Idowu defies form book to win triple jump

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.