Mayer and Aguessy Thomas are the overnight leaders in La Réunion

Posted by: Watch Athletics

World record holder Kevin Mayer is the overnight leader with 4350 points of the first meeting of the World Combined Events Challenge in Saint Paul on the French Indian Ocean Island of La Réunion on a warm day with a temperature of almost 30°C. 

Mayer leads by 286 points over his compatriot Makenson Gletty after five events with 4064 points. Italy’s Simone Cairoli finished third with 4060 points. 

Eight decathletes scored more than 4000 points in a very close competition: Estonia’s Taavi Tsernjavski is ranked fourth with 4043 points ahead of local favourite Ruben Gado (4032), Estonia’s Risto Lillemets (4027), Belgium’s Benjamin Hougardy (4025) and France’s Axel Hubert (4010). 

Mayer started the first day with a winning time of 10.68 in the 100 metres with a headwind of -0.5 m/s earning 933 points. In the long jump the Frenchman finished second in the long jump with 7.40m in his second attempt behind his compatriot Alex Rolnin, who set his PB with 7.41m in the third round. Mayer extended his lead to 100 points after the first two events before winning the shot put with 16.20m to earn 806 points. 

The French decathlon star capped the first day with 1.97m in the high jump and a second place in the 400m with 48.87. 

Gletty enjoyed a solid first day finishing third in the shot put with 15.37m and clearing 2.00m in the high jump. 

Six-time Italian champion Simone Cairoli won the high jump with 2.00m in the first attempt on countback and finished third in the 400m with 49.04 to move up four spots into third place in the overall standing. Cairoli also missed his shot put PB by 11 cm with 13.73m. 

Twice world indoor silver medallist Oleksiy Kasyanov made three fouls in the long jump. 

Mayer is taking part in his first decathlon competition since the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where he was hindered by an injury problem during the pole vault. 

Kevin Mayer: “I am little rusty. I had a lot of fun. I am a little below what I usually do, but it is December, so we must not panic. My performances are good. It’s my first competition of the year. I don’t need to produce great performances now. It’s early December”.

French heptathlon champion Cassandre Aguessy-Thomas is the overnight leader in the women’s heptathlon with 3641 points ahead of 2013 world champion Hanna Kasyanova from the Ukraine (3563) and Colombia’s Evelis Aguilar (3553). 

Aguessy Thomas opened the first day with a PB of 13.54 in the 100m hurdles before taking the lead after equalling her PB with 1.77m in the high jump for 941 points. The French heptathlon specialist put 13.14m in the shot put before ending the first day with 24.65 in the 200 metres.

Kasyanova clocked 13.71 in the 100m hurdles (the third fastest time of the day) and cleared 1.74m in the high jump. The Ukrainian specialist moved up from fourth to second in the overall ranking with her 13.65m release in the shot put before clocking 25.20 in the 200 metres to end the first day with 3563 points. 

Aguilar won the 200 metres in 24.02 to move up from sixth to third with 3553 points. France’s Anaelle Nyaebu Djapa is ranked fourth with 3544 points ahead of Estonia’s Mari Klaup (3518). European Under 23 champion Geraldine Ruckstuhl trails in eighth place with 3165 points. 

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