by Stuart Weir
2019 Oslo Bislett Games, 13 June 2019, photo by Stuart Weir
The Oslo Bislett Games is one of the oldest and most enduring events on the Diamond League tour. It lived up to its hype and the fans, sold out two weeks before, were entertained in track & field and field & track. Here’s the deep thoughts by Stuart Weir.
High quality and high drama
It was a night of high drama and stellar performances at the Bislett Games in Oslo. Here are the highlights. We will consider some of them in more detail elsewhere.
Let’s start with the local hero Karsten Warholm who set the European record in the 400 hurdles 47.33
Warholm was one of seven world leads established in the event. The others were
Caterine Ibarguen (TJ) 14.79
Selemon Barega (3000) 7:32.17
Christian Coleman (100) 9.85
Mariya Lasitskene (HJ) 2.01m
Norah Jeruto (3000SC) 9:03.71
Marcin Lewandowski (Mile) 3:52.34
Sam Kendricks and Mondo Duplantis, Stockholm 2018, photo by PhotoRun.net
Sam Kendricks won the pole vault with 5.91m. Piotr Lisek (Poland) was second – always good to be able to write about a Pole in the pole vault! On 5.81m, a height matched by Cole Walsh and Armand Duplantis.
The final event was the dream mile. Vincent Kibet (Kenya) seemed to be cruising to victory in 3:52.38 but Marcin Lewandowski timed his run to perfection to win in 3:52.34. This time there was to be no local hero as Jakob Ingebrigtsen could only finish sixth.
Caterine Ibarguen (14.79m world lead) won the triple jump, her 36th DL win in an unbeaten sequence However she can rarely have had to work so hard for it with Keturah Orji – in her first DL – leading into the fifth round. Ibarguen was so relieved to have finally found the jump she was looking for that she came out of the pit and bowed to the crowd!
Christian Coleman, 2018 US Indoors, photo by PhotoRun.net
At his pre-event press conference, Christian Coleman was asked what he expected from today’s race. He replied without an once of arrogance, in a matter of fact tone, that he had come to win. It took a 9.85 world lead but he managed it.
Lijao Gong, London WC 2017, photo by PhotoRun.net
Lijiao Gong won the women’s shot with 19.51. It was a cosmopolitan affair with the top six places going to China, USA, Sweden, Jamaica, Germany and Belarus.
Mariya Laitskene won the high jump with 2:01 with the next five on1.94 or better
Dafne Schippers, Stockholm DL 2019, photo by PhotoRun.net
World Champion, Dafne Schippers, who recently had a bridge in her home city of Utrecht, named after her, won the 200m. If I am not mistaken, a third win in four years in Oslo.
Johannes Vetter threw 85.27m in the first round of the javelin, felt a pain in his leg, stopped throwing and still won.
