| Lapierre leaps ahead of rivals |
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By NICOLE JEFFERY The Australian 12th of July 2010 WORLD indoor champion Fabrice Lapierre has leaped to the top of the lucrative Diamond League long jump standings, after claiming his second win of the series at Gateshead in England. Lapierre, who launched himself a startling 8.78m (wind-assisted) at the national titles in Perth in April, has taken that great form off-shore to win two of the four Diamond League events held so far. He has staged an enthralling series of contests with reigning world champion Dwight Phillips (the winner in Rome) and Olympic champion Irving Saladino (the winner in Eugene) during the inaugural Diamond League, but is the first to claim multiple wins. Lapierre struggled with his run-up early in the truncated four-jump competition in blustery northern England, starting with two fouls, but pulled it together for his final jump, 8.20m, to win the competition comfortably from Sweden's Michel Torneus (8.01m) and Saladino (7.96m). He leads the standing with nine points, from Phillips (eight) and Saladino (seven) with three rounds remaining. The series winner will earn $US40,000 and a diamond trophy. Lapierre is the only Australian to be leading the Diamond League in his event. World pole vault champion Steve Hooker has made an inconsistent start to his international season and is third on the pole vault ladder, while world discus champion Dani Samuels (fourth) has competed sparingly as she prepares to peak for the Delhi Commonwealth Games. Meanwhile, Victorian schoolboy James Connor, 15, is likely to be the youngest male athlete on the Australian team after being named in the 12-strong diving team for Delhi. The teen prodigy scored four perfect 10s on his final dive in the 10m platform final at the games trials in Perth last week to finish third behind Olympic champion Matt Mitcham and his synchro partner Ethan Warren (18). Connor, who joined the Australian Institute of Sport in Brisbane this year, is the first 15-year-old boy selected in the Commonwealth Games team since Ian Thorpe in 1998. "He surprised a few people when he finished third at the national titles (in January), and he's come ahead in leaps and bounds since then," team manager Graeme Rose said. "He has a nice blend of athletic ability and a mature approach to his sport." Mitcham will spearhead the team, competing in four events in as many days -- the men's 1m and 10m events and the 3m and 10m synchro. The women's gymnastics team is expected to be announced next week following the completion of the national trials, which uncovered yet another 15-year-old prospect. Mary-Anne Monckton finished second in the national all-around final (104.00) as Beijing Olympian Georgia Bonora (109.375) won her first title. Monckton has returned impressively after a year out of the sport in which she had two small bones removed from her ankles. |