Niki wings her way to gold
Niki Xanthou of Greece returned to the podium after a long drought, winning the women’s long jump final at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Vienna yesterday with a jump of 6.74 meters. (Xanthou had won a silver at the world outdoor championships in Athens in 1997.) Second was Olga Rublyova of Russia with 6.74 (but a worse second jump) and, third, Lyudmila Galkina, also of Russia, with 6.68. Greece got a bronze medal in the women’s 60-meter dash, which was won by Belgian Kim Gevaert in 7.16 seconds. Russia’s Marina Kislova was second with 7.18 and Georgia Kokloni of Greece third with 7.22. «But now the margins are tight and there is a lot still to be done in Athens.»
