Majewski cheers home crowd at 9th European Athletics Festival in Bydgoszcz

Polish hero Tomasz Majewski, the Olympic and European indoor Shot Put champion, delighted the home crowd by defeating reigning world champion and season-leader Reese Hoffa of USA at the 9th European Athletics Festival, a European Athletics Premium meeting, in Bydgoszcz on Wednesday.
Hoffa was leading until the last round with 20.72m, but Majewski had saved his best for last and came up with a new meet record 21.09 to seal the title. Hoffa responded with 20.77 but that was not enough to pip the crowd favourite.

However, another Polish Olympic medalist, Piotr Malachowski, had to face defeat for the first time this year at the hands of Estonian Olympic Discus champion Gerd Kanter. Malachowski's best attempt of 66.02 fell short of Kanter's 66.20m. German Robert Harting finished third with 64.62.

New meet records were registered in all three men's hurdles races. Beijing silver-medal winner David Payne of the USA clocked 13.30 in the 110m hurdles (-1.3), beating compatriot Dexter Faulk (13.32).

Bahraini Tareq Mubarak Taher clocked 8:14.02 ahead of Kenyans Elijah Chelimo (8:15.00) and Olympic bronze winner Richard Mateelong (8:17.18) in the 3000m steeple.

In a very tight 400m hurdles race, South African LJ Van Zyl managed to edge Briton David Greene by a split second after both clocked 48.71. Jamaican Danny McFarlane (48.80) finished third ahead of former champion Felix Sanchez (49.27).

The sprint races were marred by a head-wind. The 2003 world champion Kim Collins won the 100m in 10.48 (-2.8) while Ireland´s Paul Hession won the 200m race in 20.73 (-0.9).

In 800m, it was a contest between the best in Poland, and Marcin Lewandowski emerged on top by clocking 1:46.04, while Adam Kszczot followed with 1:46.43.

Pole vaulter Lukasz Michalski improved his personal best to 5.71 to win the competition.

In the Hammer battle, Krisztian Pars of Hungary maintained his unbeaten streak this year but only after a last-ditch effort of 80.19. Olympic champion Primoz Kozmus was leading the pack with 79.30, 79.55 and 79.94, but Pars exploded in the last round to come up with the winning throw of 80.19.

In the women's category, Russian Yelena Zarudneva set a new world lead in the 3000m steeple of 9:23.23 ahead of Kenyan world junior record holder Ruth Bisibori (9:25.37). Zarudneva's mark is also a new meet record.

Anna Pyatykh set another meet record in Triple Jump (14.41, +1.7) finishing ahead of European indoor champion Anastasiya Taranova-Potapova, who could only finish third (13.77, +4.0). Poland's Malgorzata Trybanska finished second with 14.04m. Athens High Jump Olympic winner Yelena Slesarenko won her season opener with 1.90m.

Ukrainian Anastasiya Rabchenyuk defeated local star Anna Jesien in the 400m hurdles clocking 55.41, against Jesien's 55.67.