Friday’s Monaco Diamond League produced a night of spectacular athletics as the perfect weather conditions helped to produce a huge 11 national records and 7 world leading performances.
The event of the evening was the men’s 1500m where Silas Kiplagat’s WL run led the way to 5 national records and 9 personal bests being broken as a massive seven athletes went under 3:30 in one race.
On a night where it was supposed to Asbel Kiprop’s crowning moment, it was his rival Kiplagat who stole the show to become the 4th fastest 1500m runner of all-time and in turn produce the best performance ever run by a Kenyan.
Kiplagat produced an electric last 100m to cruise past Kiprop, who had led from the gun and take victory in 3:27.64. The time was a meet record and it leaves him with a PB .08 faster than that of his compatriot. He will now head into next weeks’ Commonwealth Games as favourite to take gold.
Close behind the pair was the countries’ latest middle distance star Ronald Kwemboi who became the 4th Kenyan to run below 3.29 as he smashed the world record to finish 3rd 3.28.81. The 18 year-old, who will also be running at the Commonwealth Games, now sits joint 7th in the all-time lists.
The night’s other middle distance battles were also stacked with fine performances as both the men’s and the women’s 800m were won in world leading times, Botswana’s Nijel Amos taking 1st in 1.42.45 and Usa’s Ajee Wilson smashing her personal best, to beat favourite Eunice Sum in 1:57.92.
Much to the home crowds delight finishing just behind Amos in second was Pierre-Ambroise Bosse who broke the French record to run 1:42.53. Favourite David Rudisha could only finish in 5th, the consolation being that by running 1:42.98; he had at least achieved his season’s target. However the Olympic champion knows that will pay no consolation against Amos when the pair race at the Commonwealths in just over a week.
As for Wilson, the young American stuck with Sum as they took on the fast pace, running 57 for the first lap, before showing her strength coming into the last bend to pull away from the field. Again with Glasgow 2014 in mind, there was a surprise national record 1.58.63 from Ugandan Winnie Nanyondo to take 3rd.
While Bosse’s performance got the French crowd cheering, it soon became a roar as their latest track hero; 110metre hurdler Pascal Martinot-Lagarde broke also broke the national record to become only the third European athlete to run under 13 seconds, as he won the race in 12.95.
Elsewhere, in the sprints there were wins and world leading times for this year’s most consistent pair as Tori Bowie and Justin Gatlin once again came out in top. In the women’s 100m, Bowie was incredulous as she cruised past her more experienced rivals to win in 10.80 showing that her form from earlier in the season wasn’t a fluke
For Gatlin, it was just a case of transferring his 100m dominance on to the less familiar 200m and it was something he made look effortless, as both his PB and SB were left in the blocks whilst the American broke 20 seconds for the first time, winning by a huge margin in 19.68. Also just squeezing sub-20 was Diamond League race leader Nickel Ashmeade with 19.99.
Field report via Patrick Kitson
In the Women’s Triple Jump, Columbian Caterine Ibarguen kicked off a night full of record breakers, by jumping 15.31 to become the first woman to jump over 15 metres since September 2010. Ibarguen had struggled to find her rhythm for most of the competition, trailing Russian Yekaterina Koneva since the second round. However a huge final leap allowed Ibarguen to not only claim a World Lead, but also a Diamond League record, as well as a South American record.
Both the Women’s Pole Vault and the Women’s Javelin saw more personal achievements as well as national, with Czech Republic’s Barbora Spotáková claiming a seasons best 66.96 in the Javelin. Whilst in the Pole Vault, although Brazilian Fabiana Murer took first place, third place Katerina Stefanidi set a Greek national record with a jump of 4.71 metres.
In the Men’s Long Jump, Chinese athlete Li Jinzhe took home first place, after jumping 8.09 metres to beat his closest rival Ignisious Gaisah by only 8cm. British Athlete Chris Tomlinson finished fourth.
Valerie Adams again dominated the Women’s Shot Put to claim her 52nd consecutive title. The Kiwi’s throw of 20.38 metres was enough to beat Germany’s Christina Schwanitz to first place. While in the Men’s Discus, Polands Piotr Malachowski further extended his Diamond Race lead with a throw of 65.84 metres. Malachowski now has 16 Diamond Race points from the seven events he has attended.
On a night full of action the final competition before the break for the Commonwealth Games finished with a party atmosphere as Ukrainian Bohdan Bondarenko had three attempts to claim the European record in the men’s high jump finished. Unfortunately for both him and the crowd, Bohdan was unable to clear 2.43 metres. But he still had cause to celebrate as his jump of 2.40 saw him clinch first place in the competition.
