Nafissatou Thiam won the European pentathlon title in Istanbul with a new world record of 5,055 points. The Belgian corrected the previous record, which was set in the same hall by the Ukrainian Nataliya Dobrynska (5,013 points) at the World Athletics Indoor Champions in 2012. The second Adrianna Sulek also recorded a result above the previous world record – 5,014 points.
Nafissatou Thiam achieved this outstanding world record with the following results: 8.23sec in the 60m hurdles, 1.92m in the high jump, 15.54m in the shot put, 6.59m in the long jump and 2:13.60 min in the 800m.
“Coming here, I felt very confident. I did a very good job and of course the record was on my mind. But you need a good race, feel good and perform well. It’s good for me that I was able to show this result despite the fact that not all disciplines were perfect today. The jump – the long jump, and the high jump could have been better. So I can still upgrade. This is a big motivation for me”, said Nafissatou Thiam after the victory. “After 60 meters I already had the feeling that this could be my day. When you have good competitors like us today, they just make you do your best. At 800 meters I didn’t look at anyone, I knew I had to give a good result and I would be first”, said Thiam after the European title and the world record”, added she.
The former world record holder Natalia Dobrinska, who watched the race from the stands, added that she expected this achievement to be improved: “I had a feeling that the record could be improved. That’s why I’m here. But two athletes! And that’s great. I am very happy because my record has stood for 11 years. The sport is evolving and fantastic athletes are doing great”.
Adrianna Sulek, who won the silver medal, also finished with a score above the previous world record of 5,014 points, a new national record. She recorded the following results in the individual events: 8.21 seconds in the 60m hurdles, 1.89m in the high jump, 13.89m in the shot put, 6.62m in the long jump, and 2:07.17 min in the 800m.
Belgium’s Noor Vidts earned bronze with 4,823 points (8.21 sec in the 60m hurdles, 1.83m in the high jump, 14.12m in the shot put, 6.55m in the long jump, and 2:14.52 min in the 800m).
