licwinko steal the show

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Home fans at the 62nd Janusz Kusocinski meeting in Szczecin on Saturday were treated to something quite special from two of Poland's leading athletes.

Hammer world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk threw 79.61m and 2014 world indoor high jump champion Kamila Licwinko cleared 1.99m, both world-leading marks with the major championships ever so close.

For Wlodarczyk, what a summer it is proving to be.

She already topped the rankings with 79.48m from Halle last month but this second round throw at this European Athletics Outdoor Classic meeting was the third best of all-time behind her own 81.08m and 80.85m.

Infact, Wlodarczyk now holds the top six furthest ever throws with three of them from the last four weeks, with her 79.45m from last month in Forbach adding to her other two stunning 2016 efforts.

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She took control at the Miejski Stadion with an opening 77.17m before 79.61m, a foul, 76.58m, 77.56m and 76.14m ahead of Great Britain’s Sophie Hitchon (71.86m) and Moldova´s Zalina Marghieva (71.83m).

Licwinko has won three medals indoors since 2014 but now she has equalled her personal best height outdoors, and the national record, to carry her towards next month’s European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam and the Olympic Games in Rio in August.

Last summer Licwinko finished fourth at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing when she went over at 1.99m but this time it brought her victory, as she first matched the world lead of 1.97m before going higher, both jumps on her first attempt.

She failed three times at 2.01m, while in second there was a good performance from Bulgaria’s Mirela Demireva who took her personal best from 1.95m in 2012 to 1.97m.

European junior champion Konrad Bukowiecki made another fine impression using the senior implement, breaking 21 metres for the third time in his career.

His 21.02m was enough to beat fellow Poles Michal Haratyk (20.87m) and Tomasz Majewski (20.78m) with Romania’s Andrei Toader, who was runner-up to Bukowiecki at the Euro juniors last summer, also looking good in fourth with 20.30m.

Like Wlodarczyk, Poland’s men’s world hammer champion Pawel Fajdek is also having an excellent summer which he confirmed with victory in 80.10m from his last throw as he beat Qatar’s Amgad Ashraf El-Seify (77.43m) and Tajikistan’s Dilshod Nazarov (77.20m).

Fajdek has now broken 80m five times in the past few weeks, with his world lead of 81.71m topping the lot.

Countback decided the men’s pole vault as Piotr Lisek beat Polish teammate Pawel Wojciechowski as both cleared 5.70m with Canada’s world champion Shawn Barber back in fourth (5.50m) and there was another Polish one-two in the discus as Piotr Malachowski (66.56m) defeated Robert Urbanek (65.56m).

Marcin Lewandowski won the 800m (1:45.68) in a brilliant finish from Kenyan Leonard Kosencha (1:45.69), the Pole just getting the nod with his teammate Adam Kszczot back in fifth (1:46.37).

And Poland’s Angelika Cichocka made it two wins in two days in the 1500m.

After her victory in the Diamond League in Stockholm on Thursday, she triumphed here in 4:07.67, while the country’s junior record holder Ewa Swoboda won the 100m (11.36).

Other Polish winners were: Remigiusz Olszewski in the men’s 100m (10.34), Hubert Chmielak in the javelin (80.41m), Justyna Swiety in the women’s 400m (52.22) and Anna Jagaciak Michalska in the triple jump (14.08m).



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