Brno, Czech Republic - Daegu bronze medallist Trevor Barry with 2.30m and European under-23 champion Esthera Petre at 1.93m were the two winners at the 17th edition of the Brno High Jump competition Tuesday (14) evening at the Olympia Shopping Center, the first time in the history of the traditional fixture that the city sport hall was not used.

 Photo: Getty Images

In his final European tune-up for Istanbul, the Bahamian jumper found himself in a group of eight as the bar went to 2.25m in the men’s event.  When the jumping was complete at that height, Barry’s first-jump success was the only clearance at that height as the other seven struggled in futile efforts at the modest height.  Barry was the last jumper to enter the competition (at 2.18m), and he had clinched the competition after only his third leap of the evening. 

Still with fresh legs, Barry then called for a PB 2.30m and cleared the height on his first attempt.  He brushed the bar slightly but it stayed on the uprights long enough to elicit a white flag from the jump judge before falling to the mat a moment later.  The official immediately confirmed his decision of a valid jump before Barry ended the evening with three failures at 2.34m. 

Bulgarian Victor Ninov finished second with 2.22m although voluntarily retiring from the competition after only two failures at 2.25m.  Tied for third at 2.22m were Athens bronze medallist Jaroslav Bába of the Czech Republic, Poland’s Piotr Sleboda and Mickael Hanany of France. 

In the women’s competition, Petre needed three jumps at 1.93m to separate herself from Venelina Veneva-Mateeva of Bulgaria and Estonian Anna Iljustsenko, who finished second and third, respectively, at 1.90m. 

The Romanian finished the evening with three unsuccessful attempts at a would be personal-best of 1.96m. 

Standing out among the other competitors was fourth-place Burcu Ayhan, the European under-23 bronze medallist from last summer.  The Turkish jumper began the evening with an indoor personal best of 1.80m, and improved it three times—with first-jump clearances at 1.81m, 1.84m, and 1.87m—before finally retiring at 1.90m.  Her outdoor PB is the 1.94m she achieved in her medal performance last year. 

Results:

MEN:

1. Barry (BAH) 2.30 [2.18/2 – 2.25 – 2.30 – 2.34/xxx]

2. Ninov (BUL) 2.22

=3. Baba (CZE) 2.22

=3. Hanany (FRA) 2.22

=3. Sleboda (POL) 2.22

6. Saint-Jean (FRA) 2.22

7. Anishchenkov (RUS) 2.22

=8. Kabelka (SVK) 2.18

=8. Campioli (ITA) 2.18

10. Chesani (ITA) 2.18

11. Lee (MAL) 2.14

12. Heindl (CZE) 2.05

No height:  Tsuchiya (JPN) (2.10)

WOMEN:

1. Petre (ROU) 1.93 [1.81 – 1.87 – 1.90 – 1.93/3 – 1.96]

2. Veneva-Mateeva (BUL) 1.90

3. Iljustsenko (EST) 1.90

4. Ayhan (TUR) 1.87

=5. Simic (CRO)  1.87

=5. Maresova (CZE) 1.87

7. Spencer (LCA) 1.84

8. Domel (POL) 1.84

=9. Blazej (POL) 1.81

=9. Gollner (AUT) 1.81

11. Parilova (CZE) 1.78

12. Nova (CZE) 1.74

Source: IAAF