Hellebaut wins high jump gold

By Julian Linden

BEIJING (Reuters) - Tia Hellebaut won Belgium's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the women's high jump on Saturday, edging out Croatian world champion Blanka Vlasic.

The pair both jumped 2.05 meters and missed at 2.07, but Hellebaut was awarded the gold on the countback rule because she cleared 2.05 at her first attempt while Vlasic needed two goes.

"Before the final I felt good, but didn't know I could jump 2.05," Hellebaut said. "My coach kept telling me I was in good shape and could jump a national record, he's always right."

Anna Chicherova of Russia won the bronze medal, clearing 2.03 but missing at 2.05, while Russia's defending champion Elena Slesarenko finished out of the medals in fourth place after bowing out at 2.01.

Hellebaut, 30, competes in both heptathlon and high jump, but this was her first Olympic medal in either event. The winning jump equaled her personal best.

She won the European high jump title in 2006 and the world indoor heptathlon title this year but only entered the high jump in Beijing after she injured her shoulder, restricting her ability to throw the javelin.

"It was an amazing feeling to clear the bar, you don't think about medals or places, you just think about winning the fight," Hellebaut said.

"I think it was normal having been unbeaten for more than a year that she was favorite but I like the pressure and I was ready to do my best."

Vlasic finished out of the medals at the last Olympics in Athens when she was suffering from a respiratory illness but has dominated women's high jump in the past two years.

Unbeaten since June 2007, her victories included last year's world championship in Japan and this year's indoor world championship in Spain.

"What can you do? That is sport," Vlasic said. "I am proud to get Croatia's first track and field medal but a little disappointed as everyone expected gold."

(Additional reporting by Gene Cherry, Catherine Bremer, Edwin Chan, Liu Zhen and Crispian Chalmer; Editing by Alex Richardson)