Jul 09, 2012  Marijan Smode - V Kotu Med Gorami. Marijan Smode - V Kotu Med Gorami. Skip navigation Sign in. Bloomberg keyboard driver fingerprint. This video is.

Maria Lasitskene underlined her position as overwhelming favourite to retain the world high jump title this summer as she produced her fifth jump this season of 2.00m or higher – easily enough to earn maximum IAAF Diamond League points in Stockholm at the Bauhaus Galan on Sunday (18). Her nearest opposition, Poland’s 2014 joint world indoor champion Kamila Licwinko, took second place with a season’s best of 1.97m. Lasitskene, who won in Beijing under her maiden name of Kuchina, has been in outstanding form since returning to international competition under a neutral banner. She gave credit for her performances on the eve of this meeting to her “genius” coach, but her achievements speak volumes too for her innate competitiveness.

After delaying her entrance to the competition until 1.85m, she proceeded with first-time clearances through 1.90m, 1.94m, 1.97m and 2.00m before coming to a halt at 2.06m, which was two centimetres higher than the personal best she achieved last week in Hengelo. There were triumphs elsewhere in the competition as home jumper Sofie Skoog hit form in a big way to claim third place with 1.94m, equalling her personal best, with Ukraine’s Yuliya Levchenko fourth on the same height. And Licwinko was in ebullient mood afterwards. “It was a very good jump for me, better than the last competition,” she said. “It was very close to 2.00m, I am very happy. It's a good season for me.

In Beijing, 2.00m was a medal, in Rio it was 1.97m so you never know. I want and I dream for 2.00m and I hope I jump it in London.” Perez pips Perkovic, Dacres defeats Stahl Croatia’s queen of the discus, Sandra Perkovic, was temporarily displaced from her throne here by Cuba’s Yaimi Perez, whose season’s best effort of 67.92m in the first round proved enough to earn maximum points on the road to the final. The double Olympic champion and five-time Diamond Trophy winner – already assured of a place in this season’s finale – had to settle for second on a frustrating day when she registered fouls in four of her six attempts, of which the best was her fifth-round effort of 67.75m, two metres farther than third-placed Nadine Muller of Germany.

For Perez, who reached last year’s Olympic final but failed to record a throw, it was a memorable triumph and just the second time she had defeated the Croatian following her victory in Lausanne two years ago. No doubt for Perkovic – whose marginal foul in the second round annulled an effort that appeared in the 70-metre territory – it will prove a spur to further excellence in the second half of the season.