Holly Bradshaw soared over a British record of 4.90m to win the pole vault on the second day of the British Championships in Manchester on Saturday (26).
After second time clearances at both 4.55m and 4.70m, Bradshaw managed the higher bars with commensurate ease. Her first-time clearance at 4.83m marked a British outdoor record and another first-time clearance at 4.90m constituted an outright national record, ameliorating her previous best of 4.87m which was set indoors in 2012.
“I knew I was in good shape, and I broke a nine-year record so I feel I am in the shape of my life. It’s a great place to be so relaxed and it was a nice environment in Manchester, and I just had to do my thing,” said Bradshaw after the competition.
Bradshaw moves to third on the 2021 world list behind Katie Nageotte from the United States and reigning world champion Anzhelika Sidorova who have cleared 4.95m and 4.91m respectively this season. And from a historical standpoint, only three European athletes have ever vaulted higher outdoors.
Reigning world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith delivered two sub-11 second clockings in the 100m. Taking advantage of the warmer and stiller conditions on offer on day two, Asher-Smith eased to a season’s best of 10.91 in the semifinals before winning the final in 10.97.
After the disqualification of European champion Zharnel Hughes due to a false start, Chijindu Ujah took an unopposed victory in the men’s 100m final in 10.05 while the much anticipated men’s 1500m final went to form with Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman taking a one-two in 3:40.72 to 3:40.77 respectively.
Belocian clocks 13.15 European lead at French Championships
European indoor 60m hurdles champion Wilhem Belocian sped to a lifetime best and European lead of 13.15 in the 110m hurdles on the second day of the French Championships in Angers to defeat Aurel Manga in 13.24.
Olympic silver medallist Melina Robert-Michon landed her 35th domestic title in the discus with 60.88m and Fredric Dagee improved the French record to 20.75m to win the shot put.
Amandine Brossier won the women’s 400m title in 51.47 ahead of Floria Guei in 51.77 and Hugo Hay outsprinted multiple European U23 champion Jimmy Gressier in the 5000m - 13:34.08 to 13:35.94.
On the last day of the Polish Championships, Malwina Kopron set a European lead of 75.42m in the hammer to defeat world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk. On the comeback from knee surgery, Wlodarczyk set a season’s best of 74.06m in the last round to move ahead of world silver medallist Joanna Fiodorow’s 72.31m.
European indoor champion Patryk Dobek won a tactical 800m in 1:48.21 ahead of Mateusz Borkowski in 1:49.10 and 20-year-old Pia Skrzyszowska followed up her victory in the 100m with another title in the 100m hurdles in 12.85 ahead of Klaudia Siciarz in 12.92.
Jacobs clocks 10.01 for Italian 100m title in Rovereto
Reigning European indoor 60m champion Marcell Jacobs would have almost certainly broken the sub-10 barrier in the 100m in better wind conditions at the Italian Championships in Rovereto.
Jacobs, who owns the national record at 9.95, won the 100m title in 10.01 against a 1.0 m/s headwind. Now 33, Paolo Dal Molin also won the 110m hurdles in a national record of 13.27.
At the Spanish Championships in Getafe, Carlos Mayo outsprinted Spanish record-holder Carlos Mayo in the 5000m, 14:07.01 to 14:08.53, and three-time European indoor heptathlon medallist Jorge Urena won the decathlon title with 8073 points.
On the third day of the Dutch Championships in Breda, world leader and European U20 champion Jorinde Van Klinken threw 64.28m to win the discus title.
Fellow European U20 champion Femke Bol lowered her 200m lifetime best to 23.21 in the semifinals to qualify as the third fastest for the final behind Jamile Samuel (23.17) and training partner Lieke Klaver (23.18).
The Lithuanian Championships in Palanga were highlighted by excellent performances in the vertical jumps and throwing events.
Former European indoor champion Airine Palsyte cleared 1.93m in the women’s high jump while Adrijus Glebauskas cleared 2.29m in the men’s high jump.
Edis Matusevicius reached out to 83.53m in the men’s javelin while European bronze medallist Liveta Jasiunaite won the women’s javelin with 60.79m.
European champion Andrius Gudzius won the discus with 67.21m ahead of 18-year-old Mykolas Alekna - the son of the great Virgilijus Alekna - who set a world U20 lead and lifetime best of 63.52m.
There were also notable performances in the jumps at the Belarusian Championships in Minsk. Karyna Demidik and Mariya Zhodzhik both cleared 1.96m in the women’s high jump and European indoor champion Maksim Nedasekau cleared 2.29m in the men’s high jump.
European bronze medallist Aliona Dubitskaya set a lifetime best of 19.65m in the women’s shot put and former European champion Tatsiana Khaladovich won the women’s javelin with 61.19m.
At the Swiss Championships in Langenthal, former European champion Kariem Hussein achieved the Olympic standard in the men’s 400m hurdles in 48.84.
Reigning European champion Lea Sprunger also won the women’s 400m hurdles in 55.16 in her last appearance at the Swiss Championships before retirement.