European silver medal winning heptathlete Adrianna Sulek opened her indoor campaign in winning style, taking the women’s pentathlon at the Indoor Combined Events in Tallinn on 4-5 February.
The World indoor silver medallist laid down a solid marker ahead of next month’s European Indoor Championships in Istanbul with victory in a world leading 4702 points.
The World Athletics Combined Events Tour Silver meeting was rich in quality with Norway’s combined events prospect Sander Skotheim smashing the national record in the men’s heptathlon with 6255 points.
It is the first time any Norwegian has scored more than 6000 points in the men’s indoor heptathlon and the 20-year-old, who placed seventh in the decathlon at last year’s European Athletics Championships, must now be considered a real contender in Istanbul.
It was the second highest score in the Europe this year behind only Switzerland’s world decathlon bronze medallist Simon Ehammer who logged 6292 a week earlier in Aubiére, France.
Home hero Maicel Uibo placed second with 6120 points. It was the second highest heptathlon score of the world decathlon silver medallist’s career and marked a celebratory weekend after it was announced he is expecting his first child with his wife, Shaunae Miller-Uibo, double Olympic champion over 400m.
Third place went to Edgaras Benkunska in a new Lithuanian national record of 5937 points. The podium in the women’s pentathlon was completed by Finland’s world under 20 heptathlon champion Saga Vanninen with 4541 points and 16-year-old Jana Košcak who set a new Croatian record with 4432 points.
Schrub reigns in Spain
France’s European 10,000m bronze medallist Yann Schrub triumphed at the latest leg of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour in Calzadilla, Spain on Sunday (5).
Bright sun greeted the athletes at the Gran Premio Cáceres Campo a Traves meeting, but it was Shrub who shone brightest, taking command around two-third of the way through the men’s 10k event.
Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli gave chase and ran shoulder to shoulder in the latter stages, but could not respond when Schrub produced a decisive final surge to win in 27:43. Kimeli faded to third in 27:55 as Uruguay’s Santiago Catrof split the European pair in second in 27:49.
The women’s 10km race saw Dutch duo Veetle Bakken and Silken Jonkman enjoy a spirited battle against with Kenyan Nancy Chepleting, before succumbing. The Kenyan won in 32:41, six seconds ahead of Bakken with Jonkman fading in the latter stages to placed fourth behind Spain’s Laura Luengo who clocked 32:52.