09/07/2010 Bolt, one of eight world leads in Lausanne - Samsung Diamond League
8 July 2010 - Lausanne, Switzerland
- Usain Bolt's storming return, along with seven other world season leads,
capped a fully entertaining evening of athletics at the Athletissima, the
seventh stop on the Samsung Diamond League series.
After a six-week break due to injury, Bolt
certainly made his comeback a notable one, cruising to a 9.82 victory (+0.5) to
equal the world lead set by his compatriot Asafa Powell in Rome early last month.
"It was more than I expected," said the double
World record holder after his first appearance since an Achilles tendon injury
in late May sent him to the sidelines. "I was a little nervous before the race
but after a good warm-up I felt better."
Bolt was originally scheduled to run the 200m, but
heeding doctors orders to avoid running a bend - even the wide curve on the
Stade de la Pontaise
track - he requested and was granted a late hour switch to the shorter
distance. It was his first 100m race in nearly two months, and by any measure,
a solid success, despite his post-race comment that he did feel some minor pain
in his tender Achilles. "My start wasn't very good, but the second half was
alright," he said. That's something he'll need to improve upon when he meets
Powell in Paris
in eight days time.
Cautious at the start, the tall Jamaican powered
through and finally towered over the field some 60 metres into the race,
leaving his only real challenger of the evening, training partner Yohan Blake,
behind for good by 70
metres. Bolt's time barely made it inside his
personal top-10 - it falls into the No. 8 position - rendering it almost
routine. It's nonetheless important to remember that only three other men have
ever run faster.
Blake performed admirably as well, clocking 9.96
for second, a season's best just shy of his 9.93 personal best from last year.
Burka takes
hot 1500m
Bolt's promising return was one of eight
world-leading or equalling performances enjoyed by another sell-out crowd that
gathered on a still and warm evening in Lausanne. Among the most thrilling came
in the women's 1500m where Nancy Langat's early season domination came to a
crashing halt.
The Olympic champion ran from the front once the
pacesetter stepped aside 800
metres into the race, clawing her way to a two metre
lead on Gelete Burka over the next lap. The Ethiopian narrowed the advantage
slightly at the bell, but looked to be falling out of contention with just
under 200 to go, when Moroccan Ibtissam Lakhouad passed her and Langat heading
into the final straight. Langat was clearly beaten by then, but Burka fought
on, taking the lead in the waning stages to win in 3:59.28.
It was a breakout performance for the 29-year-old
Lakhouad, who held on for second with a national record 3:59.45, nearly four
seconds faster than she had ever run before, to suddenly emerge as a challenger
for the African title later this month. Langat's early aggressive running did
reap another award for the Kenyan, a 4:00.13 personal best.
Cheruiyot
takes down Defar at 3000m
With Burka setting the tone early on, world leads
followed across the board in the longer distances, the most convincing in the
women's 3000m.
Meseret Defar knew she was in for a tough race when
she announced on Wednesday that she would be targeting Edith Masai's African
record. An assault on the 8:23.23 mark never came to pass, nor did a notch in
the Ethiopian's victory column after her convincing defeat by World 5000m
champion Vivian Cheruiyot.
Defar sensed trouble when the bell sounded; instead
of shifting into her trademark final lap gear, she wasn't even at the head of
the closely knit pack with 400 remaining. This time it was the 26-year-old
Cheruiyot who unleashed a long sustained kick to take the win in 8:34.58, a
meet record and another world lead. Alemitu Bekele of Turkey ran past
Defar as well over the final 150
metres to take second in 8:35.19, a personal best, ahead
of the Ethiopian's 8:36.09.
In the men's 1500 (not a Diamond Race event here),
Kenyan Nicholas Kemboi powered home unchallenged to win by the proverbial
country mile in 3:31.52, well clear of Morocco's Amine Laalou (3:32.75) and
Kenyan Remy Limo, who clocked a personal best 3:32.83.
2008 Olympic 3000m Steeplechase champion Brimin
Kipruto put together his first solid race of the season, resulting in yet
another world lead. Kicking away from Ugandan Benjamin Kiplagat, Kipruto
reached the line in 8:01.62 to knock nearly five seconds from the previous meet
record. Kiplagat hung on well to lower Uganda's
national record to 8:03.81, while Paul Kipsiele Koech, the runner-up in Doha and winner in New
York, struggled, but managed a third place finish in
8:11.85.
Savigne gets
her groove back
The first world lead of the night came early on in
the programme, courtesy of two-time World champion Yargelis Savigne. After a
pair of fouls, the 25-year-old Cuban took firm command of the competition in
the Triple Jump - and with it, her lead in the Diamond Race - with a 14.82m
leap in the third round, a season's best. She nearly went just as far in the
fifth reaching 14.81m, before finishing off the competition with a 14.99m leap,
to steal the world lead from Olga Rypakova.
In an otherwise modest competition, Rypakova was a
distant second with a 14.60m best, with Svetlana Bolshakova third at 14.43m.
Ukhov over
Rybakov, both clear 2.33m
The men's High Jump woke from its 2010 slumber
thanks to Ivan Ukhov and World champion Yaroslav Rybakov. The Russian duo each
sailed clear at 2.33 to equal Dusty Jonas' world lead, with the win going to
Ukhov on countback. The victory was particularly sweet victory for Ukhov whose
antics here became a Youtube sensation in 2008.
In what was by far the best men's High Jump
competition of the season, two others, Kyriakos Ioannou of Cyprus and 2007
World champion Donald Thomas, each managed 2.30m, a season's best for Ioannou
and an equal season's best for Thomas.
Rudisha too
strong for Mulaudzi
800m ace David Rudisha told the world yesterday
that from this point forward, he'll always run from the front. "I learned my
lesson in Berlin
last year," he said, where he failed to advance from the semi-finals. He stuck
to his word here and again emerged victorious against a strong field. His
1:43.25 time wasn't quite as fast as his previous Samsung Diamond League
victories in Doha (1:43.00) and Oslo (1:42.01), but his run did underscore
both the strength and growing confidence the 21-year-old possesses down the
homestretch.
Taking the lead when pacesetter Sammy Tangui
stepped off the track at about the 500m point, the Kenyan champion carried a
marginal lead down the back stretch, shadowed closely by World champion
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi. Midway through the final bend, it appeared that the South
African was preparing for a decisive move, but his ambitions were but a
fleeting thought as Rudisha's lanky shadow began to pull away.
Mulaudzi nonetheless reached the line in 1:43.58,
comfortably ahead of Alfred Kirwa Yego, the man he succeeded as World champion,
who clocked 1:43.97, season's bests for both.
Unchallenged,
Robles clocks 13.01
Dayron Robles continues to improve as well. The
World record holder threatened the 13-second barrier for the first time this
season with a dominating 13.01 run in the 110m Hurdles, second this year only
to world leader David Oliver.
"The first five hurdles were easy," said Robles,
who arrived in Lausanne with a 13.08 season's
best from Turin.
"I'm looking forward to racing against Oliver." He won't have long to wait -
they'll be meeting in both Paris and Monaco, Samsung Diamond League stops 9 and
10, over the next two weeks.
American Ryan Wilson
was well back in second in 13.21, just ahead of Olympic silver medallist David
Payne, who improved his season's best to 13.22.
Jackson's momentum continues
400m Hurdles world leader Bershawn Jackson brought
the momentum from his US championships
victory to Lausanne
to take a convincing victory. Biding his time for the first two-thirds of the
race, the 2005 World champion sped by early leader Javier Culson by the midway
point before battling two-time Olympic champion Angelo Taylor over the final 20 metres.
A satisfied Jackson
clocked 47.62 ahead of Taylor's
47.96 with former World and Olympic champion Felix Sanchez third in 48.17, his
fastest time since 2007.
Two-time defending champion Kerron Clement was
never a factor and finished last in 50.41.
It wasn't quite a world lead, but Canada's
Priscilla Lopes-Schliep was nonetheless thrilled with her narrow 12.56 in the 100m Hurdles,
a season's best and her first Diamond Race victory after runner-up finishes in
Doha and Oslo and a fourth place showing in New York.
"Every race gets better and better and I'm becoming
more consistent each time," the World silver medallist said.
But she needed every inch she could mustre to
outlean Germany's
Carolin Nytra, who notched a personal best 12.57 for second. It was the second
PB for the 25-year-old in two weeks but this one was massive, chopping off a
full 0.20 from her previous best set at home in Wattenscheid.
Jeter, Dix,
Wariner and Dunn supreme in the sprints
Carmelita Jeter was satisfied with her 10.99 in the 100m for her
second Diamond Race victory in the event. Jamaican Sherone Simpson (11.15) and
Chandra Sturrup (11.18) were well back in second and third, while World and
Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser did not start. Lashauntea Moore of the US,
in contention for a podium finish for 80 metres, pulled up hurt over the closing
stages and was a distant sixth in 11.40.
Pleased too was Walter Dix, who collected his third
Samsung Diamond League victory in as many outings at 200m. The winner in Shanghai and Eugene
- in the latter he edged former World champion Tyson Gay - had a clear lead off
the turn and sailed him unchallenged in 19.86.
"I was very disappointed that (Usain) Bolt wasn't
running the 200 today, but it feels good to be leading the Diamond race today,"
said Dix, the double bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics.
Churandy Martina clocked a 20.08 national record
for the Netherlands Antilles in second, well
clear of Xavier Carter's 20.15 season's best.
Jeremy Wariner continues to improve as well, the
minor ailment that kept him out of the US championships final apparently a
thing of the past. Cruising off the final bend of the 400m, the former two-time
World champion cruised through the homestretch to take a convincing 44.57
victory, yet another world lead.
It was the third Diamond Race victory in as many
outings for Wariner, who was clearly pleased with his run. "I'm happy with the
time, things are moving ahead nicely" the lanky Texan said.
Lajerold Betters, the runner-up at the US
championships, equaled that finish here but was marginally faster, cutting 0.01
from her career best to 44.70 to edge Jamaican Jermaine Gonzales (44.72).
After an off day in Eugene last weekend, World indoor champion
Debbie Dunn returned to the top of her game with a solid victory in the 400m
(not a Diamond Race event here). The world leader at 49.64, the American took
home a solid win in 49.81, well ahead of the Jamaican pair of Shericka Williams
(50.04) and Novlene Williams-Mills (50.04) and Oslo winner Amantle Montsho (50.07), season's
best for all three.
Thorkildsen,
Lavillenie and Barrios pad their Diamond Race leads
Andreas Thorkildsen's reign at the helm of the
Javelin Throw standings continued with his third victory in as much appearances
in the series. Here it was his 87.04m throw in the fourth round that sealed the
deal, well ahead of Finn Tero Pitkamaki, who reached 84.71m for second. Cuba's
Guillermo Martinez, the reigning World silver medallist, finished third with
82.40m.
In the men's Pole Vault, Renaud Lavillenie added Lausanne to his list of
Diamond Race victories with another win over World and Olympic champion Steven
Hooker. Like Hooker, the Frenchman jumped sparingly, opening with a first
attempt clearance at 5.70m before needing all three for success at 5.85m.
Hooker opened with first attempt clearances at 5.60m and 5.80m, but missed at
5.90m to call it a day. Germany's
Malte Mohr equaled his 5.80m PB to finish third.
In the women's Discus Throw, Yarelis Barrios took
command early with a 65.92m throw in the first round, her best on the night and
the best of competition. It was also a season's best for the Cuban, well ahead
of US champion Becky Breisch (64.53m) and World champion Dani Samuels (62.05m)
of Australia.
World Long Jump champion Tiffany Reese made her
Samsung Diamond League debut a memorable one, taking the win with a 6.94m leap
in round five to best Portugal's Naide Gomes, whose 6.80m season's best came in
the first round. Russian Tatyana Kotova (6.70m) rounded out the top three.
Bob Ramsak
for the Samsung Diamond League
05/07/2010 Oliver, Dix highlight five world leaders in Eugene - REPORT - Samsung Diamond League
Eugene, Oregon,
USA - In a meet
with five world-leading marks, David Oliver was literally and figuratively head
and shoulders above the field at the Nike Prefontaine Classic, the sixth event of the Samsung Diamond
League.
The towering Oliver efficiently clicked off a
series of crisp barriers to stop the clock at 12.90 in the 110m Hurdles,
chopping .03 sec off his 12.93 PB and world leader he ran last week at the USA
Championships in Des Moines. In doing so, Oliver equalled Dominique Arnold's national
record and tied Arnold
at third on the all-time list (with the fourth-best mark, behind Liu Xiang and
two marks by current World record holder Dayron Robles).
Like many athletes, David Oliver is a Twitter user,
but he may need to change his handle. After his 12.90 110m hurdles race at
today's Prefontaine Classic, "doliversub13" looks somehow
under-ambitious. Is "doliversub12_9" in use?
Dix upsets
Gay at 200m
Walter Dix arrived in Eugene tied with Usain Bolt atop the Diamond
Race standings for the 200m, but he's leaving in sole command with two wins.
Dix matched the curve of Tyson Gay, back in the blocks after a nagging
hamstring issue, and then clawed his way to a narrow lead over the Samsung
Diamond League Ambassador on the homestretch. Dix arrived at the line in 19.72,
just inches ahead of Gay, whose injury worries did not prevent him from running
19.76.
Gay said, "This performance wasn't bad for my
first race and I was under a lot of pressure. I felt him coming up on me on the
curve and I knew I was in for a tough race. It's not quite the step I wanted
but I know my finish is not there yet."
The blazing 200m wasn't even one of the five
season-leading marks at the thirty-five-year-old event. Thanks to this year's
move later in the season's calendar, the annual Hayward Field event saw twelve
meet records.
Cantwell
"kills one"
Christian Cantwell was among the world leaders,
blasting the shot out to 22.41m on his sixth and last attempt. Cantwell, who
came to Eugene promising that he was ready to toss
the iron ball much farther than he managed in winning the U.S. championships in Des Moines last week, opened with a 21.78m
mark in the first round and extended that to 21.89m in the fifth round before
delivering his 22.41 salvo.
As has become common for Cantwell this season, all
six of his marks were enough to win, with Dylan Armstrong coming in second at
21.33m.
A
championship-level 100m final
Meet management arranged a women's 100m as
competitive as a global championship final, and as she often has in global
championships, Veronica Campbell-Brown rose to the occasion. Campbell-Brown
scorched a 10.78 straightaway, yet only barely got the best of World champion
Shelly-Ann Fraser and 2009 world leader Carmelita Jeter. Fraser and Jeter
finished in 10.82 and 10.83, respectively. All three marks bettered the
previous world leader of Kelly-Ann Baptiste, 10.84.
Jeter continues to lead the Diamond Race thanks to
her third-place finish, with five points ahead of Campbell-Brown's four.
In the women's 800m, Mariya Savinova held off the
Kenyan duo of Nancy Jebet Langat (the Olympic 1500m champion) and Diamond Race
leader Janeth Jepkosgei to set up a new world leading time of 1:57.56, lowering
the previous meet record belonging to Maria Mutola by .01sec. Langat, second in
1:57.75, snuck by Jepkosgei (1:57.84) in the final strides, but Jepkosgei
retains her Diamond Race lead with a three-point advantage over Savinova and
Halima Hachlaf.
Kaki's
record attempt falls short
The fifth world-leading mark of the afternoon came
outside the Diamond League schedule, as Sudan's Abubaker Kaki came up short in
his attempt to lower the 1000m World record of 2:11.96 set by Noah Ngeny in
1999. Kaki's 2:13.62 was nevertheless almost four seconds faster than the
previous world leader, and he was followed closely to the line by Boaz Lalang
in 2:14.83.
Demus'
domination
Lashinda Demus continued her reign as the
untouchable 400m hurdler of the season, once again arriving on the homestretch
well in command and extending her lead through the finish. Demus crossed the
line in 53.03 to 53.78 for Kaliese Spencer and further extended her lead in the
hurdles Diamond Race.
With the hurdles off the track, the women's 400m
was much closer, with Allyson Felix and Amantle Montsho taking that race to the
wire. Felix's lead over Montsho at the line, 50.27 to 50.30, was enough to put
the pair in a dead heat in the Diamond Race with eight points apiece.
In the longest barrier race, Milcah Cheiywa Chemos
won her biggest victory of her revelatory season, if not the fastest, by
besting World champion Marta Dominguez in the women's 3000m Steeplechase.
Dominguez held on to Chemos' pace throughout the race but struggled in the
closing lap, stumbling slightly out of the last water pit, and Chemos kept a relentless
closing pace and put up a 9:26.70 victory, with Dominguez second in 9:29.61.
Men's middle
distances
With the Prefontaine Classic taking its name from a
middle-distance star, the men's 5000m and the Bowerman Mile are often the
highlights of the meet. The longer event today saw a victory for the younger
brother of the World record holder, as Tariku Bekele led an Ethiopian sweep.
Bekele's 12:58.93 was a North American all-comers record, ahead of his
countrymen Dejen Gebremeskel (12:59.30) and Imane Merga (13:00.18). Merga
retains the Diamond Race lead with ten points, but Bekele has now moved into
second with six and the pair will likely not settle this race until the end of
the season.
Olympic 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop ran a stellar
3:49.75 to win the concluding event of the afternoon, the Bowerman Mile, with
Amine Laalou just behind in 3:50.22. The lanky Kenyan dominates the Diamond
Race with ten points. The mile illustrated the depth of competition here in Eugene, with ten of the
eleven finishers dipping under the benchmark clocking of 4:00 and ten more
doing the same in the earlier "international" race.
Men on the
field
Piotr Malachowski seized the Diamond Race lead in
the men's Discus Throw, with his 67.66m mark in the second round holding
through the remainder of the competition. His Hungarian rival, Zoltan Kovago,
formerly tied with Malachowski for the Diamond Race lead, took second with
67.55m in the fourth round.
Irving Saladino earned a victory over Diamond Race
leader Dwight Phillips in the Long Jump with an 8.46m leap, but Phillips
retains the race lead by two points over the Panamanian. The competition was
fierce with Saladino getting only one legal mark and Phillips scoring three
hops which were close, but not close enough, the best being an 8.41m in the
third round.
Women on the
field
In women's field events, Fabiana Murer took command
of the Diamond Race in the women's Pole Vault with another win on countback.
Both Murer and Anna Rogowska had 4.58m clearances but failed to get over 4.68m,
so Murer won by virtue of making 4.58m on her second attempt, to Rogowska's
third.
Nadezhda Alekhina took the Triple Jump victory from
Olga Rypakova, 14.62m to 14.45m, but Rypakova retained the Diamond Race lead,
her second-place points breaking a tie with Yargelis Savigne.
Kara Patterson, one of the stars of the U.S. championships last weekend in Des Moines, earned her
first win in the Samsung Diamond League with a 65.90m effort in the women's
Javelin. Samsung Diamond League Ambassador Barbora Spotakova, whose luggage
never arrived in Eugene,
competed with both borrowed clothes and borrowed javelins. Spotakova finished
third in 61.12m but retained the Diamond Race lead over Patterson and Mariya
Abakumova, now tied for second.
Other events
Outside the Diamond Race events, Tirunesh Dibaba
established a Hayward Field record of 14:34.08 in the women's 5000m, with
Olympic 10,000m bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan second in 14:49.08.
Eugene opened the meet with the best women's Hammer Throw
competition ever held in the USA,
with Tatyana Lysenko and Betty Heidler going the full six rounds and producing
the five best all-comers marks in history. Heidler took the lead from Lysenko
in the fourth round with 74.48m, then 74.55m in the fifth, but Lysenko produced
a 75.98m toss in the sixth round to re-take the lead. Heidler could only find
74.87m to answer, and that was the end.
With 12,834 fans in attendance, the Prefontaine
Classic recorded its 15th consecutive sellout.
Source:
diamondleague.com
17/06/2010 Tyson Gay: Not injured but not totally healthy - IAAF Online Diaries
American record holder and
former World sprint champion Tyson Gay hasn't competed since his appearance at
a straight 200m in the streets of Manchester last 16 May. He now explains
why...
"It has been an up and down
few weeks for me since my last diary entry. I was real pleased with the
way things went in Manchester but since then things have not gone the way I was
planning.
"The good news is that I
don't have any kind of major injury. But the bad news is that I have had
some muscle soreness in my hamstring which has slowed down my preparations for
the summer.
"Basically, a tight
hamstring started right around the time I ran in Manchester and, because I
didn't want to take any big risks, I consulted with the doctor in Europe who
has helped me in the past. He looked closely at me and found no damage. So I am
not "injured" but also not totally healthy. It is not fun being injured in this
sport but sometimes it is even harder when you can train but in limited amount
because of small little aches and pains. That is where I have been in these
last few weeks.
"The one thing I can say to
the fans is exactly what I said to the media last week when I was in New York.
At some point it is time for me to put up or shut up. I think I can run
fast...real fast. But I don't really want to talk about that now. I just want to
do it.
"Speaking of New York, I
travelled there last week for the adidas Grand Prix. It is always hard to be
around a big meet like that when you are not competing. I am glad I went
though. It was cool to get the chance to talk to the media and let them know
how I was doing.
"The best part of the trip
though was watching that woman's 200m. People talk about rivalries
between Usain, me and Asafa...but I think Allyson and Veronica racing each other
is just as cool. Veronica's speed as a 100-200m sprinter and Allyson's strength
as a 200-400m runner makes them racing at 200m exciting. They are both
champions and the way they raced in New York showed that their rivalry is only
going to get bigger.
"One last thing to comment
on before I end this entry...
"Yes, I did say to the
media that I think the new false start rule doesn't make any sense. I
understand that people say it is better for television but I don't think the
people who made this decision understand what sprinters go through when they
get into those blocks.
"If it is not changed, it
will hurt our sport. What happened in Rome with Shelly Ann Fraser is not good
for anyone and I promise you, this won't be the last time this happens to a
star athlete.
"Sprinters are
human...blocks are different, sounds are different and starters are different
at some meets. It is crazy to think that sprinters can deal with these changes
and never make even a minor mistake".
"All for now"
Tyson.
14/06/2010 IAAF confirms Samsung as title sponsor of the Diamond League
The IAAF is delighted to
announce that a tender process for the title sponsorship package of the IAAF
Diamond League has been concluded successfully. Samsung, a leader in
consumer electronics, has agreed to become the title sponsor of the IAAF
Diamond League for the next 2 seasons starting in 2010, with an option to
extend for an additional year.
This is excellent news for the IAAF Diamond League who will now count with a
giant in the consumer electronics as its key partner. The league will now be
rebranded ‘Samsung Diamond League' to be effectively implemented no
later than the Lausanne Diamond League meet early July.
Samsung has acquired the first tier package of rights that includes a
considerable number of benefits, such as title denomination, advertising
boards, exposure on hurdles, on print material, on the official Diamond League
website, first class hospitality package and numerous other promotional
benefits.
Already a sponsor of the IAAF World Athletics Series and the Olympic Games
(where athletics is the number one sport), Samsung is a key sponsor of
athletics world-wide. This agreement also underlines a clear extension of
Samsung's strategic positioning in sport, where athletics plays a leading role
thanks to its universality and massive media presence.
Samsung, was founded 70 years ago in Daegu, South Korea, operates in most
countries around the world and has a net turnover of over 174 billion USD. The
company currently employs 263'000 people world-wide and has its headquarters
Seoul, South Korea.
Lamine Diack, IAAF President, said "I am delighted with this deal,
particularly because it is with a world famous corporation that is already our
partner for the IAAF World Championships series of events and the Olympic
Games. Samsung understands athletics and we now have a powerful partner across
all our most important properties."
"We are very proud of our
sponsorship of the IAAF, which is always associated with the highest level of
athletic achievement and hosts the world's top athletes. And now as title
sponsor of the ‘Samsung Diamond League,' we have the honour of connecting with
loyal and dedicated athletics fans around the world," said Gyehyun
Kwon, Vice President and Head of Worldwide Sports Marketing at Samsung
Electronics.
11/06/2010 Reports from Rome Diamond League
In excellent weather the 30th Golden
Gala fulfilled nearly all promises, fast 100 m by Powell, drama in women 100 m,
dancing in women high jump, excellent shape of Dix and Phillips,great depth in
women 400 m hurdles. Cantwell and Vlasic are having already three wins in
Diamond Race. And surprise of the evening Halima Hachlaf in women´s 800 m. In
total six world leads, four European leads and new (or equalled) meet records
in seven events. The big "Stadio Olimpico" could not be full (80 000
capacity), but still the atmosphere was electric.
Men
100 m: Asafa Powell fulfilled the
role and improved his world lead from rainy Ostrava to 9.82 (+0.6). French beat
the rest of the field, Lemaitre second 10.09 and Mbandjock third also 10.09.
This time no points as it was not part of Diamond Race.
200 m: Walter Dix coming to Europe
since September 2008 in Lausanne for first time clocked superb meet record
19.86 (+0.5) and clearly beat Spearmon (20.05). Way back third Paul Hession of
Ireland (20.60).
400 m: Jeremy Wariner delivered
expected world lead 44.73, but hurdles olympic winner Angelo Taylor had an
excellent finish (44.74). World indoor champ Chris Brown third 45.05.
1500 m: Augustine Choge clearly
dominated this non Diamond race in 3:32.21. Second Daniel Kipchirchir Komen
3:33.08. Best European Spanish Diego Ruiz 7th 3:35.06 (missed his European lead
from Rabat by 0.02).
5000 m: Imane Merga had again the
best finish as in Oslo 13:00.12 over Sammy Mutahi (also 13:00.12) and Moses
Kipsiro (13:00.15). Tariku Bekele was fourth in this race which did not had any
European runner (13:00.81).
110 m Hurdles: In good weather but
not fast as in Ostrava, Dayron Robles 13.14 (+0.9). Dwight Thomas was excellent
second (13.31) over strong field (Brathwaite 13.34, Wilson 13.37).
Long Jump: World champ Dwight
Phillips ruled in second attempt, 842 (-0.8), world lead. His rivals were not
that good, Saladino 813 and Lapierre 811.
Shot Put: Christian Cantwell
registered third Diamond win, this time with last attempt 21.67. He also
equalled the meet record of Ulf Timmerman from 1986. Dylan Armstrong second
21.47 over Reese Hoffa 21.15. Majewski only fifth (20.75).
Discus Throw: Poland´s Piotr
Malachowski was in best shape with two 68+ throws (68.78 also meet record and
68.37). Second Gerd Kanter (67.69) in duel with rest of the world elite (Kovago
67.26, Harting 66.33).
4x100
m: Martial Mbandjock with great finish won for France in meet record and
European lead 2010 38.50 ahead of Italy who were leading until 30 metres before
the finish (38.72). Jamaica with anchor Lerone Clarke third (39.05).
Women
100 m: Waterloo of favorites, first
Mikele Barber and then world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser false started.
LaShauntea Moore kept the nerves and won in 11.04 (+0.2). Chandra Sturrup gave
her usual 11.14 for second.
800 m: Moroccan sensation Halima
Hachlaf won and clocked world leading 1:58.40. 2007 World champion Jepkosgei
second (1:58.85), Meadows third 1:58.89 (European lead 2010) and fourth in new
life-time best Egle Balciunaite of Lithuania (1:59.54).
Steeple: Milcah Chemos was faster
than in Oslo, world leading 9:11.71. Gladys Kipkemboi improved to 9:13.22 as
second. Best European Poland´s Wioleta Frankiewicz 9:29.68 as fifth.
400 m Hurdles: Lashinda Demus is in
her own class. Again the best, again world lead (and meet record) 52.84, second
best of her career. Kaliese Spencer as second new personal best 53.48, third
Natalya Antyukh of Russia also PB 54.00 (European lead 2010) and fourth Zuzana
Hejnova Czech record 54.13.
High Jump: Dance of the evening. Top
two performed for the spectators at the end. But on the field Blanka Vlasic
cleared 203 and Chaunte Howard also, both equalled the meet record (203 Cloete
and Slesarenko in 2004). The decision was based on one more failure of Howard
during the whole competition. Vlasic wins all three Diamond high jumps so far,
her 203 is also European lead 2010.
Pole Vault: Fabiana Murer cleared
470 in first and that was enough. Then 480 was too high. Silke Spiegelburg had
470 in third and Czech Ptacnikova tied with world champion Rogowska for third
at 460.
Triple Jump: Berlin gold medalist
Yargelis Savigne was the winner on second best attempt over Asian record holder
Olga Rypakova (both 14.74, but second best 14.62-14.61, the closest possible).
Javelin Throw: Barbora Spotakova
after losing in Doha and Ostrava is back. In fourth round meet record 68.66
(second best of the year). Sunette Viljoen of South Africa was surprise second
(63.04), Obergfoll fifth, Ratej sixth.
