Danny Ecker Article

[Bruce Caldwell]

http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=25773.html

Good jumping and vaulting, as Sakorafa returns to record venue in Chania
Tuesday 29 June 2004
Chania, Greece – There were some solid performances in both the long jump events at the 56th Venizelia - EAA permit - meeting in the Helena Venizelou stadium, last night. There was also an encouraging vault from Germany's Danny Ecker who is on the long road back from injury.

The spiritual highlight of the meet was undoubtedly the competitive return of Sofia Sakorafa to the meeting, where twenty two years ago she threw her World Javelin record.

Windy 8.37



Sofia Sakorafa throwing in the 1982 European Championships
(AFP/Getty Images)


Greece’s Louis Tsatoumas, the European U23 reigning champion, won the men’s Long Jump with a wind assisted 8.37m. Tsatoumas, who failed in the Vardinoyannia meeting last week (where he produced only fouls), last night also produced a jump of 8.19m with a legal wind reading. A 20-year-old Greek Dimitris Diamantaras, placed second with a personal best at 8.10m.

Yannoula Kafetzi, third in the European Cup Super League two weeks ago, set a personal best of 6.71m to win the women’s event and secure her participation in the Athens Olympics.

Zykina clocks 51.66, Ecker clears 5.70m

Russia’s European champion Olesya Zykina started very fast in the women's 400m, but in the last 100m she seemed to lose her strength. She crossed the line in 51.66, followed by Germany’s Claudia Marx who clocked 52.25.

Germany’s Danny Ecker cleared 5.70m to take the win in the Pole Vault. It was the German's best since he began his comeback from injury this year. He also jumped 5.60 in Lille on Saturday for his previous highest of 2004.

Last night Ecker was followed by Bulgaria’s Ilian Efremov who jumped 5.60m for second place, while the young Greek Konstantinos Filippidis, cleared 5.50m, equalling the national juniors record.

In the men’s Triple Jump, Bulgaria’s Momchil Karailiev jumped 16.96m, while Greece’s Christos Meletoglou set a season’s best with a 16.81m performance.

China’s Gao Wing won the women’s Pole Vault with 4.27m, the same height as Bulgaria’s Tanya Stefanova who was second.

Greece’s Georgia Kokloni dominated the women’s 100m in a season’s best 11.31. Flora Redoumi won the 100m Hurdles in 12.96, and Ireland’s Peter Coghlan was the fastest in the men’s 110m Hurdles with 13.67.

Sofia Sakorafa returns

Twenty two years after her World record throw at the Venizelia meeting, Sofia Sakorafa made her competitive return.

It was the afternoon of September 26, 1982 when the Greek television interrupted its normal programming, to report the joyful news for the Greek athletics. Sofia Sakorafa, had just broken the World record in the women’s Javelin throw with 74.20m (old specification spear) in the meeting “Venizeliaâ€Â