Lebedeva wins $1m jackpot

Russian triple jumper Tatyana Lebedeva won the Golden League's one million dollar jackpot with a victory in Berlin yesterday that left her as the only unbeaten competitor after the season's six meetings in Europe.

The 29-year-old mother from Volgograd won $1 million with a leap of 14.85 metres, beating Yamile Aldama of Sudan into second place.

A twice world champion, Lebedeva skipped last month's world championships in Helsinki to focus on the Golden League and the sport's richest prize.

"I've always dreamed of something like this," Lebedeva told Reuters. "And now my dreams are finally coming true here."

The $1 million in gold bars is awarded to competitors who win their disciplines in all six Golden League meetings in a season.

Lebedeva became the second athlete, after Mozambique's 800 metres runner Maria Mutola in 2003, to win the entire pot.

The Russian was a model of consistency at all six meets - winning in Paris, Rome, Oslo, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin. Her shortest jump before yesterday was 14.94 in Brussels and her best was 15.11 in Paris.

Wearing the bib number '1,000,000' in Berlin rather than the '1' she wore previously, Lebedeva moved into the lead with her second jump of 14.85, dislodging Yargelis Savigne of Cuba who had jumped 14.57.

Although Lebedeva's next two efforts were well short, she was still a comfortable 10 centimetres ahead of her nearest rival after four rounds and opted to miss her fifth jump.

However, Aldama produced a leap of 14.82 in the sixth and final round to secure second place.

Lebedeva removed her sunglasses and watched nervously as Savigne, who won the silver medal in Helsinki, lined up for her final attempt.

The Cuban could manage only 14.32 metres and Lebedeva, with victory sealed, went through the motions of her final jump while being cheered by a crowd of 60,820 on a warm late summer afternoon in Berlin.

Lebedeva said she planned to donate 10 per cent of her prize to improve schools in Volgograd.

"There's so much depression and sadness and bad education," she said.

"I don't need so much for myself."