Double gold for Belarus in European throws

GOTHENBURG, Sweden, Aug 12 (Reuters) Belarus dominated the throwing events at the European championships today with gold for Natallia Khoroneko in the women's shot put and Ivan Tikhon in the men's hammer.

Khoroneko edged compatriot and world champion Nadzeya Ostapchuk to the shot title by one centimetre on another cool, damp day in Gothenburg.

World indoor champion Khoroneko took the lead in the fourth round with 19.43 metres.

Ostapchuk responded on her fifth attempt but it came up just short. Germany's Petra Lammert was third with 19.17.

Tikhon, unbeaten in 2005, finally found his form to get his first win of the year with a season's best throw of 81.11 metres in the hammer.

Finland's Olli-Pekka Karjalainen prevented another Belarus one-two, earning his country's first hammer medal since Ville Porhola won at the inaugural championships in 1934.

He threw 80.84 to world silver medallist Vadim Devyatovski's 80.76. The top three were the only men to break 80 metres.

Germany's Ulrike Maisch set a personal best to win the women's marathon in two hours 30 minutes one second.

Silver went to Olivera Jevtic of Serbia, the top European athlete in the 2004 Olympic marathon where she was was sixth, in 2:30.27 and Russian Irina Permitina was third in 2:30.53.

Hot favourites Russia were quickest in qualifying for tomorrow's women's 4x400 metres relay final.

Defending champions Britain and medal rivals France, missing 400 champion Marc Raquil, went through in the men's semi-finals.

World and Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia was competing in the pole vault final and the man the crowd had come to see, Gothenburg's Christian Olsson, was due to take part in the triple jump later today.

REUTERS PDS RAI2133