BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Britain’s Phillips Idowu produced the performance of a lifetime to defy the form book and beat hot favourite Teddy Tamgho of France in the triple jump final at the European championships yesterday.
There was some immediate consolation for the French when decathlete Romain Barras, who had a five-point lead going into the final event — the 1,500 — held off nearest rival Eelco Sintnicolaas of Netherlands to take the title.
Germany enjoyed their first golds of the championship thanks to a surprise javelin triumph from Linda Stahl and a victory by Verena Sailer in the women’s 100 metres.
World champion Idowu had been laid low by a virus this year and was struggling to produce his best but it all came right at the Olympic stadium when on his fourth jump the 31-year-old set a personal best of 17.81 metres to a huge roar from the crowd.
Having added the European crown to his world title, Idowu promptly turned his mind to the gold medal missing from his collection.
“I’m a good athlete and with the world championships and European championships titles now under my belt, I am missing one title — the Olympics,” said the Beijing silver medallist.
“My build up to the championships was not great but I am very happy to have been able to jump consistently today.
“I knew it would be a tough task. Teddy has been great all year and I knew I would probably need a PB to win,” he told reporters.
With the weather clearing after a thunder storm, Idowu, easily recognisable thanks to his dyed red hair and facial piercings, bounded down the runway to open his campaign with an impressive 17.46 metres and a lead he never relinquished.
Tamgho, the world’s leading jumper this year but only recently recovered from a calf injury, had a best effort of 17.45 and appeared to be heading for the silver medal.
However, 2004 Olympic silver medallist Marian Oprea pulled off 17.51 on his penultimate jump to sneak into second.
“In my mind I was not here, I don’t know why. That’s life, that’s all,” a disconsolate Tamgho told a news conference.
Barras won the decathlon with a total of 8,453 points, 17 more than Sintnicolaas after finishing ahead of the Dutch under-23 European champion in the 1,500 metres. Belarussian Andrei Krauchanka was third.
Barras and Sintnicolaas were locked together until the final lap when the Frenchman, wearing distinctive long black socks, began to pull away and put enough distance between him and his rival to start celebrating victory on the home straight.
“I still can’t quite associate the words ‘Romain Barras’ and ‘European champion’. It has been a lot of work and sacrifice,” he said emotionally of his first major title.
Overnight leader Oleksiy Kasyanov pulled out injured before the start of the day’s first event, the 110 hurdles, promoting unheralded Lithuanian Darius Draudvila to top spot.
He held on to fisrt place until the pole vault when Olympic silver medallist Krauchanka took over after clearing 5.05 metres although his lead did not last long either.
Barras, thanks to a season’s best javelin throw of 65.77, went into the final event just ahead of the rest.
SPOTAKOVA THIRD
Stahl headed up a German one-two in the javelin after a personal best of 66.81 on her penultimate throw meant she overtook Czech world record holder Barbora Spotakova, who had led from the first round with 65.36.
Olympic champion Spotakova, who has never won the European title, was then relegated to third when Christina Obergfoell also let rip with 65.58.
Sprinter Sailer took Germany’s second gold of the night and prevented France’s Veronique Mang emulating compatriot Christophe Lemaitre when she surged late in the 100 metres to win on the line in 11.10 seconds.
Mang was 0.01 behind with fellow Frenchwoman Myriam Soumare taking the bronze.
As expected, the men’s high jump final came down to a battle between Russians Ivan Ukhov and Aleksander Shustov, who beat his compatriot with a first-time clearance at 2.33 to equal the best in the world this year.
World indoor champion Ukhov had to settle for silver in the competition, which began in torrential rain, after failing on his first attempt at 2.33 and then knocking the bar off twice at 2.35 after opting to move straight on to that height.
Briton Martyn Bernard grabbed bronze on the countback from Sweden’s Linus Thornblad after both athletes cleared 2.29.
Newly-crowned men’s 100 metres champion Christophe Lemaitre overcame his tiredness to qualify fastest for Friday’s 200 final in 20.39 and maintain his bid for a sprint double.
European 10,000 metres champion Mo Farah is also on course for a European double after the 10,000 metres gold medallist won his 5,000 heat in 13:38.26. Spain’s defending champion Jesus Espana, who pipped the Briton to the title four years ago, also qualified for Saturday’s final.