13.09.2009

Wroe, Mickle fly the flag on day one in Thessaloniki

World championships relay bronze medallist Sean Wroe placed eighth in the men's 400m and Western Australian Kim Mickle was sixth in the women's javelin throw on the first day of competition at the IAAF World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece overnight.

Wroe, who anchored Australia to third place behind the USA and Great Britain at last month's world championships in Berlin, ran home in 47.10 in the penultimate race of his European campaign.

"It's been a very long season," said the weary 24-year-old after the race, his 36th of the year.

"I've had fun this season and I've run a personal best this season; I would have liked to have gone a little better at world champs."

Following last year's Olympic Games in Beijing, Wroe and coach Eric Hollingsworth devised a four-year plan leading into the 2012 Olympic Games that meant more races over 100m and 200m this year in an effort to improve speed.

"This year we were experimenting with the training we were doing and were working on the speed. Doing that kind of 100m/200m training doesn't leave you much strength to maintain the 400m for this time of the season though. 

"Now it's going back and combining the two," he said.

American LaShawn Merritt was again victorious in the men's one-lap event, extending his winning streak to 16 races since August 29 last year with a time of 44.93.

"All that matters in these races is victory. I think I can be called the best 400m runner. I've earned it," said the Olympic and world champion who was more than half a second in front of his nearest rival, Bahama's world championships fifth place-getter Chris Brown (45.49).

Western Australian Kim Mickle, competing in her first World Athletics Final, threw 57.57m on her fourth attempt to finish seven metres behind Russian world bronze medallist Maria Abakumova in the women's javelin throw.

"It's been a humongous season for me. I am rapt with getting sixth place but I am not really happy with the throw. It's not coming out as great as I would like," said Mickle, who has a personal best of 63.49m set in Perth earlier this year.

In a lacklustre competition where 64.60m was good enough for victory, Mickle knows that she is competitive when at her best.

"When I am on my game I feel I can throw further than my personal best," said the 24-year-old, who placed 15th at the world championships in Berlin.

Championship records were set in the women's long jump and 3000m steeplechase and men's 800m and shot put.

American Brittney Reese launched a final-round 7.08m in the women's long jump, just two centimetres off the personal best she set in Berlin, to defeat Russia's 2004 Olympic champion Tatyana Lebedeva and her compatriot Elena Sokolova.

Russian world record-holder Elena Isinbayeva had no trouble winning the women's pole vault and collecting the $US30,000 winners cheque with a mediocre vault by her lofty standards of 4.80m. The two-time Olympic champion had three unsuccessful attempts at a world record 5.07m.

World championships silver and bronze medallists Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell delighted the crowd once again with a thrilling duel in the 100m. Powell led until 80m when the American surged by to sneak victory in 9.88 to the Jamaican's 9.90.

Australia's newly-crowed world discus champion Dani Samuels and defending World Athletics Final long jump champion Fabrice Lapierre will line up on the second and final day of competition in Thessaloniki tomorrow.

Pat Birgan in Thessaloniki