Saq
Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo edged out Christian Coleman to win the 100m in impressive style at the Diamond League meeting in Rome on Friday.
Tebogo, the new Olympic 200m champion, clocked 9.87 seconds to claim victory, with the 21-year-old slowing the pace and staring down his rivals well before the finish line.
“It was one of my best 100m races,” said the Botswanan. “Today I had a great start and it made me think: ‘Why didn’t I have a race like that in the Olympic final?'”
Coleman, who failed to make the U.S. team for the Paris Games, came in second in 9.92 seconds, with Paris bronze medalist Fred Kerley third again (9.95).
Local favourite Marcell Jacobs, who won a surprise gold medal at the Covid-postponed Tokyo 2021 Games and placed fifth in Paris, looked in trouble as he finished ninth and last in 10.20 seconds.
“Tonight I couldn’t run any faster than that,” Jacobs said.
“The race didn’t go as I wanted and I didn’t want to risk an injury. I’m not happy with this result, but it was really great to race here in Rome, in front of this wonderful home crowd.”
A high-quality field at the Stadio Olimpico, which already hosted a memorable European Championships in June – when Jacobs defended his continental 100 metres crown – promised to see two world records in jeopardy.
But that wasn’t the case that night.
Kenyan Faith Kipyegon, who became the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic 1,500m titles in Paris, won the event in 3:52.89.
It could have been faster and closer to her own world record, if she hadn’t had a missed rhythm.
“The world record was not for today, the Olympics were only two weeks ago,” Kipyegon said.
– Yavi approaches –
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi came close to setting a new world record in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, clocking the second-fastest time in history.
The Kenyan-born runner clocked an electric time of 8:44.39, a hesitant jump over the final hurdle meaning she finished just seven hundredths of a second off Beatrice Chepkoech’s record set in 2018.
“I looked at the time after the race and thought, ‘Oh, no!'” said Yavi, who won gold in Paris in an Olympic record time.
“I really expected this record and I went for it. I really feel like I should beat it and I believe it will happen.”
American shot put star Ryan Crouser, whose gold medal at the Paris Games was a record third consecutive in the sport, won with a throw of 22.49m, a competition record.
But fellow Olympic champion Roje Stona of Jamaica, coached by Crouser, could only finish second in the men’s discus, with Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh taking victory with his final throw of 68.61m.
Jamaican Ackera Nugent, who failed to finish in the Olympic final, took the world lead with a time of 12.24 seconds to win the 100m hurdles ahead of Paris winner Masai Russell of the United States.
But Russell’s team-mate Tara Woodhall-Davis, whose husband Hunter is currently competing in the Paralympics, won the long jump with a record of 7.02m.
And American success came even further thanks to Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell, who won the 400m hurdles in 52.59 seconds.
Woodhall-Davis, who won Olympic gold with a jump of 7.10m, said she would fly straight back to Paris on Friday.
“I just want to see my husband Hunter Woodhall running there,” she said, with the couple having gone viral on social media since their success – and unconditional support – in Paris.
“I can’t wait to see what he has to offer us.
“I want to focus entirely on Hunter. Then we’ll have some press interviews at home and after that we’ll go on vacation to Las Vegas.”
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Saq
