| Article Index |
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| Kladno |
| Day 2 |
| Summary |
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Page 1 of 3
And so begins my third and final competition report for Europe 2011. It has definitely been quite an adventure and learning curve, and many thanks to all that have made this opportunity possible!
With a very unique preparation for this competition, guided by injury and the general fatigue of 2 previous decathlons, long road trips etc etc.... I was still motivated to produce another good score before I flew home. There was definite physical and mental fatigue in the week leading up, though was still confident that I could back up my score from Desenzano.
Kladno had a very impressive start list with the majority of the field having PB’s over 8000points, not to mention the likes of several athletes having already scored over 8500, including World Record holder Roman Sebrle at 9026. In meticulous preparation for this comp, we (3 x NZL decathletes and I) managed to arrange a game of golf with Mr Sebrle at the best course in Czech. In case you were wondering, Roman is quite a handy golfer, and managed a score of 74 off the pro tees on the very challenging course! I, on the other hand, will have to blame my poor game on....
COMPETITION RUNDOWN
DAY 1:
Whilst nothing beats the prestige and atmosphere of Gotzis, Kladno definitely put on a show with a great competition, great crowds, and great weather (aside from the inevitable headwinds!!). My only major concern was my right achilles, which has caused me grief for a couple of years now. It prevented me from any fast or explosive training following Gotzis, though once the 100m started I managed to get through each event without toooo much concern.
100m: On the back of two average 100m races in my previous comps, I was very aware that it was the second half of my race that needed improvement if my time was to decrease. I had a great start with a 0.12 reaction from the gun, and had a near perfect race for the first 70m until I was passed just before the finish line. I attempted to relax the second half of my race in an effort to finish stronger, though perhaps it is just a lack of speed endurance at this stage which is preventing me from running much faster. Though with a headwind that appeared stronger than the measured -1.6m/s I felt I ran well for an 11.42
Long Jump: Yet to have a respectable long jump comp on my journeys, I worked on increasing my run-up speed which felt beneficial but still lacked height on all three jumps. With great foot placement on the board, I was happy to jump 6.90m on my first attempt and was fired up for two big jumps to follow. Unfortunately that was my best jump, yet with my other two jumps within 15cm of my first, it was slightly better jumping this time round.
Long Jump is definitely my ‘need to improve’ event, and can’t wait to finally learn how to jump well!!!
Shot Put: One of my most satisfying events of the meet, especially having had three great attempts. A very consistent and solid warm-up with a standing throw over 13m, I felt very comfortable and confident with the technique I was using and the focus I had on a couple of very useful cues. With an opening throw of 13.98 followed by a new PB of 14.22, I had nothing to lose with my third throw and decided to speed everything up a little (a lot) which caused a little loss of balance and a foul resulted, though the shot still flew far past my first two throws. Hopefully I can consolidate this feeling in the ring and have my shot put more consistent from now on! This is quite a relief as i was battling to throw over 13 for most of the interclub season.
High Jump: Another satisfying high jump competition, despite a little drizzle and a battling achilles. Satisfying being defined as a lack of pain and ability to walk after the competition! I took a more aggressive approach with my heights, starting with a foul on 1.80 first attempt. After clearing on my second, I went to 1.86 which I cleared before clearing 1.92 on my first attempt also. I cleared 1.95 on my second attempt and was utilising a faster and more aggressive run-up well but unlucky not to clear 1.98. I can definitely see HJ PB’s coming in the near future, fingers crossed!
400m: After a very disappointing 400m in Gotzis, I was keen to finish off a successful first day with a great 400m. As we have done in training, I started out fast for the first 40-50m and relaxed into a steady pace following Dmitriy Karpov (pb-8725) in my outside lane. Through 300m I felt strong and confident of a good finish, and whilst carrying a well known bear on my back for the majority of the home strait, I was happy with my run and somewhat satisfied with the time of 50.39 Brian Roe called out to me as I tried to recover.
Overall DAY 1: Was very happy with the one event PB (all be it only 10cm) and excited for the second day, having scored a PB first day of 3856 points which I think had me in 21st place, though not sure.
