by Alfonz Juck
Hedda Hynne, London 2017, photo by Mike Deering / The Shoe Addicts
Some exciting late season events, and Wayde Van Niekerk won his 400m in 45.88.
Hynne 1:58.10 WL, NR and return of Van Niekerk
Wayde Van Niekerk, London 2017, photo by Mike Deering / The Shoe Addicts
BELLINZONA (SUI, Sep 15): Hedda Hynne won a high quality 800m at the Gala dei Castelli (WACT Bronze) in a Norwegian record and world leading time of 1:58.10, leading four athletes under the 1:59-barrier. Swiss Selina Buchel (1:58.37) and Lore Hoffmann (1:58.50 PB) were second and third respectively while Jemma Reekie suffered her first loss of the season over 800m in fourth albeit in 1:58.87. European U20 champion Femke Bol from the Netherlands ran the second fastest time of her career in the 400m hurdles with 54.33 ahead of European champion Lea Sprunger who improved her season’s best to 54.98 with Viktoriya Tkachuk third in 55.15 and her Dutch teammate Nadine Visser won the 100m hurdles in 12.79 in a close race with Italy’s Luminosa Bogliolo in 12.82. Olympic champion Wayde Van Niekerk returned to competition with a controlled 45.58 victory in the men’s 400m and teammate Akani Simbine won the 100m in a fast 10.02 ahead of Italy’s Filippo Tortu in a European-leading 10.07. In the women’s 100m, Ajla Del Ponte was a comfortable winner in 11.18 from Brit Kristal Awuah in 11.33 with Dafne Schippers fourth in 11.42. In the last event on the track, Ethiopia’s steeplechase specialist Lamecha Girma won the 1500m in 3:35.67 PB in a close finish with Brit Piers Copeland second in a 3:35.69 PB with world 5000m silver medallist Selemon Barega from Ethiopia third in 3:36.07 PB on his outdoor debut at the distance. In the field events, Sweden’s Michaela Meijer cleared 4.70m on her third attempt to beat Angelica Moser at 4.60m and Finland’s Kristian Pulli won the long jump with a sixth round jump of 8.08m from South Africa’s Ruswahl Samaai (8.04m) and world champion Tajay Gayle from Jamaica (7.99m). Elsewhere on the track, France’s Ludvy Vaillant won the men’s 400m hurdles in 49.22, Lieke Klaver and Marije Van Hunenstijn took a Dutch one-two in the 200m in 22.96 and 23.01 respectively and Aaron Mallet beat European U23 champion Jason Joseph in the 110m hurdles, 13.34 to 13.40.
