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≡ DIAMOND LEAGUE ≡
The Wanda Diamond League resumed in Lausanne, Switzerland at the annual Athletissima meet, with plenty of Paris Olympic re-matches and two world-leading marks:
● Men/800 m: 1:41.11, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN)
● Women/3,000 m: 8:21.50, Diribe Welteji (ETH)
The men’s 800 m, a non-Diamond League event, had Olympic champ Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) and 2023 World Champion Marco Arop of Canada, who dueled right to the line in Paris. They were right behind the pacer at 49.32 for the first lap, with Arop leading on the backstraight. But Wanyonyi got on the gas into the turn and sprinted home, with he and Arop separating from everyone and then Wanyonyi running away to win in a sensational 1:41.11, even faster than his monumental Paris finish and the equal-fourth performance of all-time, just 2/10ths from the world record of Daniel Rudisha (KEN: 2012)!
Arop was not far behind, second in 1:41.72, and France’s Gabriel Tual, sixth in Paris, came up for third off the turn in 1:42.30. American Bryce Hoppel, fourth in Paris, was fourth here in 1:42.63.
The women’s 3,000 m started at a nice pace, with Ethiopia’s Tsige Gebreselama and Olympic 1,500 m fourth-placer Diribe Welteji at the front at the 2,000 m mark, with Kenyan Janeth Chepngetich and Paris 5,000 m 11th-placer Elise Cranny of the U.S. in close attendance.
With a lap to go, Welteji took over, with Chepngetich second and Welteji took firm control of the race on the backstraight and led all the way to the finish in an outdoor world-leading time of 8:21.50, a meet record. Chepngetich remained second (8:23.48), with Gebreselama third in a lifetime best of 8:24.40 and Cranny getting a lifetime best of 8:25.10 in fourth.
That’s the fastest outdoor women’s 3,000 m ever by an American – breaking Mary Slaney’s U.S. record of 8:25.83 from 1985 – and no. 3 on the combined indoor-outdoor all-time U.S. list. Fellow American Karissa Schweizer finished seventh in 8:34.96.
The most-awaited race had to be the men’s 1,500 m with surprise Olympic champ Cole Hocker of the U.S. and Olympic 5,000 m winner Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway. The pace was fast at 1:51.14 for 800 m and then Ingebrigtsen took over, trailed by Americans Hobbs Kessler and Hocker.
At the bell, they were the top three and the two Americans chased Ingebrigtsen down the backstraight. But around the turn, the Norwegian broke away and won convincingly in 3:27.83, a meet record, trailed by Hocker (3:29.85) and Kessler (3:30.47). Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot came up for fourth in 3:30.88.
It’s Ingebrigtsen’s third-fastest time ever and his fourth sub-3:30 time this year! It’s Hocker’s no. 2 time ever.
The other feature was the men’s 200 m with Botswana’s Olympic winner Letsile Tebogo in lane six, with Americans Erriyon Knighton – fourth in Paris – and 100 m bronzer Fred Kerley to his outside.
Tebogo started well, but Knighton was running the turn hard and had a slight lead by the 50 m mark. He was holding on, with Tebogo, Kerley and Dominican Alexander Ogando chasing him on the straight. Finally, Tebogo regained the lead with 50 m left and won in 19.64 (wind: +0.9 m/s) to 19.78 for Knighton, with Kerley getting third in 19.86 for a seasonal best. Ogando was fourth in 19.94.
The 19.64 time is Tebogo’s third-fastest ever.
There was another event with an American on the redemption trial: the women’s shot.
Two-time World Champion Chase Jackson had no intentions of letting her Paris flop – she didn’t qualify for the final – linger and she got out to the lead right away at 19.75 m (64-9 3/4) in the first round. No one was close, but Jackson extended to 20.64 m (67-8 3/4) in round three, a seasonal best and her second-best throw ever. She added a 20.17 m (66-2 1/4) heave in round four just to be sure.
Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye, the Olympic champion, reached 19.55 m (64-1 3/4) in round three, but did not improve and finished second. World Indoor champ Sarah Mitton (CAN) was third at 19.52 m (64-0 1/2). Raven Saunders of the U.S., the Tokyo silver medalist, was fourth at 19.08 m (62-7 1/4), Maggie Ewen was seventh at 18.60 m (61-0 1/4) and Adelaide Aquilla was ninth at 17.62 m (57-9 3./4).
In the men’s 400 m, Botswana’s Busang Kebinatshipi was the early leader, but Olympic silver winner Matthew Hudson-Smith took over by the 250 m mark. He led into the straight, chased by Vernon Norwood of the U.S., but Hudson-Smith got to the line first in 43.96. A final rush by Paris bronzer Muzala Samukonga (ZAM) got second (44.06), with Kebinatshipi third in a lifetime best of 44.22.
American Bryce Deadmon was fourth (44.37) and Norwood faded to sixth (44.55).
Olympic champ Grant Holloway got his usual strong start in the men’s 110 m hurdles, along with Olympic silver winner Daniel Roberts. Holloway was on his way in mid-race, but Jamaica’s Rio 2016 winner Hansle Parchment moved up as did Paris bronze winner Rasheed Broadbell. And Broadbell got to the line first on the run-in in 13.10 (-0.1), with Holloway second in 13.14, Parchment third in 13.23 and Roberts fourth in 13.26. American Cordell Tinch was sixth in 13.34.
It’s Holloway’s first loss of the year after four wins in the indoor 60 m hurdles and six straight wins in the 110 hurdles.
The men’s long jump didn’t generate much excitement through the first five rounds, with Jamaica’s Wayne Pinnock, the Paris runner-up, in the lead with a modest best of 8.01 m (26-3 1/2), ahead of Swiss Simon Ehammer (7.99 m/26-2 3/4).
But Paris victor – and two-time Olympic champ – Miltiadis Tentoglou (GRE) hates to lose and standing third into the final round, got the last jump of the competition and won it at 8.06 m (26-5 1/2)! It’s his eighth win in a row this season and 12th in 13 competitions for the whole year.
The men’s javelin seemed frozen in the second round, as two-time World Champion Anderson Peters (GRN) extended his lead from 86.36 m (283-4) to 88.49 m (290-3) and German Julian Weber, the 2022 European champ, reaching 87.08 m (285-8).
India’s Tokyo 2020 gold medalist, Neeraj Chopra of India finally moved up from fourth (from his second-round throw) to third in round five at 85.58 m (280-9) and then rocketed his final throw out to 89.49 m (293-7) in round six.
But by that time, Peters, throwing first in the final round as the leader, sent a rainbow out to 90.61 m (297-3) for the winner. It’s his third-longest throw ever and best in two years.
The women’s 100 m was a showcase for Britain’s 2019 200 m Worlds winner Dina Asher-Smith – fourth in the Paris 100 – who got her usual solid start and held off American Tamari Davis, the U.S. Trials fourth-placer, 10.88 to 10.97 (-0.4). Swiss favorite Mujinga Kambundji was third in 11.06. It was a seasonal best for Asher-Smith, now equal-8th for 2024.
The women’s 800 went to plan, with 2023 World Champion Mary Moraa (KEN) leading at the bell over U.S. Trials winner Nia Akins and Britain’s Jemma Reekie. Akins pushed into the lead on the backstraight, with Moraa and Britain’s Georgia Bell, the Paris 1,500 m bronze winner, in third.
But Moraa made her move on the turn and got to the lead on the straight and would not be denied, winning in 1:57.91, with Bell coming up for second in 1:58.53. Akins faded, and Reekie got third in 1:58.73. Akins ended up 10th in 2:00.0, ahead of fellow American Allie Wilson in 11th (2:00.35).
In the women’s 100 m hurdles, American Olympic fifth-placer Grace Stark got out best and had the lead over Tokyo 2020 Olympic champ Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and Dutch star Nadine Visser through most of the race. But on the run-in, Camacho-Quinn surged and got to the line first in 12.35, equaling her seasonal best (wind: 0.9). Stark was a close second in 12.38, with Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent getting third ahead of Visser, 12.38 to 12.49. American Alaysha Johnson, seventh in Paris, finished sixth in 12.59.
All eyes were on Dutch star Femke Bol, the Olympic bronze winner, in the women’s 400 m hurdles, but Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton – fifth in Paris – had the lead from hurdles four through eight, with Bol second. But Bol came on off the turn and zoomed to the lead and run away to a solid 52.25 to 53.32 win. Jamaicans Janieve Russell and Andrenette Knight were 3-4 in 54.48 and 54.93. American Shamier Little was eighth in 58.57.
The bar was at 1.96 m (6-5) when the women’s high jump narrowed, with Olympic champ Yaroslava Mahuchikh (UKR) and bronze medalist Eleanor Patterson (AUS) both clearing on their first attempts. Australia’s Paris runner-up Nicola Olyslagers missed her three tries and had to settle for third at 1.92 m (6-3 1/2).
Mahuchikh sailed over 1.99 m (6-6 1/4) on her first try, and Patterson missed her three tries, giving the Ukrainian the victory. She tried 2.03 m (6-8), but missed her three attempts.
The Diamond League is back in action on Sunday in Chorzow (POL), shown in the U.S. on Peacock, beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern, with a same-day replay at 4 p.m. on CNBC.
The remaining Diamond League meets are on 30 August (Rome), 5 September (Zurich) and the final on 13-14 September in Brussels.
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