by Sam Fariss
Sam Fariss just finished a four-part series on the US Champs. At each Diamond League Meeting, Sam is writing a piece on some of the the notable performance at the meets.
The US comes out swinging following national champs
By Sam Fariss
SILESIA, POLAND – Just one week after the conclusion of the USATF Outdoor Championships, American athletes were back on track or on the field competing against the world’s best competition, and they did not disappoint.
To kick off a day filled with great performances, the United States duos Sam Kendricks, Chris Nilsen, Ryan Crouser, and Payton Otterdahl took on their respective field events. Crouser, the long-time world record holder, and Otterdahl shined as brightly as possible in the men’s shot put competition.
Crouser’s sixth attempt flew for 22.55 meters following two fouls, landing him in 1st place. Otterdahl’s best toss of the day came on his third attempt for 21.88 meters, earning a 2nd-place finish. The American dynamic duo seemed to build off of each other’s energy throughout the day and were able to take down Tom Walsh, Great Britain, who earned 3rd with a throw of 21.78 meters on his final attempt.
In the men’s pole vault, Kendricks and Nilsen were no slouches as they faced off against the world record holder Armand (Mondo) Duplantis. Kendricks earned a season’s best after clearing 5.91 meters, while Nilsen couldn’t quite get his rhythm down but was still able to clear 5.71 meters. The pair earned 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, only falling behind Duplantis, who was able to clear 6.01 meters before the day ended.
Shifting focus from the center field to the track itself, the United States athletes refused to slow down. Fred Kerley ran down nearly everyone in the race other than Akani Simbine to earn 2nd place in the men’s 100-meter competition. Americans Cravont Charleston in 4th and Marvin Bracy-Williams in 6th were not far behind.
In the women’s 100-meter race, Sha’Carri Richardson was facing her Jamaican rival Shericka Jackson as well as fellow American Twanisha Terry. Richardson pushed through the entirety of the sprint and leaned at just the right moment to take the victory away from Jackson. Richardson crossed in a blazing 10.76 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Jackson. Terry crossed the line in fourth at 10.99 seconds to earn a new season best.
Adding hurdles to the mix also brought added success to the Americans’ day. Kendra Harrison and Nia Ali went 2-3 in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, following just behind Tobi Amusan, Nigeria, who ran for a meet record. Harrison’s performance tied her season-best at 12.35 seconds.
The final stand-out performance of the day from a United States athlete came in the women’s 800 meters. Sage Hurta-Klecker, On Athletics, earned 4th place as well as a season-best after crossing the finish line in 1:58.09. Mary Mora, Kenya, finished first with a meet record and season-best of 1:56.85. Halimah Naakiya, Uganda, finished second with a personal best of 1:57.78, and Natoya Goule-Toppin, Jamaica, finished 3rd with a season-best of 1:57.90.
The continued success of these American athletes bodes well for the Budapest World Athletics Championships in August. The next Diamond League meeting will be at Herculis EBS in Monaco on July 21st.
