MUNICH, Aug 7: World champion Olimpiada Ivanova led a Russian one-two as the women’s 20 kilometre walk made its European championships debut Wednesday.

Ivanova broke away halfway through for a comfortable victory over compatriot Yelena Nikolayeva to claim the first title on offer on the second day of action in Munich.

The 31-year-old, who lost her 1997 world silver medal when she tested positive for stanozolol, receiving a two-year ban, clocked a season’s best one hour 26 minutes 42 seconds over a course set in a park surrounding the Olympic stadium.

Ivanova, who holds the world’s best mark in 1:24.50, had already crossed the line on a grey but dry morning in the Bavarian capital when Nikolayeva returned to the arena to take the silver medal in 1:28.20.

The 36-year-old Nikolayeva, twice an Olympic champion and the most successful woman walker in history, won a close close battle with Erica Alfridi for third place.

Italian Alfridi, 34, settled for the bronze in 1:28.33 in an event replacing the 10 kilometres in wich she took silver at the previous European championships in Budapest.

Britain’s Steve Backley, chasing a fourth straight European javelin crown, managed the best throw of the qualifying competition with 85.76 metres.

Czech great Jan Zelezny, who has won everything in his career but a European title, also made Friday’s final with a launch of 82.44 metres.

Defending champion Pawel Januszewski of Poland was the fastest qualifier in the men’s 400 metres hurdles first round heats in 49.17 seconds.

Fellow favourites Stephane Diagana of France, Chris Rawlinson of Britain and Fabrizio Mori of Italy also cruised through to the semifinals.

World record holder Roman Sebrle took an early lead in the decathlon after the first two events, the 100 metres and the long jump. His Czech compatriot Tomas Dvorak, who won the world title last year but has been struggling lately, was in seventh position.

European and world record holder Svetlana Feofanova of Russia effortlessy cleared the qualifying mark of 4.40 metres in the women’s pole vault comepetition, as did all her major rivals.

On Tuesday, Britain’s Paula Radcliffe ran the second fastest women’s 10,000 metres in history, smashing the European record for a magnificent victory in the final.

Nine days after winning her first major title on the track in the 5,000 metres at the Commonwealth Games, the 28-year-old outclassed the opposition, including defending champion Sonia O’Sullivan, to clock a stunning 30 minutes 01.09 seconds on a rainy night in Munich.

Radcliffe, who led almost from the start, shaved a huge 12.65 seconds off the previous best mark of 30.13.74 set by Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen in July 1986 in Oslo.

Only Chinese Wang Junxia has ever ran faster than Radcliffe did on Tuesday, when she set the world record of 29:31.78 in September 1993 in Beijing.

Arch-rival O’Sullivan of Ireland came a distant second in a personal best 30:47.59 while Russian Lyudmila Bikatsheva took the bronze medal in 31:04.00.

RESULTS OF FINALS: