The battle for individual and team honours could not be closer after the first day of the European Cup Combined Events Super League in Aubagne.
In the decathlon, Russia’s Ilya Shkurenyov leads by the narrowest of margins with 4278, just nine points ahead of Ukraine’s Oleksiy Kasyanov with 4269 and Great Britain's Liam Ramsey in third with 4158, while in the heptathlon, Alina Fyodorova, with 3851, is 44 in front of her Ukrainian teammate Anastasiya Mokhnyuk with Estonia's Grit Sadeiko third with 3613.
The strong performances of the Ukraine athletes sees them in front in the team competition with 22,904, leading defending champions Russia by 82 and France in third with 22,170.
But both Great Britain, in seventh with 21,409, and the Czech Republic, with 20,631, will be hoping to turn their fortunes around on the second day in France to avoid relegation.
Shkurenyov stays consistent
Out of the 31 men in the decathlon, 23 of them either ran personal bests or season’s best in the 100m, the opening event, where the early leader from the four heats was Kasyanov who won the last of the races in 10.79, the same time as Belarusian Yury Yaremich in second with Britain’s Liam Ramsay third in 10.91.
Shkurenyov, the heptathlon gold medallist from the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague in March, probably thought he had secured victory in the next event, the long jump, after an impressive opening round of 7.55m.
But then with his final effort, Kasyanov reached 7.60m to win with Yaremich third with 7.52m.
France dominated the shot put as Romain Barras improved with each go, progressing from 14.90m to 15.10m and then finishing with 15.31m to beat teammate Florian Geffrouais with 14.77m as Russia’s Yevgeniy Sarantsev was third with 14.65m.
As with France in that event, the high jump became the property of Estonia as Hendrik Lepik won on countback with 2.13m from countryman Mikk Meerents with Shkurenyov third with 2.10m before the 400m where the Russian leader was fourth in his heat in 49.40m which was one by Ramsay in 47.27, a personal best and the only man to break 48 seconds.
But the strength of the Russian men’s team was shown with them having three athletes in the top five overnight, with Sergei Timshin in fourth with 4102 and Roman Kondryatyev just behind him with 4065.
Fyodorova on a high
The women’s heptathlon opened with a series of fine performances in the 100m hurdles where the quickest from the four heats was Mokhnyuk who won in 13.46 from France’s Sandra Jacmaire in 13.48 and Sadeiko in 13.61..
Fyodorova achieved a season’s best in the high jump with 1.87m but it was the personal best of Belarusian Hanna Haradskaya which took the event with 1.90m, beating Russia’s Ulyana Aleksandrova who was second in the event with 1.87m.
Round two of the shot put proved decisive as Fyodorova, having begun with 14.43m, then reached 15.01m, the winning distance. Mokhnyuk took second with 14.96m - both women achieving personal bests - and Netsviatayeva third with 14.56m.
Kasyanova was back in seventh with 13.58m and then she did not run in the last event, the 200m.
But she was not the only big name not to complete the day.
Eliska Klucinova, of the Czech Republic, the pentathlon bronze medallist from Prague, was the leading heptathlete in the field based on this year’s European Athletics’ rankings, but after running 14.30 in the first heat of the 100m hurdles, she did not progress in the high after going over at 1.66m on her third attempt and did not compete any more in the competition.
Britain’s Jessica Taylor, the Commonwealth Games heptathlon bronze medallist, was the only woman to break 24-seconds in the 200m as she won the last heat in 23.94 from Sadeiko in 24.34 and Mokhnyuk in 24.43 with Fyodorova leading the overall event as she took her heat in 24.70, a personal best.
SUPER LEAGUE DAY ONE TEAM STANDINGS
1. Ukraine - 22,904
2. Russia - 22,822
3. France - 22,170
4. Belarus - 22,131
5. Estonia - 21,942
6. Netherlands - 21,598
7. Great Britain - 21,409
8. Czech Republic - 20,631
European Cup Combined Events 1st & 2nd Leagues in Inowroclaw
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A year ago in Torun, Poland and Switzerland were relegated from the Super League of the European Cup Combined Events but as they showed on Saturday, they are determined to win an instant place back.
As hosts of the First League in Inowroclaw, Poland led overnight from Switzerland with Norway’s Martin Roe in front in the decathlon from Poland’s PaweÅ‚ WiesioÅ‚ek.
In the heptathlon, Poland were in a good position as Karolina Tyminska was first from teammate Izabela Mikołajczyk.
The venue is also the stage for the Second League, where Latvia were the overnight leaders with Edgars Erins ahead in the decathlon and Laura Ikauniece-Admidiņa first in the heptathlon.