Cottbus - Ecker and Otto 5.82 iWL

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=37437.html

Ecker and Otto clear 5.82 in Cottbus
Thursday 1 February 2007
Cottbus, Germany - Pole vaulters Danny Ecker and Björn Otto both cleared 5.82m here last night, making themselves strong medal contenders for the European Indoor Championships at the beginning of March in Birmingham, England.

In front of 2000 spectators a high-class duel between Ecker and Otto developed while for the other contenders 5.50m was the limit. Rens Blom (The Netherlands), the reigning World champion from Helsinki 2005, placed third with that height while Richard Spiegelburg (5.50) took fourth. D

Ecker, who had improved his season’s best to 5.70m (the German qualifying standard for Birmingham) in Glasgow during the weekend, cleared 5.82m on his second attempt. Otto, who had started the season with 5.75m in Dessau and then won in Dormagen with 5.70m, jumped the height on his last attempt. Both are now leading the world indoor season’s list.




Danny Ecker of Germany
(Getty Images)

While Otto afterwards tried 5.87m for a personal best (PB is 5.85 m from last summer) Ecker even went for 5.92m, a height which he had not cleared for many years. It was too high on that evening but since the season is still young there are plenty of more chances to come.