Martina claims Euro 200m title

HELSINKI (AFP) –

Netherland’s Churandy Martina wins the men’s 200m final at the 2012 European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki.

Churandy Martina led a Dutch one-two in the men’s 200m on the fourth day of the European athletics championships here on Saturday.

Martina, who was stripped of his second-place finish in the Beijing Olympics 200m behind Usain Bolt because of a lane violation called by the US team, clocked 20.42sec, with compatriot Patrick van Luijk taking silver in 20.87sec.

Running into a headwind on a wet track after heavy intermittent showers at the Olympic Stadium, Martina held his nerve to turn on the power from the bend, outstripping Van Luijk, with Briton Daniel Talbot taking bronze in 20.95.

There was a similar outcome in the women’s 200m, with Maria Ryemyen leading a Ukrainian one-two, timing 23.05sec ahead of compatriot Hrystyna Stuy (23.17).

France’s Myriam Soumare took bronze (23.21) from Viktoriya Pyatachenko by four-hundredths to deny a podium sweep for Ukraine.

France’s Ida Antoinette Nana Djimou competes in the women’s heptathlon javelin throw at the 2012 European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. Nana Djimou recorded a personal best of 6,544 points to win the heptathlon.

Cameroon-born Frenchwoman Ida Antoinette Nana Djimou recorded a personal best of 6,544 points to win the heptathlon and hand France a fourth gold medal of the championships.

The 26-year-old Nana Djimou posted personal bests in the long jump (6.42m) and javelin (55.82m) in Saturday’s action before safely negotiating her weakest event, the final strength-sapping 800m.

Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Yossypenko took silver (6,387pts) from Latvian Laura Ikauniece, in the absence of the big names of European heptathlon such as Briton Jessica Ennis, Russian Ana Chernova and Ukraine’s Natalya Dobrynska.

Briton Mo Farah, winner of the 5000m here, was not on hand to defend his 10,000m title, won in 28:22.27 by one of Turkey’s African imports, Polat Kemboi Arikan, born Paul Kipkosgei Kemboi in Kenya.

Italian Daniele Meucci took silver (28:22.73), with Russian Yevgeniy Rybakov claiming bronze (28:22.95.

Turkey’s Gulcan Mingir claimed the 3000m steeplechase title in 9:32.96 from Ukrainian Svitlana Shmidt (9:33.03), with Germany’s Antje Moeldner-Schmidt completing the podium (9:36.37).

Italy’s Fabrizio Donato competes in the men’s triple jump final at the 2012 European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. Donato claimed gold in the men’s triple jump, with a soaring best of 17.63m.

In the field, Czech Jirina Ptacnikova impressed in the women’s pole vault in awful conditions for the event, winning on countback from German Martina Strutz and Greek Nikolia Kirakopolou after the trio all cleared 4.60m.

Italian veteran Fabrizio Donato claimed gold in the men’s triple jump, with a soaring best of 17.63m on his first effort enough to outclass Ukrainian Sheryf El-Sheryf (17.28m) and Belarus’ Aliaksei Tsapik (16.97m).

It was the 35-year-old’s first major outdoor success of his career.

And German favourite Robert Harting won the discus with a best of 68.30m, Estonia’s reigning Olympic champion Gerd Kanter taking silver (66.53m) and Hungary’s Zoltan Kovago bronze (66.42).