2018 FBK Games Diary: Two world leads, three meet records highlight FBK

HENGELO (NED, Jun 3): Two world leads and three meet records highlighted the 2018 edition of IAAF World Challenge meet. The 37th FBK Games were staged for first time in experimental format, friendly for spectators with musical break and fewer events (11). Mariya Lasitskene improved her world lead (also equaled MR) to 2.03m to extend her win streak to 41 competitions before three attempts at 2.05m. There were also wins in field events for fellow world champions Sam Kendricks with 5.81m in the pole vault while Luvo Manyonga, who began with four fouls, jumped 8.18m on his sixth attempt to surpass Olympic champion Jeff Henderson’s 8.15m. On the track, Dafne Schippers closed the programme with victory in the 200m in 22.44 ahead of Bulgaria’s Ivet Lalova-Collio (22.79) with Blessing Okagbare finishing a distant sixth in 23.03. In the men’s 200m, Luxolo Adams clocked 20.34 to defeat European champion Bruno Hortelano in 20.35, who was racing for the first time over 200m since the 2016 Olympics, and Fred Kerley in 20.43. World bronze medallist Abdalelah Haroun from Qatar won the men’s 400m in a meeting record of 44.35 from Paul Dedewo (44.50 PB) and Mike Cherry (44.90) with Christian Taylor fourth, improving his PB from 45.17 to 45.07. There was also a meet record of 50.88 from Shakima Wimbley in the women’s 400m, beating Botswana’s Christina Botlogetswe (51.00 PB) and Justyna Swiety-Ersetic (51.48). Kenya’s Jonathan Kitilit won a good quality 800m in 1:43.77 from Australian youngster Joseph Deng (1:44.97) and Jenny Simpson won the mile in a world-leading 4:25.71 from Ethiopia’s Besu Sado (4:25.99). Olympic champion Brianna McNeal won the 100m hurdles in 12.66 from Queen Harrison (12.93) and Nadine Visser (12.94) and Sergey Shubenkov won the 110m hurdles in a season’s best of 13.23 from Orlando Ortega (13.38).