Two meetings, two French stars make their mark on Wednesday, but perhaps not the names expected to be leading the way for their country on the road to the London 2017 IAAF World Championships in August.
At the European Athletics Outdoor Classic Permit Meeting in the French town of Nancy, Kevin Menaldo produced a superb display to win the pole vault and beat his compatriot and superstar Renaud Lavillenie, while in Ostrava, Garfield Darien stormed to victory in the 110m hurdles in a European-leading 13.09, the second best time in the world this year.
It was not so much the fact that Kevin Menaldo had beaten Renaud Lavillenie but that his own plans for London are just where he wants them to be.
Menaldo was superb as he cleared 5.71m to triumph from the Lavillenie brothers, both men clearing 5.61m but Valentin getting second place on count-back from the triple European champion Renaud.
Like so many, Menaldo, 24, will know the psychological importance of defeating Renaud as he did at this European Athletics Outdoor Classic meeting but the 2014 European bronze medallist is aware of what will be needed to succeed in London.
He cleared 5.51m and 5.71m at the first attempt before failing three times at 5.81m, but as he told trackandlife.fr: “It's good to win. It was my first competition on 18 strides. The confidence is good and the settings are good. It makes three contests in a row of more than 5.70 m. This is good because the world championships this year will be played out at least at 5.80m.'
Renaud Lavillenie, who won Olympic gold in London in 2012 and had an exhausting weekend both promoting the Paris 2024 Olympic bid and winning at the European Athletics Team Championships in Lille, reflected: 'I could have gone a little better. I am still frustrated. There is nothing dramatic and the important thing is that I do not get hurt and that I can continue my preparation.'
Nancy was also great meeting for Latvian javelin thrower Anete Kocina, who broke her personal best as she moved to seventh on this year’s European Athletics rankings with 63.37m from Germany’s 2015 European U23 champion Christin Hussong, who was second with 60.05.
France’s Floriane Gnafoua won the 100m in 11.34 from Ukraine’s former European indoor 60m champion Olesya Povh, who was second in 11.38, Belarus’s 2016 world U20 champion Elvira Herman won the 100m hurdles in a season’s best 12.96 from Belgium’s Anna Zagre, second in 13.03, while Moldova’s Zalina Petrivskaya won the hammer with 70.71m ahead of France’s 2015 world championships bronze medallist Alexandra Tavernier, who was 36cm in arrears.
Garfield Darien, like a slow-burning fuse, at the age of 29 has become one of the men to beat in the 110m hurdles.
With a thrilling performance, the double European silver medallist flew to second place on the world rankings as he won in a personal best and European-leading time of 13.09.
Only Jamaica’s 2016 Olympic champion Omar McLeod has run faster this year.
Darien’s old best of 13.15 was from the heats of the European Athletics Championships in 2012, so this run was some statement.
It was a race to remember, too, for Hungarian Balazs Baji who finished second in 13.23, lowering the national record time by 0.01, which had been set only 22 days ago in Prague.
The next time the sport will see Sir Mo Farah at the start line of a 10,000m will be 4 August, the opening night of the world championships in London, in many respects his home track and the scene where he won Olympic gold in 2012.
As he counts down to the defence of this crown and his 5000m world title, the great Briton was never really troubled in what is likely to be his final 10,000m outside of a championship as he won in Ostrava almost as he pleased in 27:12.09.
Some javelin throwers can wait a lifetime to reach 90 metres, but Germany’s Thomas Röhler did it in successive rounds in Ostrava to provide another glimpse of the form he is in heading towards the IAAF World Championships, and also bounce back after the disappointment of being relegated to third at the European Athletics Team Championships on Saturday.
Röhler holds the world lead with 93.90m and in the Czech city he won with 91.53m from teammate Johannes Vetter , who was second with 87.88m, and gained revenge over local star Jakub Vadlejch, who had won in Lille but this time it was him who had to settle for third with 86.43m.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games gold medallist had quite a series: 88.08m, 91.53m, 91.02m, 87.01m, 87.19m.
Nevertheless, it was still good night for Czech athletes. Shot putter Tomas Stanek, who set a championship record in Lille was again superb as he won with 21.63m to beat Poland’s Michal Haratyk and Croatia’s Stipe Zunic, who were second and third with 21.34m and 20.76m respectively.
Poland’s 2016 European indoor champion Sylwester Bednarek cleared 2.32m to win the high jump ahead of Bulgaria’s Tihomir Ivanov, who set a personal best of 2.30m.
Germany’s Pamela Dutkiewicz was superb once more in the 100m hurdles as she stretched her unbeaten run to 10 races as she won in 12.72.
Russia’s Anzhelika Sidorova cleared 4.70m to win the pole vault and South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk broke Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old world 300m best of 30.85 when winning in 30.81 as Pavel Maslak came home fourth in a Czech record of 31.80, the third fastest ever by a European athlete in the non-championship event.