Swansea 2014 - Day 5 morning review

“I’ve had a great season and I was hoping to jump close to the eight metre mark in Swansea but it just didn’t happen. My goal over the coming years is to work on my consistency.”

All eyes were focussed on the long jump pit this morning as Germany’s world and Paralympic long jump T44 champion Markus Rehm successfully defended his European title on the final day of competition at the IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea, Wales.

The 26-year-old leapt to victory in the T42/44 event with a best of 7.63m (1086 points) in his second attempt.

Rehm, who hit the headlines last month when he smashed his own world record with a terrific leap of 8.24m at the able-bodied German National Championships, took gold with Denmark’s Daniel Jorgensen winning silver (975 points, 6.22m), and Ronald Hertog of the Netherlands the bronze (930 points, 6.78m).

““It was a difficult competition today because we had quite a strong head wind and cross wind to calculate and I found it hard to find my place to hit the board,” he said.

“I’ve had a great season and I was hoping to jump close to the eight metre mark in Swansea but it just didn’t happen. My goal over the coming years is to work on my consistency.”

Russia’s Alexey Ashapatov completed his hat trick of gold medals in Swansea with victory in the discus F57. The world and Paralympic champion managed a best of 42.11m – exactly one metre further than his nearest rival, Poland’s Janusz Rokicki.

Svetlana Krivenok added another gold for Russia setting a personal best of 6.37m (912 points) to win the shot put F32/33.

There were also two golds out in the field for Ukraine in the morning session, with world silver medallist Viktorya Yasevych winning the discus F38. The European champion two years ago, Yasevych only managed to register two throws on the scoreboard, but 28.69m proved enough to take the gold.

Fellow Ukrainian Mykyta Senyk also won his third gold medal of the championships, winning the long jump T38 to add to the double sprint golds he won earlier in the week.

The 24-year-old showed great consistency with five of his six attempts over 5.50m – the only competitor to go beyond that mark. A best of 5.79m sealed the gold.

Victory in the men’s shot put F53/54/55 went to Bulgaria’s Ruzhdi Ruzhdi who added more than 50cm to his personal best to take the top spot on the podium with a score of 974 (11.48m).

Hector Cabrera Llacer of Spain was one of five competitors to set new lifetime bests in the men’s javelin F12 – his mark of 56.20m in the penultimate round good enough to take the win.

Out on the track, Ireland’s Michael McKillop looked to have put his injury woes of the last year behind him as he added the 1500m T38 title to the 800m gold he won earlier in the week.

The 24-year-old double world and Paralympic champion led from the gun in a tactical race, upping the pace to stretch out the field at the half way mark before cruising home to a comfortable victory in 4:16.73.

“I really enjoyed it, it’s been a tough couple of months for me with injuries,” said McKillop, who even managed a wave to his team mate Jason Smyth in the stands as he rounded the final bend. “It’s great to be able to come here and do a job for my country - it makes me very proud.

“It was such a slow first lap and the French guy (Louis Radius) kept saying ‘too slow’ but it’s a championship race and I don’t know what he expected me to do. I had always planned to build up the race with each lap and I was able to pull clear on the last lap.

“I want to take this form in to the World Championships next year and then on to Rio.”

There was upset in the men’s 400m T11 as Frenchman Timothee Adolphe took gold after Spain’s Gerard Desgarrega Puigdevall was disqualified for failing to cross the finish line ahead of his guide.

Adolphe, who had suffered disappointment earlier in the week when his guide false started in the 100m T11 final, clocked 52.87 to take his second title of the championships having won the 200m T11 already.

And it was a family affair in the women’s 1500m T20 as Hungarian twins Ilona and Bernadett Biacsi dominated the battle for gold. The sisters pulled clear of the field and raced shoulder to shoulder for the final 500m.

But it was world bronze medallist Ilona – with the faster personal best – who pulled clear just before the line, adding gold to the European bronze she won two years ago in 4:59.33.

The live stream from Swansea 2014, together with videos on demand of individual races, are available to embed on websites in some territories via the IPC’s YouTube channel.

For further information please contact IPC Media Operations and Digital Media Co-Ordinator Laura Schreder.

In addition, HD quality broadcast footage from Swansea 2014 is available from the IPC’s Broadcast Manager Jose Manuel Dominguez.

Daily highlights will be available for digital channels via Omnisport, whilst individual races as video on demand can be embedded via Perform’s e-player