 |
|
||
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
   |  | |||||||||||||||||||||
Kluft triumph thrills Swedish fans
 Proud Kluft displays her gold medal after retaining the heptathlon crown. GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Heptathlon queen Carolina Kluft thrilled her home fans by winning the gold medal at the European championships in Gothenburg on Tuesday. Deafening roars saluted the Swede when she sprinted to cross the line in sixth place in the last heat of the final 800 meters, sealing victory with a winning total of 6.740 points. Dutchwoman Karin Ruckstuhl, who was never in contention for the gold, settled for silver, a huge 317 points back with German Lili Schwarzkopf completing the podium a further three points adrift. Kluft's victory in the combined event was made easier by the withdrawal of her greatest rival Eunice Barber after two of the seven disciplines on Monday. Kluft, who loves a challenge, said she was sad after the Frenchwoman pulled out while in the lead because of a sore groin. Her beaming smile soon returned, however, and the bubbly 23-year-old, appearing at major championships in her country for the first time, confidently marched on after the only woman capable of giving her a hard time had departed. Cheered on from the partisan crowd packing the Ullevi stadium, Kluft destroyed the opposition to retain her crown. Hardly looking tired, she then embarked on a lap of honor, jumping up and down on a wet track with the Swedish flag around her shoulders. Olympic and world champion, Kluft who burst into the limelight by winning gold as a 19-year-old at the previous European championships four years ago in Munich, gave it her very best throughout the two-day competition despite being hampered by a sore hamstring. The injury meant she could not match any of her personal bests and never threatened the European record of 7,007 points set by Russian Larisa Nikitina in 1989. Remarkable OtteyEvergreen Merlene Ottey qualified for the semifinals of the 100 meters at the European Championship in Gothenburg at the ripe old age of 46. The Jamaican-born sprinter, who now lives in Slovenia, was competing for her adopted country for the first time at the Europeans and made hit through a first round heat on Tuesday in 11.41 seconds.  Ottey (right) chases home heat winner Joice Maduaka of Britain. "Of course I want to make the final, but for that I would need to be faster in the semifinals at least by two meters. I will try, to be sure," Ottey said. It was a return to the western Swedish city for Ottey who won gold in the 200 meters in the 1995 World Championships at the same venue. "I remember this stadium very well, but at that time I was in far better shape," she said. Ottey's run also saw her equal her own world masters record in the 45 and over category. Ottey, who has lived in Slovenia since 1999. has a remarkable medal haul of 35 medals from major championships. Kim Gevaert of Belgium led the qualifiers in 11.19 seconds, with all leading medal contenders safely through. The 100 semifinals and final are scheduled for Wednesday. 
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| © 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
