Hooker Opens Worlds Campaign With Win

Published On: 8 July 2009

Steve Hooker cleared 5.75m to win his first event in Europe

WAIS pole vault star Steve Hooker has commenced the final stretch of his World Championship preparation with a victory overnight at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Olympic champion Hooker recorded his eighth consecutive victory in 2009 with a 5.75m clearance on his first attempt, defeating Frenchmen Renaud Lavillenie and Damiel Dossévi.

Both Lavillenie and Dossévi cleared 5.70m, with the former claiming second place on a countback. Fellow WAIS pole vaulter Paul Burgess didn’t compete at the IAAF Super Grand Prix meet.

26-year old Hooker showed that an intense period of rehabilitation on both his knee and shoulder, followed by a stretch of high quality training indoors at Challenge Stadium, has put him on track to be near his best come the World Championships in Berlin next month.

The Gold Medallist will continue his preparations for Berlin with a meet in Reims, France on Tuesday before celebrating his 27th birthday on Thursday.

Javelin thrower Kim Mickle was the other WAIS athlete in action in Lausanne, with the world’s number seven ranked thrower finishing in 5th place amongst a top level field.

Mickle, who has gone from strength to strength in 2009, threw 60.27m to finish behind Germany’s Steffi Nerius (65.37m), Czech Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova (64.38m), German 2009 world leader Christina Obergfoll (62.31m) and Russian Monica Stoian (60.62m).