Page 19 - ARUBA TODAY

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SPORTS Saturday 3 March 2018

Cuban is youngest male field

event winner at world indoors

By DANIELLA MATAR, "I'm delighted with the re- Johnson-Thompson had
BIRMINGHAM, England sult," Echevarria said. "It was a strong showing in the
(AP) — Juan Miguel Eche- very tight with very close three events in the morn-
varria became the young- margins but I prepared ing session, although it was
est male field event win- physically and mentally for Rodriguez who led after
ner when he took the long the event. the 60-meter hurdles, high
jump and Katarina John- "I think I'm in the peak of jump, and shot put.
son-Thompson claimed her my career. I'm feeling very Johnson-Thompson moved
first global title in the pen- physically strong ... I'm real- into first place with a leap
tathlon at the world indoor ly looking forward to what of 6.50 meters to top the
athletics championships on 2018 holds." long-jump standings, which
Friday. In the pentathlon, John- afforded her a lead of
In another first, every runner son-Thompson topped the around two seconds going
in a world championship standings going into the into the 800.
race was disqualified, in a final event and led most In the women's 60, Ahoure
400-meter heat. of the 800-meter race be- clocked 6.97 seconds to se-
There were also gold med- fore pulling away in the fi- cure Ivory Coast's first gold
als for Murielle Ahoure in an nal straight to comfortably at the world indoors. She
Ivory Coast one-two in the take gold. edged teammate Marie
60 meters, and Hungary's The British athlete finished Josee Ta Lou by 0.43. They
Anita Marton in the shot 50 points ahead of Ivona embraced after each ran
put. Dadic of Austria. Yorge- personal bests.
In the heptathlon, Kevin lis Rodriguez of Cuba was "It's huge to get gold and
Mayer of France has a third, 113 points behind. silver. The Ivory Coast is on
45-point lead over Damian "It's been a very long hard top, we're so happy and
Warner of Canada. The fi- day but it's definitely been hopefully soon we'll be
nal three events are on Sat- worth it," Johnson-Thomp- able to take over the whole
urday. son said. podium," Ahoure said.
The 19-year-old Echevar- "I knew in the 800 all I need- "This last year has been so Grenada's Bralon Taplin, center front, leads in a men's 400 meter
heat at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Birming-
ria leaped a personal-best ed to do was keep ahead difficult with my father (who ham, Britain, Friday, March 2, 2018.
8.46 meters to upset world of Dadic and Rodriguez. has died of cancer). I knew Associated Press
champion and Olympic Something just happened he was watching from up
silver medalist Luvo Man- to me in the third lap and I there. I was talking to him zerland was third, just 0.005 a false start. Bralon Taplin of
yonga. just felt good so I wanted to before the race, saying, behind Ta Lou. Grenada, who ran the fast-
Just four centimeters sepa- go for the win." 'Please Dad, help me in the Danniel Thomas-Dodd be- est time this year, won the
rated the top three: Man- Dadic earned her first world race.' I couldn't get a gold came the first Jamaican heat but officials disquali-
yonga made 8.44 and de- medal after finishing sec- medal when he was alive. woman to win a global field fied him and Steven Gayle
fending champion Marquis ond to Nafissatou Thiam in I have so much pent-up medal, but her Jamaican- of Jamaica, Austris Karpin-
Dendy of the United States the European indoors last emotion now." record 19.22 in the shot skis of Latvia, and Alonzo
8.42. year. Mujinga Kambundji of Swit- put wasn't enough to beat Russell of the Bahamas for
Marton, who threw 19.62. running out of their lanes.
World champion Lijiao Grenada's appeal was re-
Gong of China was third. jected.
Earlier, all five runners in a It is two less rivals for Pavel
400-meter heat were dis- Maslak to worry about in
qualified. the Czech runner's quest
Abdalelah Haroun, a Qa- for a third successive world
tari who won bronze at the indoor title. Maslak finished
/arubatoday/ world championships last second in his heat and first
year, was first to leave after in his semifinal.q