Howe, Steffensen and Ross all winners in Madrid

Commonwealth Games champions Kym Howe and John Steffensen have been joined by four-time national 100m champion Joshua Ross in producing their first ever World Athletics Tour wins at the IAAF meeting in Madrid overnight.

It was an impressive night for Australian athletes with four podium placings and a personal best. The victories to Howe in the pole vault and Steffensen over 400m, along with Ross, who tied for first place in the 100m with Athens Olympic Games silver medallist Francis Obikwelu, combined with a bronze medal performance from Tamsyn Lewis, who again broke through the two-minute barrier, and a personal best in the shot put from Scott Martin.

John Steffensen produced his fastest time in 2007, a slick 45.05, to claim the narrowest of wins ahead of Sydney Olympic 400m hurdles champion Angelo Taylor who captured the US title in June. Both recorded the same time, with Steffensen awarded the victory. 2002 Commonwealth Games champion Michael Blackwood of Jamaica was third in 45.60.

In the B race, reigning national champion Sean Wroe, who escaped serious injury in a bus crash in Italy on Monday morning, tired to finish third in 46.23 after leading at 350m.

For Steffensen, the victory was his first in Europe and fastest time since his memorable victory over one lap at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The 2005 World Championships finalist showed he is back to his best form after a long battle with a hamstring complaint. He has now finished no worse than second in his last three outings – after seconds in the IAAF World Tour meetings in Lausanne and Sheffield this month.

"It’s getting better," an understated Steffensen said after the race.

"The most important thing is that I’m healthy. It’s great to win and it’s my first win in Europe which is nice, but five minutes after the race you realise that the world champs is still to come.  That brings you back to earth pretty quickly.

"My aim is to put in a good performance every time, so by the time worlds come I’ll be competitive," he said.

Like Steffensen, Kym Howe’s World Championships preparations received a confidence boost with her victory in the pole vault.

Howe opened her competition at 4.30m and cleared every height, including her winning leap of 4.62m, on her first attempt.

The win included some major scalps including 2003 world champion and Athens Olympic silver medallist Svetlana Feofanova of Russia, who also cleared 4.62m but missed an earlier attempt at 4.57m.

"It’s great to win and I’ll certainly saviour it, but is doesn’t change too much. The girls have all beaten me a few times this season, so I’ll just return to Perth, train up and get ready for the next fight which will be in Osaka," Howe said.

The trip to Europe has delivered impressive results for Howe, led by her Madrid victory and her best ever height outdoors of 4.65m in Saulheim, Germany in June.

Four-time national 100m champion Joshua Ross also claimed his first IAAF World Tour win, albeit a tie for first with Portugal’s Olympic 100m silver medallist Francis Obikwelu.

After winning his heat in 10.29 (-0.6), Ross went to the line locked with Obikwelu, both clocking 10.37 (0.0), but well clear of 2005 World Championships 200m silver medallist Wallace Spearmon (USA) who was third in 10.43.

National record holder Patrick Johnson was fourth in 10.45, after clocking 10.46 (-1.6) in his heat. Matt Shirvington finished fourth in the same heat as Johnson, clocking 10.51.

"I thought I got him," Ross said. "It certainly felt like a head wind, so I was a bit surprised with the time, as I was when they said it was a tie for first."

Commonwealth Games discus champion Scott Martin was the surprise performance of the Australians.

Since having surgery on the plantar plate in his left foot in March, Martin produced a lifetime best of 20.52m to finish fourth. After a comeback effort of 19.28m in the Netherlands last weekend, the result came as a shock and added nine centimetres to the 20.43 he launched in Hobart in February.

Dutch thrower Rutger Smith caused a boil-over to win with 21.12m, ahead of US champion Reese Hoffa (20.81m), with Dane Joachim Olsen, the Olympic bronze medallist, third with 20.64m. US world championships representative Dan Taylor (20.47m) and Adam Nelson (20.28m) all trailed Martin.

"No-one’s more surprised than me," Martin said.

"I did a little fist pump in round two when I threw 19.89; to get that performance sort of confirmed my spot for worlds, but then the big one came in round four.

"I had three over 20m. I haven’t been training that well and I’ve only been rotating for three weeks. The foot still hurts a bit as I stretch and load the scar tissue."

Tamsyn Lewis celebrated her 29th birthday on Friday with an impressive third placing to once again dip under the two-minute barrier. In perhaps her best international result, Lewis ran 1:59.80 with the indomitable Maria Mutola of Mozambique the winner in 1:58.80 while Morocco’s world and Olympic silver medallist Hasna Benhassi finished second in 1:59.47.

To round out the Australian results, Bronwyn Thompson was 11th in the long jump with 6.36m, behind Russian Tatyana Lebedeva who leapt an impressive 7.15m. Alana Boyd’s struggles in the pole vault continued with a no-height.

Results and further information can be found at www.iaaf.org

A long list of Australians will compete in Talinn, Estonia tonight (Sunday) including Adam Miller, Mark Ormrod, Jeff Riseley, Nick Bromley, Paul Hoffman, Mitch Kealey, Collis Birmingham, Justin Merlino, Scott Martin, Benn Harradine, Jarrod Bannister, John Thornell and Kerrie Taurima.