Sports/Olympics / Off the Field

Athletics-Heptathlon battle cut short at Europeans
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-08 14:04

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Aug 7 - The most hotly anticipated showdown of the European championships ended in anti-climax on Monday when Eunice Barber pulled out of the women's heptathlon competition after two rounds.

Barber, who had been leading the competition by 36 points from world and Olympic champion Carolina Kluft, withdrew due to a thigh problem, practically ensuring the Swede would retain her European title.

"I felt it first yesterday," Barber said. "The physios tried everything."

However, the championships still have the prospect of a re-match in the 100 metres between the two fastest athletes from four years ago -- Britain's Dwain Chambers, who was later stripped of the title for doping, and Portugal's Francis Obikwelu.

Obikwelu looked the more comfortable of the two medal favourites, easing up in his second round heat to win in 10.28.

"I ran for 80 metres and then I slowed it down, because I did not want to waste a lot of energy," said the European record holder, who is attempting a 100-200 double.

Chambers, who made his competitive comeback from a two-year ban in June, was troubled by a thigh injury in the run-up to the championships and after clocking 10.24 in the first round had a poor start in his next race to scrape through in fourth.

COLOURFUL CROWD

Kluft gave an enthusiastic crowd, many of whom were clad in the yellow and royal blue colours of their national flag, something to cheer about, although the Swede was disappointed arch rival Barber was no longer in the medal hunt.

"It is sad for the competition, the crowd and it is sad for her, but it does not affect me as a competitor. I always try to focus on my own competition," Kluft told reporters.

The 23-year-old, who is suffering from a hamstring problem got off to a slow start with only the fifth fastest time in the opening event, the 100 hurdles.

"The hamstring was really bad this morning during the warm up. If it hadn't been for the crowd I might have performed even worse," said Kluft.

The Swede's every move was cheered by the crowd and the amount of noise they made as she raced down the home straight in the 200 metres, the final event of first day of heptathlon competition, belied the fact the Ullevi stadium had not been more than two-thirds full during the two sessions.

Kluft finished the day on 3,990 points, 124 ahead of Britain's Kelly Sotherton.
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