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Barber rises to occasion to extend lead
SYDNEY, Sept 23 (AFP) - Eunice Barber, France's world champion, took a firm grip on the Olympic heptathlon after the second discipline, the high jump, here Saturday. Despite an Olympic build-up wrecked by injury and a bust-up with her coach, Barber looked in prime form as she flew over the hurdles and the high jump bar. Barber was the fastest hurdler of the day, and in the high jump, despite two failures at 1.78 metres, she then cleared 1.81 and 1.84m, both first time with ease. The standings after two events saw Barber leading with 2120pts, from Natalya Sazanovich, the Belarus athlete who won silver in Atlanta, on 2087 thanks to her 1.84m high jump. Russia's Natalya Roshchupkina, with 2050, lies in the bronze medal slot, just ahead of Germany's former world champion, Sabine Braun (2043). The heptathlon claimed high profile casualties in the first two events. First, the 1996 Olympic gold medallist, Syria's Ghada Shouaa, pulled out after just two barriers in the hurdles. Then Sheila Burrell, lying in third place for the United States after the hurdles, had a disaster in the high jump when she scored no points after three failures at her modest opening height of 1.63m. The challenge to Barber of Britain's Denise Lewis also faltered in the high jump. Lewis, the European and Commonwealth champion, having cleared 1.75m, then miscalculated badly when she chose to pass on 1.78m, but had three failures at 1.81. She slipped to eighth position, on 2006pts. Lewis must make up some ground on Barber in the third discipline, the shot, later on Saturday. Between events, Barber cut a determined figure. "I am just here to win," she said. "Whatever I score doesn't matter as long as I win.
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