OLYMPICS /
Other Teams
Tia Hellebaut wins Belgium first gold medal
Xinhua
Updated: 2008-08-23 22:41
 |
| Belgium's Tia Hellebaut celebrates winning the women's high jump final at the National Stadium as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on August 23, 2008. [Agencies] |
BEIJING -- With only one day left, Belgium finally got on to the Beijing Olympic gold medals table when Tia Hellebaut won a women's high jump title here on Saturday.
 |
| Tia Hellebaut of Belgium competes during the women's high jump final of the athletics competition in the National Stadium at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 23, 2008. [Agencies] |
The 30-year-old Hellebaut, the world indoor pentathlon champion, cleared 2.05 meters on her first attempt to claim the gold medal
Croatian Blanka Vlasic had to settle for the silver as she failed the first attempt on 2.05. The world champion, who had the eight best marks of the season and was a big favorite coming into the Olympics, didn't miss at any heights until her first go at 2.05 meters, which she cleared on her second attempt.
The bronze medal went to Russian Anna Chicherova with 2.03 meters.
Another Russian Elena Slesarenko, the 2004 Athens gold medalist and two-time world indoors champion, was fourth at 2.01.
