European U20 decathlon champion Simon Ehammer from Switzerland produced one of the best ever long jump performances by a combined eventer in Schaffhausen on Sunday (27).
Only 20 and competing in his first year as a senior, Ehammer shattered his previous lifetime best of 7.87m in the fourth round by nearly 30 centimetres with 8.15m (+1.3), breaking the Swiss U23 record and moving to second on the Swiss all-time list.
Ehammer produced a brilliant season with all four of his valid jumps in excess of 7.80m: 7.84m and 7.82m in the second and third rounds and then 7.90m in the sixth round.
For posterity, the best ever long jump recorded in a decathlon stands to Ashton Eaton at 8.23m from the 2012 US Olympic Trials. Ehammer only contested the individual long jump in Schaffhausen yesterday but he will compete in his fist decathlon of the season in Kreuzlingen next month.
Fast sprinting made the headlines in Bern on Saturday. Having already produced fast times at 100m and 150m this year, Ajla Del Ponte ran a wind-assisted 22.88 (+3.0) in the 200m although her teammate Silvan Wicki was more fortunate with the wind, clocking a lifetime best of 20.45 (+1.9).
Other notable marks came from former European U23 champion Noemi Zbaren who won the 100m hurdles in 13.19 from 18-year-old Ditaji Kambundji in 13.37 while Germany’s Hanna Klein won the 1500m in 4:08.70 from Selina Buchel in 4:10.12.
This was Klein’s second impressive performance in the space of a week after clocking 8:41.59 in a midweek training competition in Tubingen.
Breakthrough performer Ceh defeats Weisshaidinger in St. Polten
Four days after breaking the European U23 discus record with 68.75m, Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh achieved another notable win in St. Polten, Austria on Saturday when he defeated home favourite and world bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger.
All five of Ceh’s valid throws would have won the competition with his best mark measured at 67.19m in the fifth round. Weisshaidinger had to settle for second with 64.27m.
“The performance was very good. There was a very strong wind from the side, but I still managed good throws and I am very satisfied. Already in the first round I took the lead with a big advantage and that gave me an extra boost. It feels good because I beat such a star for the first time. I was constant at 65 metres, and then I exceeded 67 metres again. I'm really happy,” he said.
World indoor pentathlon bronze medallist Ivona Dadic from Austria also impressed with a lifetime best of 14.97m in the shot put.
In Espoo, Finland Annimari Korte came away with two fast times: 12.82 in the first race and 12.81 in the second race. The depth in Finnish sprint hurdling was on show once again with Nooralotta Neziri and Reetta Hurske also breaking the 13 second-barrier in the final with 12.93 and 12.98 respectively.