Krauchanka the surprise winner in Götzis (3)

Here are a few highlights from the decathlon in Götzis.

First it looked as Bryan underestimated his own shape. Starting with a 10.39 against a headwind that was corrected to 10.40, (giving him a 1000 points minus 1) gave immediately food to speculations in the stadium. Was he in better shape than presumed? Was he to modest or was he performing well because of not feeling pressure? ( He said before the contest, he expected 8600 points - hoping it would be enough to win.)

After a 7.80 in the long jump, a 15.30 in the shot Putt and an outdoors 2.09 pb in the high jump (Bryan has an indoor best of 2.10) it was obvious he was on the way to a very high score!

He was now a 111 points ahead of the second, but more interesting: he’s 3704 points where his best ever (his Olympic score was 3702 after 4 events – a score only 9 people have ever done better in decathlon history)!

400 m and a 48.41 time gave him 4593 points what makes him 12th performer on the first day list (world best all time list).

I was sitting next to Christian or John (they changed places) or Stewart (if he was not filming). Americans who made a documentary about Bryan and they kept asking how good he was doing, if Roman was a threat and if a world or an American record was still possible!

So I made it clear to them that if Clay did everything he should do, he would win but there was a guy the Americans had never heard of that was doing very well and he’s name was Andrei Krauchanka.

And that Andrei was a threat? Okay, Andrei was very good because he won World and European junior championships but the answer was No because Bryan would take a leap of 200 points ahead with the discus to ashore he’s position even more!

My American friends where relieved but at the same time I was in awe because with the presentation of the athletes they said Andrei did this month an official 13.93 in the hurdles.

That would have meant that he already did 5 pb’s this month from which 4 on the first day of this decathlon plus a first day personal record (meaning 19th first day performer ever with 4528 points).

The second day started with Bryan doing 13.97 in the heats giving him the lead with 5571 points (9th scorer ever), so I made an update for my American friends and showed them:

53.00 DT 5.00 PV 70.00 JT 4.55.00 1500m !!!

this performances made exactly 8892 points – enough to break the AR with 1 point (and to get my friends in the clouds I supposed)!

But two very dark clouds where hanging over the stadium (for Clay) after the discus: Bryans own 36.14 discus and a guy named Krauchanka (certainly if he continued doing Pb s).

Also Maurice Smith was an underestimated threat because he was in the lead now (after the discus) and theoretically able to end with 8616 p (if doing his pb’s).

Bryan was now only 5 points ahead of Andrei.

Andrei Krauchanka did this winter in heptathlon 4.90 in the Pole vault so I expected nothing less.

He cleared 460 as well as 480/490/500 after a first attempt, followed by another pb in the javelin(series: 60.86 pb - 64.35 pb – 61.03).

Bryan did 64.17 – 65.94 - 69.09 and it gave him the 7882p lead.

The wind was blowing from behind the throwers their back and made ideal conditions.

Nicklas Wiberg gave us a spectacular throw of 74.41m, doing a meet record and becoming 6th javelin thrower ever in decathlon.

At the end of the javelin competition there where only 45 points between the first and the third – Roman - (for the first time since 2004 Roman threw the javelin again over 70 m in decathlon).

It was obvious that the young hungry lion standing 16 points behind was going to eat all concurrency.

With 4.29.10 he ended 8617 points (24th performer all time).

If Bryan threw the discus in the discus area he would probably have won the competition.

Sh… happens.

On the other hand we are very happy for the winner.

Congratulations Andrei Krauchanka from all the real decathlon fans!

Next a few interviews with Maurice Smith, Tomas Dvorak, Andrei Krauchanka and others.