by Larry Eder
4 MR and 1 WL
HENGELO (NED, Jun 8): At the AA Drink Fanny Blankers-Koen Games (IAAF World Challenge) in excellent summer weather Cornelius Kangago set a WL 7:41.27 over 3000m in just beating Augustine Choge (7:41.57) and the back on form Bernard Lagat (7:41.94). Gebremedhin was 4th and Bashir Abdi of Belgium set a EL of 7:44.12. Queen Harrison set a MR of 12.56 (0.9) over 100mH, with Tiffany Porter 12.87 and Jackie Coward 12.90. Catherine Ibarguen’s long winning streak was put in danger, but she responded to Kimberly Williams’ round 6 jump of 14.56 with a 14.63 MR. In the 100m, 2008 Olympic medallist Richard Thompson confirmed his good shape with 9.95 (1.4) MR. European Junior champion Chijindu Ujah, 20, impressed with a big PB 9.95 to equal the EL and UK U23 record. Ukrainian Andriy Protsenko also set a MR with a 233 performance in beating Aleksey Dmitrik’s 229. Javier Culson (48.66) was a clear winner in the 400mH, with Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton 2nd in PB 49.07. World medallist Brenda Martinez won the 800m in 1:59.24, while Uganda’s Winnie Nanyondo 1:59.39 PB and Cuba’s Rose Almanza 1:59.70 also dipped under 2. European champion Lynsey Sharp is back in top form ahead of Zurich with 2:00.09 PB. Dutch record holder Sifan Hassan won the 1500m in 4:01.79 over 21 year old Scot, Laura Muir, in 4:02.91 PB, Sweden’s Meraf Bahta was 3rd in 4:03.16 and Ethiopian youth Gudaf Tsegay 4th in 4:03.21. 5 men jumped over 8 in the long jump; Tsatoumas (825), Rutherford (810), Gaisah (809), Visser (807), Caceres (801). Renaud Lavillenie cleared 580 and missed meet record height 591. Robert Harting (68.47) got revenge on Piotr Malachowki (67.07) here, after the Pole ended his winning streak here last year. Floria Guei of France took the 400m in 51.80 ahead of German Esther Cremer (51.87) and another French Marie Gayot (51.96), the men’s race was won by South Africa’s Wade Van Nierkerk in 45.07 over Olympic medalist Luguelin Santos 45.19. European #2 this year, Will Sharman beat Shanghai winner Xie Wenjun (13.32 to 13.39), with former World champion Jason Richardson 4th in 13.45 SB. In the 800m, Kenya’s World Youth Champion 2013 Robert Biwott took victory with 1:44.75; Dutchman Thijmen Kupers was 3rd in 1.45.68 PB. Jeneba Tarmoh won the 100m with 11.12 (-0.7), Barbara Pierre 2nd in 11.12. Ukraine’s Oksana Okuneva won the high jump on countback from Ana Simic, both 195; Irina Gordeyeva and Levern Spencer were both 192.
