WAF - Spiegelburg 4.70, Miles 5.80

[BruceFlorman]

I read on the IAAF website that Isinbayeva has gotten ill with with fever at the beginning of the week and still felt weak. I guess she still isn't feeling well.

Yeah, I saw that too.

Quotes from Isi in yesterday's press conference...
http://www.iaaf.org/WAF08/news/kind=100 ... 47617.html

On her expectations this weekend –

I hope that I can show a good results. I’m a little afraid because I got sick at the beginning of this week (a slight cold and fever). I felt a little weak, not like I usually feel before a competition. But I want to do really well tomorrow since it’s the last official competition of my season.

On the possibility of another World record -

First I will try to win, because I know the other girls are in shape. After that, we will see.

On how much of a role weather conditions play in the Pole Vault -

Probably about 90%. If it’s raining it’s almost impossible to jump. It rains in your eye, and it’s dangerous as well because the grip can be very slippery.

I'm not entirely sure what she means by "last official competition", since she said in Beijing that she'd be competing in Shanghai and Daegu on the 20th and 25th.

[cathydollicious]

I read on the IAAF website that Isinbayeva has gotten ill with with fever at the beginning of the week and still felt weak. I guess she still isn't feeling well.

Yes, thanks King. From the IAAF site:

Yelena Isinbayeva

On her expectations this weekend –

I hope that I can show a good results. I’m a little afraid because I got sick at the beginning of this week (a slight cold and fever). I felt a little weak, not like I usually feel before a competition. But I want to do really well tomorrow since it’s the last official competition of my season.

On the possibility of another World record -

First I will try to win, because I know the other girls are in shape. After that, we will see.

On how much of a role weather conditions play in the Pole Vault -

Probably about 90%. If it’s raining it’s almost impossible to jump. It rains in your eye, and it’s dangerous as well because the grip can be very slippery.

[BruceFlorman]

Code: Select all

.                  440 450 460 470 477 482 487
Silke Spiegelburg  xo  o   o   
Svetlana Feofanova o   xo  o   
Monika Pyrek       xo  o   xo 
Yulia Golubchikova xo  o   xxx
Tatyana Polnova    xxo xo  xxx
Carolin Hingst     xo  xxo xxx
Fabiana Murer      xo  xxo xxx
Yelena Isinbaeva                               DNS

[BruceFlorman]

Wow, the IAAF radio announcer is going nuts about Spotakova throwing a new WR in the women's Jav!

[BruceFlorman]

Whoa... 3rd attempt clearance for Pyrek at 4.70!

And the same for Feofanova!

Spiegelburg too!!!

Code: Select all

.                  440 450 460 470 477 482 487
Silke Spiegelburg  xo  o   o   xxo
Svetlana Feofanova o   xo  o   xxo
Monika Pyrek       xo  o   xo  xxo
Yulia Golubchikova xo  o   xxx
Tatyana Polnova    xxo xo  xxx
Carolin Hingst     xo  xxo xxx
Fabiana Murer      xo  xxo xxx
Yelena Isinbaeva                               DNS

[BruceFlorman]

Well, all three have two misses now at 4.77. Can anyone pull out another last-ditch clearance?

Rats! Third miss for Pyrek.

And Feofanova's out too.

A miss for Spiegelburg too. So no jump off for 1st?

Code: Select all

.                    440 450 460 470 477 482 487
1 Silke Spiegelburg  xo  o   o   xxo xxx         4.70 =PB
1 Svetlana Feofanova o   xo  o   xxo xxx         4.70
3 Monika Pyrek       xo  o   xo  xxo xxx         4.70
4 Yulia Golubchikova xo  o   xxx                 4.50
5 Tatyana Polnova    xxo xo  xxx                 4.50
6 Carolin Hingst     xo  xxo xxx                 4.50
6 Fabiana Murer      xo  xxo xxx                 4.50
  Yelena Isinbaeva                               DNS

[BruceFlorman]

Well... maybe they are having a jump-off. The live scoring is showing 4th attempts at 4.77. Can that be right?!?

Code: Select all

.                    440 450 460 470 477 477 472
1 Silke Spiegelburg  xo  o   o   xxo xxx x       4.70 =PB
1 Svetlana Feofanova o   xo  o   xxo xxx x       4.70
3 Monika Pyrek       xo  o   xo  xxo xxx         4.70
4 Yulia Golubchikova xo  o   xxx                 4.50
5 Tatyana Polnova    xxo xo  xxx                 4.50
6 Carolin Hingst     xo  xxo xxx                 4.50
6 Fabiana Murer      xo  xxo xxx                 4.50
  Yelena Isinbaeva                               DNS

And now both Silke & Sveta have another miss at 4.72. So how long do they have to keep going?

[BruceFlorman]

And Spiegelburg wins it!

Code: Select all

.                    440 450 460 470 477 477 472 467
1 Silke Spiegelburg  xo  o   o   xxo xxx x   x   o   4.70 =PB
1 Svetlana Feofanova o   xo  o   xxo xxx x   x   x   4.70
3 Monika Pyrek       xo  o   xo  xxo xxx             4.70
4 Yulia Golubchikova xo  o   xxx                     4.50
5 Tatyana Polnova    xxo xo  xxx                     4.50
6 Carolin Hingst     xo  xxo xxx                     4.50
6 Fabiana Murer      xo  xxo xxx                     4.50
  Yelena Isinbaeva                                   DNS

[BruceFlorman]

The video finally showed Spiegelburg's jump. It looked like she nicked it a bit on the way up, but it stayed. A good clearance.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.iaaf.org/WAF08/news/kind=108 ... 47628.html

Women's Pole Vault

A certain edge may have been taken off the competition following the disappointing late withdrawal of Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva because of a sickness bug but that was of little concern for German Silke Spiegelburg who scooped the $30,000 first prize in her absence.

Understandably, given the cold and wet conditions inside a gloomy Mercedes-Benz Arena it took a while for the competition to warm up but thanks to the accomplishments of the 22-year-old Spiegelburg most of the 18,000 crowd went home happy after the home favourite edged a jump-off with Svetlana Feofanova.

Only three women, Spiegelburg, the Olympic bronze medallist Feofanova and 2005 World silver medallist Monika Pyrek cleared 4.60m and the trio all needed their third effort to negotiate 4.70m.

The 4.77m bar was beyond the trio however, and as Pyrek of Poland had needed two attempts to clear 4.60m, as opposed to her two rivals who needed just one vault at that height the competition was thrust into a jump-off to determine the outcome.

In the inclement weather it was little surprise that Feofanova and Speigelburg, the latter of which had equalled her PB to clear 4.70m, struggled to fire.

The duo were unsuccessful at both 4.77m and 4.72m but the crowd sensed the door was ajar for a home winner after the Russian missed out at 4.67, and Spiegelburg, the two-time European Junior champion, gloriously took her chance, wriggling clear to become the first non-Russian to take the title.

Feofanova had to settle for second with Pyrek third.

Speigelburg, who finished seventh in the Olympic final in Beijing, said: "It is unbelievable to have won today's competition. I have jumped (equalled) my personal best today. It's the first time I have won a meeting at such a high level."

Steve Landells for the IAAF

[BruceFlorman]

Well I've been trying to follow the guys' competition while also watching the F1 race on TV. Based on the results, I'm guessing it's raining again in Stuttgart (just like it is in Monza). Nevertheless, it looks like it was an interesting meet.

Code: Select all

.                    540 560 570 575 580 585 590
1 Derek Miles        o   xxo o   -   xo  -   xxx 5.80
2 Brad Walker        -   o   o   -   xx- x       5.70
3 Maksym Mazuryk     xo  xo  xxx                 5.60
4 Evgeniy Lukyanenko -   xxo xx- -   x           5.60
4 Alexander Straub   o   xxo xxx                 5.60
6 Fabian Schulze     o   xxx                     5.40
  Denys Yurchenko    xxx                         NH
  Sergey Kucheryanu  xxx                         NH

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.iaaf.org/WAF08/news/kind=108 ... 47682.html

Men's Pole Vault

Derek Miles wins the World Athletics Final pole vault to make up for missing out on the medals in Beijing (Getty Images)
With temperatures barely over 11 degrees centigrade at the start of the men’s Pole Vault one could hardly have expected fireworks from the eight-man field competing at the World Athletics Final here in Stuttgart.

In the end it was Beijing fourth placer Derek Miles who came out on top with a season’s best 5.80, the American being the only one to show some sort of world class pole vaulting in very difficult conditions.

The reigning World champion and defending World Athletics Final winner Brad Walker looked poised to retain his title after two clean jumps at 5.60 and 5.70 before losing some of his focus at 5.80. After two failures and with Miles having sailed over, he decided to save his last for 5.85 but in these conditions the gamble proved too daring.

Behind the American pair, three men managed 5.60 with third place going to Ukraine’s Maksym Mazuryk ahead of local boy Alexander Straub whose clearance at that height only came the third time around.

Olympic silver medallist Evgeniy Lukyanenko was obviously not in a good day. It took him three tries to go over his opening height at 5.60 and after that he failed to clear any other bar finishing an equal fourth.

If proof was needed that today wasn’t a day for pole vaulting here in Stuttgart well Ukraine’s Olympic bronze medallist Denys Yurchenko and Sergey Kucheryanu of Russia highlighted that fact as both no heighted at 5.40!