30th June 2013 08:09
The Netherlands, with Eelco Sintnicolaas and Nadine Broersen in outstanding form all weekend, had three reasons to celebrate in Nottwil, Switzerland, on Sunday evening.
The team won the European Cup Combined Events 1st League with a superb all-around performance as Sintnicolaas triumphed in the decathlon and Broersen took the heptathlon. There was good news for hosts Switzerland too as they, along with the Netherlands, were promoted to the Super League for the next edition of the event in 2014 after finishing second in the overall team ranking.
The Netherlands had led overnight and never looked back as Hungary finished bottom of the League.
Sintnicolaas could not have asked for a better way to start on Sunday when he won the 110m hurdles in a personal best of 13.92, the only man to break 14 seconds.
Having begun this second day with a 204 point lead over Spain's Jonay Jordan, Sintnicolaas was able to stretch that in style. His closest rival was second in heat three in 14.58, the fourth fastest time.
But it was a case of pbs all round. Sintnicolaas' teammate Bas Markies had won the previous heat with 14.37 while Spain took the first two races, with Igor Legarda winning the opener in 14.72 and Jorge Urena the second in 14.50.
After those 10 events, the Netherlands were ahead by over 1000 points with 24,912 from Switzerland with 23,770 and the Czech Republic with 23,730.
Broersen ended the first day with 3696 points from Eliska Klucinova, of the Czech Republic, second with 3572, and Switzerland's Ellen Sprunger, third with 3499.
And the Dutch multi-eventer increased her lead in the heptathlon by winning the long jump, the opening event on Sunday, with a personal best of 6.20m as she beat Spain's Olatz Arrieta, who was second, 11 centimetres behind her, with Sprunger third with 6.08m, also a pb.
Finland have a glorious tradition of javelin throwing and Miia Kurppa ensured she maintained that reputation when she won the event with a PB of 50.25m from Klucinova's 45.72m but the strength of the Netherlands showed again as Broersen was third with 44.60m and Amanda Spiljard was fourth with a pb of 44.45m.
The discus was the second men's event of the day and once more another victory for Sintnicolaas as he won with a lifetime best of 43.17m.
After 13 events, the Netherlands were top of the table with 31,517 from Switzerland with 30,060 and the Czech Republic with 29,890.
It was a pattern set for the afternoon as Sintnicolaas produced a season's best to win the pole vault with 5.40m and then finished fourth in the javelin in 56.62m with the event won by Sweden's Nicklas Wiberg with 68.33m.
The 800m might not be Broersen's strongest discipline but in the second of the two races, she ran a personal best of 2:16.33 for eighth place in the race, and eighth in the event, as Sweden's Nadja Casadei won in 2:12.44.
And it was very much a victory run for Broersen, whose performance took her to the individual heptathlon title with 6238 points from Klucinova with 6013 and Sprunger with 5987.
In the League, the Netherlands were leading the way with 38,670 from Switzerland with 37,142 and Sweden with 36,500 and the Dutch were not going to be passed.
Just for good measure, Sintnicolaas won the last event, the 1500m, in a time of 4:22.51, to show the standard he is setting this year.
He won the decathlon with 8322 points from Nicklas Wiberg, of Sweden, with 7678, both season's bests, while Sintnicolaas' Dutch teammate Markies produced a personal best of 7457 in third.
The Netherlands combination of points was made of decathletes Sintnicolaas, first with 8322, Markies, third with 7457 and Pim Jehee, ninth with 7279, and heptathletes Broersen, first with 6238, Myrte Goor, sixth with 5772 and Spiljard, eighth with 5681.
COMPLETE RESULTS