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Fast Women's Mile Re-Writes Seven National Records At London Diamond LeaguePublished by
Mykolas Alekna Breaks Diamond League Record In Discus; Oblique Seville Wins Men's 100; Donavan Brazier Returns To Diamond League After 3-Year Absence By Keenan Gray of DyeStat John Nepolitan photos
LONDON – Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia moved to No. 2 all-time in the women's mile on Saturday in a front of a sold-out crowd at London Stadium at the Novuna London Athletics Meet
Tsegay ran 4 minutes, 11.88 seconds to win the women’s mile, while lowering her nation’s outdoor record of 4:14.79, set by Freweyni Hailu from the 2023 season, by almost three seconds. Tsegay also bested the absolute national record of 4:13.31 held by Genzebe Dibaba from the 2016 indoor season.
“It was not easy but to get a meeting record, national record and personal best makes me so happy,” Tsegay said.
Tsegay pulled away from Jessica Hull of Australia in the last 200 meters after leading the entire race to win by almost two seconds.
The fast tempo from Tsegay sparked a wave of all-time best and national record performances from the rest of the field, including Hull running 4:13.68 for the fifth-fastest time in world history.
“Coming in, I think we were thinking I could run a national record, and I did," Hull said. “I would have liked to have been a little closer to 4:10, but I felt very strong for 4:13.”
Sarah Healy of Ireland ran the second-fastest time by an Irish woman in 4:16.26 to finish third overall, falling within less than two seconds of Ciara MaGeean’s Irish record of 4:14.58.
Sinclaire Johnson established a new American record of 4:16.32 while finishing fourth, nearly two years after Nikki Hiltz ran 4:16.35 at the Monaco Diamond League in 2023.
“I saw the clock stop at 4:11 for Gudaf, and so I was like, ‘I got five seconds to get to that line,’” Johnson said.
Italy’s Marta Zenoni (4:17.16, fifth), France’s Agathe Gullemot (4:19.08, sixth), Portugal’s Salome Afonso (4:19.51, eighth) and Spain’s Esther Guerrero (4:20.12, 12th) all established their respective national records, too.
Femke Bol Extends Hurdles Streak
Femke Bol of The Netherlands won her third consecutive London Diamond League title in the women’s 400 hurdles, running 52.10 seconds. Bol hasn’t lost a 400 hurdles race in the Diamond League meet since August of 2020, extending her winning streak to 29.
“I love this track, I love this crowd, so you want to give them something special,” Bol said. “It is a win, so I am happy, so I have to take the positives.”
American Jasmine Jones took second to Bol in 53.18.
Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia ran a world-leading 21.71 seconds in the women’s 200 meters, winning by over a half-a-second despite running into a slight headwind.
Brits Dina Asher-Smith (22.25) and Amy Hunt (22.31) finished second and third, respectively.
Georgia Hunter Bell of Great Britain ran a season’s best 1:56.74 to win the women’s 800. American Addy Wiley finished second in a season’s best 1:57.43.
Media Eisa of Ethiopia won the women’s 5,000 in 14:30.57, leading another Ethiopian Fantaye Belayneh to a personal best 14:30.90 to finish second. Rose Davies ran an Australian record 14:31.45 to finish third.
Malaika Mihambo of Germany found a fair jump in the fifth round of the women’s long jump after three consecutive fouls in rounds two through four, landing at 6.93m (22-9) to beat Larissa Iapichino of Italy by a centimeter.
Morgan Lake of Great Britian cleared a season’s best 1.96m (6-5), beating Eleanor Patterson of Australia by three centimeters in the women’s high jump.
Olivia McTaggart of New Zealand went over a personal best 4.73m (15-6.25) in the women’s pole vault. Reiging world champion Katie Moon of the U.S. cleared the same height as McTaggart, but took second on missed attempts.
Alekna Breaks Diamond League Record
Oregon’s newest addition, Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania, broke the Diamond League record in the men’s discus, throwing 71.70 meters (235-3) to best Kristjan Ceh’s record of 71.27m (233-10) from the 2022 season.
Through rainy conditions that preceded the meet, Alekna found his rhythm after the first two rounds when he delivered his record-breaking throw in round three.
Alekna fouled his next two throws before concluding the competition with a throw of 68.37m (224-3).
“Conditions were not too good, but it was not slippery, so I felt very confident with my throws and my technique,” Alekna said.
The Slovakian Ceh finished second to Alekna with his sixth-round throw of 68.83m (225-10).
Reigning Olympic champion Roje Stona of Jamaica didn’t fare well in the ring, finishing fifth with a throw of 64.71m (212-3).
Nineteen-year-old Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech of Kenya broke the hearts of the British faithful in the men’s 1,500, out-lasting Olympic silver medalist Josh Kerr in a meet record 3:28.82.
Kerr, in an attempt to break his own British record of 3:27.79 from last summer’s Olympic final, ran a season’s-best 3:29.37 for second.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya extended his winning streak in the men’s 800 to four in a row this season, running another meet record 1:42.00.
Marco Arop, who held an advantage over Wanyonyi after going to the front with under 300 meters, finished second in 1:42.22 for a season’s best.
Americans Bryce Hoppel and Donavan Brazier ran season’s bests, finishing fourth and sixth in 1:42.71 and 1:43.08, respectively. It was Brazier's first Diamond League since 2022.
Oblique Seville of Jamaica produced the only sub-10-second run in the men’s 100, running 9.86 seconds. American Noah Lyles finished second in 10.00, racing his first 100 since the Olympic final in Paris.
Brit Charles Dobson found another gear in the last 50 meters to complete a late comeback over fellow countrymen Matthew Hudson-Smith in a new personal best 44.14. Hudson-Smith, silver in the 400 at the Olympics, ran 44.27 for second.
American Vernon Norwood closed in a season’s-best 44.34 to finish fourth.
Wayne Pinnock of Jamaica hit a mark of 8.20m (26-11) in round three in the men’s long jump. Two-time reigning Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou finished second to Pinnock by a centimeter. More news |
