GOTHENBURG (Sweden), March 2: France’s Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida successfully defended her European indoor pentathlon title on Friday, edging Yana Maksimava of Belarus by eight points.

Nana Djimou took the lead after the opening 60m hurdles, but Maksimava gained ground in the high jump, long jump and shot put on the opening day of the European Indoor Championships.

In the final 800m race, Maksimava finished more than two seconds in front of second-placed Hanna Melnychenko of Ukraine. Nana Djimou started strong, but fell back to fifth place by the middle of the race and ended nearly six seconds off the pace.    But the final tally gave Nana Djimou 4,666 points and Maksimava 4,658. Melnychenko took the bronze.

Russia’s Sergei Shubenkov edged out Italy’s Paolo Dal Molin for gold in the men’s 60m hurdles. “It is one of the happiest times in my athletic career,” Shubenkov said. “I am the luckiest man in the world just now.”

Turkey’s Nevin Yanit won the women’s 60m hurdles in 7.89sec, the best indoors in Europe this season with the double European 110m hurdles champion beating Alina Talay of Belarus and Veronica Borsi of Italy.

The men’s shot went to Serbia’s Asmir Kolasinac with a throw of 20.62m.

Kolasinac, the bronze medallist outdoors in Helsinki, saw off Bosnia’s Hamza Alic and Ladislav Prasil of the Czech Republic.

Results:

Men’s: 60m hurdles: 1. Sergey Shubenkov (Russia) 7.49; 2. Paolo Dal Molin (Italy) 7.51; 3.     Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (France) 7.53. Shot put: 1. Asmir Kolasinac (Serbia) 20.62; 2. Hamza Alic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 20.34; 3. Ladislav Prasil (Czech Republic) 20.29. Women’s: 60m hurdles: 1. Nevin Yanit (Turkey) 7.89; 2. Alina Talay (Belarus) 7.94; 3. Veronica Borsi (Italy) 7.94. Pentathlon: 1. Antoinette Nana Djimou Ida (France) 4,666; 2. Yana Maksimava (Belarus) 4,658; 3. Hanna Melnychenko (Ukraine) 4,608.—Agencies