By Zjan Shirinian

More than 80 athletes from 13 countries took part in the athletics meet in Barcelona ©Peter Suñé Foundation Barcelona footballer Jordi Alba was in the crowd today as Paralympic athletes took to the track and field to continue preparations for the European Championships in August.

The ninth Kern Pharma Grand Prix Sauleda meet in Hospitalet, Barcelona was witness to a new women's 5,000 metres word record in the T12, for visually impaired athletes.

Elena Congost Mohedano delighted her home crowd by stopping the clock at 17 min 40.46sec - 10 seconds quicker than the record set in 2003 by Russia's Elena Pautova.

In the men's T53/54 wheelchair races, Spaniards Roger Puigbó and Jordi Madera went head-to-head in both the 800m and 5,000m.

Honours were split, with Madera edging his rival in the 800m in a time of 1:42.08, less than three tenths clear, while Puigbó won the 5,000m in a time of 11:17.92.

Eighteen-year-old Briton Kyle Powell won both the T45 100m, in a time of 11.81 ahead of Frenchman Dambakate Bacoutoubou, and the 200m, in a time of 24.53 ahead of Spain's Julius Pallo.

In the field events, the men's long jump F11 saw America's world record holder Lex Gillette win with 6.34m, ahead of Spanish athlete Xavi Porras, who jumped 6.24m.

Ronald Hertog set a new national Dutch record in the F44 amputee category, with an impressive 7.25m, while Spaniard José Ivan Cano landed at 6.89m.

Silver world medallist Jonathan Broom-Edwards of Great Britain won the F44 high jump with 2.02m.

He narrowly missed clearing 2.10m, which would have been a new British record.

World champion Kim Lopez of Spain threw 14.93m for shot put gold in the F12 category, and added a second in the discus with 46.60m.

The competition saw more than 80 athletes from 13 countries take part, with preparations gathering pace for the 2014 International Paralympic Committee Athletics European Championships, which are due to take place from August 18 to 23 in Swansea, Great Britain.

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