by Alfonz Juck
Keni Harrison, photo by Mike Deering for The Shoe AddictsHarrison 12.28 highlights Gyulai Memorial
SZÉKESFEHÉRVÃR (HUN, July 4): Kendra Harrison produced a stunning 12.28 clocking in the 100m hurdles to equal the 10th quickest time in history at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial. Twelve months after her world record of 12.20, she destroyed a great field with a +0.1 wind. Jasmine Stowers (12.66), Sharika Nelvis (12.69), Kristi Castlin (12.74), Dawn Harper-Nelson (12.74), Sally Pearson (12.76) and Nia Ali (12.83) were behind. The male sprint hurdlers were barely outdone as Omar McLeod won with 12.96, 0.06 short of his world lead. Sergey Shubenkov was three hundredths outside his PB with 13.01 (also EL) and world record-holder Aries Merritt showed good form with 13.11. Balázs Baji sliced 0.08 off his week-old Hungarian record with 13.15. Shaunae Miller-Uibo was 0.14 off the world lead with her 49.86 meeting record in the 400m. Courtney Okolo set a season’s best 50.41 for second. David Rudisha enjoyed his first win of the season, equalling his season’s best of 1:44.90 in the 800m. Pawel Fajdek was not far off his 2017 lead in the hammer with 82.64m ahead of Wojciech Nowicki (77.98m). Justin Gatlin scored a narrow 100m victory in 9.98 (+0.9) over Akani Simbine (9.99) with Isiah Young (10.10) further back. In the women’s event won by Blessing Okagbare (11.11/0.5), world No.2 Michelle-Lee Ayhe was a DNF. Kori Carter set a meet record of 54.22 in the 400m hurdles, but Ashley Spencer disappointed with 56.46 for 8th. Young had a season’s best of 20.14 (+0.9) in winning the 200m ahead of Simbine (20.21). Steven Gardiner had a big win in the 400m with 44.61. Rushwal Samaai won the long jump with 834 (+1.5) over Olympic winner Jeff Henderson 818 (+0.4), Anita Marton the shot with 19.48m, Zoltán KÅ‘vágó the discus (65.67m), Bohdan Bondarenko the high jump (2.30m, Andriy Protsenko also 230), and Tianna Bartoletta the long jump (6.79m).
