Eugene. In addition to the Perseus Karlström bronze, a lot happened during the first competition day of the World Cup.
Here we list the most important.
Thobias Montler after the drama
The Swedish medal candidate was under a lot of pressure after stomping in the first and a very short safety jump in the second.
But Montler held firm in the final round and finally made 8.10 the third longest jump in qualifying behind Simon Emmer and Japan’s Yuki Hashioka.
Read more about that competition here!
The cool Swedish ladies were successful!
It was no surprise that Fanny Ross reached the World Cup Final. But she wouldn’t be the only Swede out there, a real fanfare. When it comes to most things, Axelina Johansson did just as Gret Ahlberg did on her World Cup debut: she hit a personal record.
18.57 was enough for the final by the smallest possible margin. The Swede took the place of a second, better shot against Germany’s Katharina Maich.
– God damn it! It was very stressful there in the end, says the finalist.
Fannie Ross finished eleven in the playoffs with her 18.72.
Quick attempts for 100 meters
The men’s 100m race promises to be something really special. Already in trials, it has spread to miraculous times. The fastest was Fred Curley who dominated the lead for the win at 9.79 in calm conditions.
His compatriot Trayvon Brommel also shone with 9.89. But the question is whether we don’t take off our hats any more than Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala. After visa problems, he landed in Eugene just hours before the trials began. He shook his legs – and went to the semi-finals at 10.10.
My body feels heavy now. But even if I didn’t move, the trip was worth it. But now I really feel like I have something to bring, he says.
One of two others at an altitude of 1,500 metres
There was a 50% payout for the women’s 1500m. Yolanda Ngarambi had a messy race and her time in 8th place wasn’t enough.
– The whole race was a mess, he tried to find holes because he felt good. But she says I was off track three, and then didn’t have time when I finally felt comfortable.
Things went better for Hanna Hermansson who got exactly what she wanted, going forward and a personal record with 4.06.30. That was enough to quasi-progress in time.
– It’s unbelievable comfort and joy. I am grateful that I was able to run another race in this wonderful arena, she says.
Alison Felix was not allowed to say goodbye to gold
The first gold on the athletics track was almost pre-booked for the United States. In the 4x400m mixed relay, the idea was to let Alisson Felix bid farewell to another gold medal.
But it didn’t go as planned. Felix himself was shocked in the second leg and was passed by the Dominican Republic who finally managed to win the gold followed by the Netherlands who passed the USA after a great match from Fimk Ball in the first leg.
Felix was still happy then:
– It was great to run in front of the home crowd in my last race. It was so wonderful. My daughter was sitting in the stands, she says.
Lisa Gunnarson disappointed
Lisa Gunnarson thought she was in great shape before the World Cup. But here he finished at 4.50 in the playoffs. It turned out that 4.35 was enough in the first for the final, but Lisa took first place in the second and had to leave the World Cup.
– It’s so annoying, I’m not quite satisfied to be completely honest. I don’t perform as I usually do. I usually jump 4.50 in training every day. I had most of the problems with the wind, I couldn’t get through the poles. The wind is spinning here and I was unlucky with the headwind. It was sour, she says.
Vidar Johansson also missed the lead in the 3000m hurdles.