Martina claims Euro 200m title in Helsinki

Churandy Martina led a Dutch one-two in the men’s 200m on the fourth day of the European Champion-ships in Helsinki, yesterday.

Martina, who was stripped of his second-place finish in the Beijing Olympics 200m behind Usain Bolt because of a lane violation called by the US team, clocked 20.42sec, with compatriot Patrick van Luijk taking silver in 20.87sec.

Running into a headwind on a wet track after heavy intermittent showers at the Olympic Stadium, Martina held his nerve to turn on the power from the bend, outstripping Van Luijk, with Briton Daniel Talbot taking bronze in 20.95.

There was a similar outcome in the women’s 200m, with Maria Ryemyen leading a Ukrainian one-two, timing 23.05sec ahead of compatriot Hrystyna Stuy (23.17).

France’s Myriam Soumare took bronze (23.21) from Viktoriya Pyatachenko by four-hundredths to deny a podium sweep for Ukraine.

Cameroon-born French woman Ida Antoinette Nana Djimou re-corded a personal best of 6,544 points to win the heptathlon and hand France a fourth gold medal of the championships.

The 26-year-old Nana Djimou posted personal bests in the long jump (6.42m) and javelin (55.82m) in other action before safely negotiating her weakest event, the final strength-sapping 800m.

Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Yossypenko took silver (6,387pts) from Latvian Laura Ikauniece, in the absence of the big names of Euro heptathlon such as Briton Jessica Ennis, Russian Ana Chernova and Ukraine’s Natalya Dobrynska.

Briton Mo Farah, winner of the 5,000m, was not on hand to defend his 10,000m title, won in 28:22.27 by one of Turkey’s African imports, Polat Kemboi Arikan, born Paul Kipkosgei Kemboi in Kenya.

Italian Daniele Meucci took silver (28:22.73), with Russian Yevgeniy Rybakov claiming bronze (28:22.95).