Russian high jumpers claim victories with big-time PR`s

26th traditional musical high jump competition was dominated by Russian
athletes` landmark performances. The Russians claimed victories in both the
men`s and the women`s contests, while achieving huge PR`s. Marina Kuptsova
excelled among the women with an effort of 2,00 m, the first time in her
career that she went over 2 meters. That was a notable 4 cm improvement on
her old PR of 1,96 m. Equally important is the fact that in the process
Marina defeated one of the most highly regarded contemporary female high
jumpers, Kajsa Bergqvist of Sweden. Both ladies cleared 1,97 m on their
first attempts, but only Kupstsova managed to take it one step further and
overcome the 2-meter barrier.

Petr Brayko of St. Petersburg has finally recovered from a period of stunted
career growth, raising the bar of his PR up to 2,31 m. His old personal
record of 2,30 m dated back to 1999.