by Alfonz Juck
In Poland, they sure know how to put on a track and field meeting; 42,357 fans rocked the stadium in Chorzow!
Duplantis 626 WR, Ingebrigtsen 7:17.55 WR, 8 more meeting records
CHORZÓW (POL, Aug 25): Silesia Kamila Skolimowska Memorial Wanda Diamond League, watched by a record crowd of 42,357 spectators, was highlighted by two world records. One of the longest-standing track world records in the 3000m (7:20.67 by Kenya’s Daniel Komen in 1996) was improved to 7:17.55 by Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Mondo Duplantis added a centimeter to the mark he established in retaining his Olympic title in Paris earlier this month by clearing 626. A total of ten meeting records (plus one equaled) and another world lead in the women’s 1000m completed a great athletic afternoon at the Silesian Stadium. The next stage of the Wanda Diamond League will take place in Rome on August 30.
Short reviews
Women
100 m: Tia Clayton won the 100m in a wind-aided 10.83 (2.9), her first-ever DL win, in a close finish ahead of Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (10.83), Tamari Davis (10.84) and Daryll Neita (11.01).
400 m: In a Paris 2024 repeat, Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino won in a meeting record 48.66 over Salwa Eid Naser (49.23) and Natalia Kaczmarek (49.95).
1000 m (non-DL): World lead and MR of 2:31.24 for Nelly Chepchirchir ahead of Jemma Reekie (2:32.56 EL) and Mary Moraa (2:33.43 PB). Slovakian record of 2:36.42 for Gabriela Gajanova in seventh.
1500 m: Ethiopian 1-2 for Diribe Welteji (3:57.08) and Freweyni Hailu (3:57.88), with Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Bell third (3:58.11). The top seven finishers all broke the 4:00 barrier.
100m H: Yet another high-quality 100m hurdles. Ackera Nugent won in a meeting record of 12.29 from Grace Stark (12.37), with world champion Danielle Williams (12.38) and Olympic champion Masai Russell (12.40) third and fourth, respectively. Nugent clocked an MR of 12.30 (0.6) already in heat.
400m H: Femke Bol made it two from two since Paris 2024 with victory in a meeting record 52.13, defeating Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell (52.88) and Rushell Clayton (53.11).
TJ: Victory for Shanieka Ricketts with 14.50m (0.5) ahead of Leyanis Perez Hernandez with 14.42m (-0.5).
JT: Adriana Vilagos improved her Serbian record to 65.60m for a clear victory over Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane Van Dyk (62.81m) and bronze medallist Nikola Ogrodníková (61.84).
HT (non-DL): Brooke Anderson, who missed out on a place in the US team for Paris, won convincingly with 76.19m ahead of Hanna Skydan (71.82).
Men
100 m (non-DL): Fred Kerley equaled the meeting record with 9.87 (1.9) for a close victory over Ferdinand Omanyala (9.88) and Ackeem Blake (9.89=PB) with Marcell Jacobs under 10 seconds again in fourth (9.93). Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson was a DNS.
200 m: Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo finished strongly to win in a meeting record of 19.83 (0.6), overhauling Alexander Ogando, whose time of 19.86 was a Dominican Republic record. Kenneth Bednarek was the best of the Americans in third in 20.00.
800 m: Yet another super-fast 800m with world champion Marco Arop winning in a meeting record of 1:41.86 by over one second from Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:43.23), Bryce Hoppel (1:43.32) and Elliott Crestan (1:43.48). The top eight all broke the 1:44 barrier.
3000 m: Jakob Ingebrigtsen smashed Daniel Komen’s seemingly unbreakable world record of 7:20.67, which had stood since 1996 with 7:17.55, to become the first athlete to break the 7:20 barrier for the 3000m. Berihu Aregawi was second in an Ethiopian record of 7:21.28, missing the previous world record. Yomif Kejelcha finished third (7:28.44) in a race with the top 12 sub-7:40, also national records for Canada by sixth Mohammed Ahmed (7:31.96), South Africa by eighth Adriaan Wildschutt (7:32.99) and Netherlands by eleventh Mike Foppen (7:34.47).
3000SC: Close finish with Soufiane El Bakkali just holding off Kenya’s Amos Serem. Both athletes were timed at 8:04.29. Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu was third in a lifetime best of 8:04.34 ahead of Abraham Kibiwot (8:08.21) and Daniel Arce (8:08.45 EL/PB).
110mH (non-DL): Grant Holloway, this time, secured a narrow victory in 13.04 (1.1) over Rasheed Broadbell (13.05 SB).
400mH (non-DL): Yet another sub-47 second clocking for Karsten Warholm with a meeting record 46.95. France’s Clement Ducos improved again to 47.42 (just 0.05 shy of Stephane Diagana’s French record), with Abderrahman Samba third in a season’s best of 47.69 ahead of Roshawn Clarke (47.74) and Rasmus Mägi (47.97).
HJ: Gianmarco Tamberi was back to winning ways with 2.31m before attempts at 2.38m and 2.40m. Romaine Beckford, in his DL debut, finished second (229 PB) ahead of Oleh Doroshchuk (229) and Sanghyeok Woo (229).
PV: World record No.10 for Mondo Duplantis with 6.26m! And for the first time in history, three vaulters surpassed 6.00m or higher in the same competition. Sam Kendricks and Emmanouil Karalis cleared 6.00m to finish second and third on countback. This was Karalis’ first ever 6.00m vault and a national record for Greece. KC Lightfoot finished fourth (592), and Ernest John Obiena fifth (582).
SP: Joe Kovacs handed three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser a narrow defeat, 22.14m to 22.12m. Leonardo Fabbri was third (22.03).
HT (non-DL): Olympic and world champion Ethan Katzberg won 80.03m but only by a narrow margin from Mykhaylo Kokhan with 79.85m.
