4th June 2012 10:05
Local boy Lukasz Michalski pulled off a big surprise when he defeated world champion Pawel Wojciechowski and Ukraine's 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Maksim Mazuryk to take the pole vault title at the 12th European Athletics Festival, a European Athletics Outdoor Premium meeting, in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz on Sunday.
Michalski cleared an Olympic A standard height of 5.72m to beat compatriot Wojciechowski and Mazuryk who both finished with 5.62m, however the Ukrainian claimed the second spot after committing lesser number of faults.
Bulgaria's Vania Stambolova clocked 54.08, the third fastest time in the world this year, to take the women's 400m hurdles, ahead of reigning European champion Natalya Antyukh of Russia 54.50 and Anna Yaroshchuk of Ukraine who finished in 55.28.
European 800m champion Marcin Lewandowski clocked 1:46.14 for an easy win in front of his home crowd. Great Britain's Gareth Warburton finished second in a personal best time of 1:46.31 while Germany's Sören Ludolph finished third in 1:47.00.
Briton Marilyn Okoro improved her own meet record to 1:59.47 to take the women's 800m, ahead of Ewelina S„™towska-Dryk of Poland who clocked a season's best 2:01.58 and Great Britain's Lynsey Sharp who finished with a time of 2:01.79.
Robert Urbanek caused another upset in the men's discus when he defeated fellow Pole and European champion Piotr Malachowski with a throw of 64.28m. Malachowski could only manage a single valid throw of 62.84m.
Monika Pyrek won the women's pole vault with a clearance of 4.40m while another local star Joanna Fiodorow came up with an impressive personal best throw of 74.18m to win the hammer contest.
The British duo of 2011 European Athletics U23 Championships silver medallist Nathan Woodward and 2010 European Athletics Championships silver medallist Rhys Williams claimed the second and third place in the 400m hurdles clocking 49.58 and 49.98 respectively. The race was won by Michael Tinsley of the USA in 49.55.
2006 European Athletics Championships 400m hurdles silver medallist Marek Plawgo of Poland, who was making his debut for the year over the barriers, finished fifth with a season's-best time of 51.36.
Click here for complete results.