Posted: May 29, 2006

Athletics: Clay wins in Gotzis, Kreiner breaks more records

Bryan Clay, the reigning world champion and Olympic silver medalist in the men's decathlon, on Sunday won the Hypo Combined Events meeting in Götzis, Austria. It was Clay's first victory in the prestigious combined-events showcase.

Clay's 8,677 points handily defeated Dmitry Karpov of Kazakhstan in second (8,293) and is the top score in the world this year. World and Olympic champion Carolina Kluft of Sweden also posted a world-leading mark in taking the women's heptathlon with 6,719 points.

Clay led the competition after the first day and easily kept that lead in Sunday's final day of competition, turning in consistently strong performances. On Saturday, Clay won the 100 (10.42 seconds, good for 994 points) and long jump (7.67m/25-2, 977 points), threw 15.56m/51-0.75 in the shot put (824 points), cleared 2.06m/6-9 in the high jump (859 points) and ran 48.87 in the 400 (867 points), finishing the day with 4521 points to Karpov's 4,473.

On Sunday, he won the 110m hurdles (13.74, 1008 points), was second in the discus (52.21m/171-3, 917 points) and pole vault (5.0m/16-5.75, 910 points), and won the javelin (66.47m/218-1, 836 points) before running 5:13.47 in the 1,500 meters for 485 points.

"I was very close to breaking the World record (9,026 set by Roman Sebrle) before the 1500 meters," Clay told the IAAF. "If I put some training in the final event I can improve the record. I set the plan with my coach to break the record at the World Championships in Osaka. If the record comes earlier, it's OK but my big goal is Osaka. First of all I want to be as consistent as possible."

Kreiner breaks another AR, sets all-comers mark

Kim Kreiner broke the American record in the women's javelin for the third time in recent weeks, taking the U.S. all-comers record in the process Sunday at the USA Track & Field Pacific Association Championships at the College of San Mateo (Calif.).

Kreiner threw 62.12m/203-10 on her first throw to break her own pending AR of 61.78m/202-8 set May 17 in Brazil. She also threw 60.88m/199-9 on April 22 to post the first in her string of American records this spring.

Kreiner's throw on Sunday improves the U.S. all-comers record of 61.82m (202-10) by Irina Kharun. The Ukrainian posted the mark in 2003 while competing for Indiana University.

Kreiner was one of three 2004 Olympians competing at the USATF Pacific Association Championships. Cal-Berkeley alum Kristin Heaston won the women's shot put with a toss of 17.25m/56-7.25, and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo grad Stephanie Brown took the discus with a best of 56.76m/186-3.

Comment on this story.

Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest