Fleur Jong sets new world record in another Dutch one-two at the Euros

Dutch sprinters continue to dominate the T64 track events in Bydgoszcz as Fleur Jong took the European Championships gold medal in the women’s 100m on Thursday morning (3 June) setting a new world record (12.64).

It was another one-two podium for the Netherlands with Berlin 2018 European champion Marlene van Gansewinkel in second (12.80), followed by Spain’s Sara Andres Barrio in third (12.93).

“I feel great. I didn’t even know how fast I was going. I was just thinking about how not to fall so I think that’s how fast I went”, said Jong who did not realise at first that she had broken the world record.

Jong’s European debut could not have been a happier one. The 25-year-old improved by 0.14 her own world record established in Leverkusen, Germany in August last year.

The next goal is the podium at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“Well, I don’t have any medals at the Games yet so that’s a goal for me. It is not important if it’s in the long jump, 100m race, or both. I just want a medal around my neck. I am working towards that,” she added.

The result was a repeat of the men’s 100m T64 on Wednesday when Olivier Hendriks and Levi Vloet took gold and silver, respectively, for the orange team. 

Jong and Van Gansewinkel return to action on Friday in search of another podium in the women’s long jump T64. 

Euros redemption for Boesch

The morning session in Bydgoszcz produced great results also in wheelchair races. Beat Boesch from Switzerland won his third European Championships title in the men’s 100m T52 with a new competition record (17.66).

“I am very happy to get the win in the final. This is a strong track for the quad’s and we had a little bit of wind, but overall I am satisfied”, said the 49-year-old Boesch.

Three years ago at the European Championships in Berlin, he lost out to Portugal’s Mario Trindade who finished third this time (18.79.) Fabian Blum squeezed in second place (18.26) for a Swiss one-two.

“When Mario won three years ago, I wasn’t so happy. It’s good to come back and become a European champion”, concluded the four-time Paralympic medallist.

Russia’s Georgii Margiev broke another championships record in the men’s high jump T47 (1.94m). Former European champion Alexandre Dipoko-Ewane from France took silver (1.91m) with Turkey’s Abdullah Ilgaz in third (1.91m).

World record holder Oksana Zubkovska of Ukraine won the women’s long jump T12 with a 5.57m-jump in her fifth attempt setting a new competition record.

Ukraine clinched two more golds in the morning session. Oleksandr Lytvynenko won his second consecutive European title in the men’s long jump T36 with a personal best (5.67m). His compatriot and former European champion Roman Pavlyk took silver (5.66m).

Anastasiia Moskalenko defended her title from Berlin 2018 in the women’s club throw F32 (20.24m). Refugee Para athlete Alia Issa ended the competition in fourth place with a 15.12m-throw, just 45 centimetres shy of a bronze medal.

“I feel sad about today. I wanted to do better, but I had some problems with my belt. I will go back to Greece and train even harder to do better in Tokyo”, said Issa who achieved the minimum qualification standard (MQS) for Tokyo Paralympics.

“I am proud to represent all the refugees around the world in Tokyo 2020, I hope I will do better there,” Issa added.

Second gold for Datinska

In one of the most exciting events of the morning session, Serbia’s Saska Sokolov won the gold medal in the women’s 200m T47 (25.56). The battle between her and Poland’s Alicja Jeromin (25.57) was decided in the photo-finish.

Great Britain’s Andre Fabienne got her first major Para Athletics title in the women’s 100m T34 with a new personal best (18.94).

Miriam Martinez Rico from Spain made another breakthrough in Bydgoszcz with a gold medal in the women’s shot put F36 (9.50m).

Czech Republic’s Eva Datinska bagged her second European gold in Bydgoszcz. After the victory in the women’s discus throw F38, she topped the podium in the shot put F37 (10.20m).

Azerbaijan’s Elvin Astanov won the men’s shot put F53 with a personal best (8.23m), while Russia’s Anna Kulinich-Sorokina triumphed in the women’s javelin throw F13 (37.95m).

Complete schedule and results are available on the Bydgoszcz 2021 website.

The evening session will kick off at 17:30 CEST and will be live on the World Para Athletics website and Facebook page (with geo-block restrictions in Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom).