Brits get pleasure from good Paris send-off at a packed Olympic Stadium for the Diamond League
After her late withdrawal from final yr’s London Athletics Meet, Keely Hodgkinson was decided to return to the occasion in 2024 and placed on a present for her dwelling crowd. The 22-year-old did it in type, too, on the London Athletics Meet on Saturday (July 20) with a British 800m report of 1:54.61. With the Olympics imminent, can she now step up from a collection of worldwide silvers to assert gold in Paris?
The sensible efficiency improves on her nationwide report of 1:55.19 set final yr and strikes Hodgkinson from No.10 to No.6 on the world all-time rankings, overtaking the likes of Athing Mu, Maria Mutola and Tatyana Kazankina. Is it an excessive amount of to dream that Jarmila Kratochvilova’s long-standing world report of 1:53.28 is now in her sights?
“I’ve been trying ahead to this all week,” mentioned Hodgkinson. “London actually is aware of how you can placed on a crowd. I simply have to remain centered now for the Olympics and go and get the job accomplished.”
This wasn’t all about Hodgkinson, although. The UK rankings had been rewritten with some PBs for Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell.
After Erin Wallace led via the bell in 55.58, Hodgkinson took up the lead at 500m however Reekie, who received this race 12 months earlier, caught in doggedly behind and her reward was a time of 1:55.61 that places her No.2 on the UK all-time rankings, simply forward of Kelly Holmes’ former UK report of 1:56.21.
Reekie was recovering from a bout of Covid solely a fortnight earlier too.
Bell stepped down from her extra acquainted 1500m distance and improved her finest from 1:59.93 to 1:56.28 as she strikes into fourth on the UK rankings.
Such was the usual, Laura Muir ran a season’s better of 1:57.63 however was solely eighth.
Matt Hudson-Smith (Getty)
Hudson-Smith smashes European 400m report
Matt Hudson-Smith blew his European report of 44.07 aside because the Birchfield Harrier stormed across the London Stadium in 43.74.
It locations the 29-year-old equal 12th on the world all-time rankings and marks him out as a gold medal contender in Paris. After silver in Budapest final summer time, can he step up and declare an Olympic title?
Ending in his wake had been Vernon Norwood of the USA and Jereem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago in 44.10 and 44.18 respectively. There was additional pleasure for British followers, although, with Charlie Dobson enhancing his PB to 44.23 as Kirani James, the London Olympic champion 14 years in the past, completed fifth in 44.38.
James, whose all-time finest can be 43.74, was among the many first to congratulate Hudson-Smith.
Femke Bol (Getty)
Sensible Bol runs meet report
Such is the terrific commonplace of Femke Bol’s 400m hurdling, the London Stadium fell a tiny bit flat when she crossed the road in “solely” 50.30. There have been hopes she would possibly enhance her European report of fifty.95 set the earlier weekend in Switzerland however the crowd needed to be happy with a gathering report of fifty.30 – barely faster than the Dutch athlete ran right here 12 months earlier when her 51.45 was a European report on the time.
“I actually like to run right here on this stadium, it’s so particular and to placed on this nice subject it’s improbable,” mentioned Bol. “I’m excited for Paris and naturally placed on my finest race there and I’m trying ahead to racing Sydney (McLaughlin-Levrone) that may push us each.”
Behind, Shamier Little of the USA was runner-up in 52.78 and Jessie Knight high Brit in fifth in a season’s better of 54.15.
Nickisha Pryce additionally impressed over one lap because the 23-year-old clocked a ladies’s 400m assembly and Jamaican report of 48.57. What’s extra, the time lifted her to No.7 on the world all-time rankings.
Nickisha Pryce (Getty)
Behind, European champion Natalia Kaczmarek ran a Polish report of 48.90 in second, Lieke Klaver of Netherlands clocked a 49.58 PB in third.
With half a watch on Christine Ohuruogu’s British report of 49.41, Amber Anning fell simply quick with a superb 49.63 as fellow Brit Lavia Nielsen ran a PB of 49.87 in fifth.
Taking a piece off her PB of fifty.67, the run strikes Nielsen from No.12 on the UK all-time rankings to No.7, leaving her in tears afterwards as she smashed via the 50-second barrier.
Daryll Neita (Getty)
British report within the 4x100m
Dina Asher-Smith, Imani Lansiquot, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita took benefit of fine situations within the London Stadium to equal their British 4x100m report of 41.55.
Rising to the event in entrance of the close to 60,000-strong crowd, no solely did the quartet match the nationwide mark they ran within the Tokyo Olympics three years in the past however they loved a confidence boosting efficiency forward of Paris as they beat the Olympic host nation France by greater than half a second.
The GB males’s workforce didn’t get pleasure from pretty much as good a day, although, because the A workforce failed to complete. Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe and Richard Kilty mixed to get the workforce into a very good place into the ultimate trade however Reece Prescod appeared to set off too quickly and couldn’t get the baton from a flailing Kilty.
Japan received in 38.07 from Australia with the GB’s second workforce anchored by Eugene Amo-Dadzie third.
Noah Lyles (Getty)
People Lyles and Thomas get pleasure from dash wins
If this Diamond League assembly was an excellent meet for British athletes, the US guests additionally did fairly nicely with Noah Lyles successful the boys’s 100m in 9.81 (-0.3) and Gabby Thomas the ladies’s 200m in assembly report of 21.82 (-0.9).
The Brits had been within the combine and now know what they should do to problem in Paris. British champion Louie Hinchliffe was fourth within the 100m in 9.97 with Zharnel Hughes, on the comeback from damage, sixth in 10.00 and Jeremiah Azu seventh in 10.08.
If lacking final week’s Diamond League in Monaco made Lyles’ followers nervous, there was no want as he beat Akani Simbini of South Africa (9.86) and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (9.88), the latter equalling his nationwide report.
Behind Thomas and Julien Alfred’s Saint Lucia report of 21.86, Dina Asher-Smith clocked a season’s finest of twenty-two.07 after fading slightly within the closing 50 metres after an excellent bend. Daryll Neita was fourth, additionally in a season’s finest of twenty-two.20, with Rhasidat Adeleke of Eire fifth in 22.35.
Gabby Thomas (Getty)
Emsley Carr Mile ruined by early fall
With 17 males racing into the primary bend of a mile race, accidents are at all times probably. Is it time to contemplate an 800-style begin with athletes in lanes for the primary 100m?
The historic Emsley Carr Mile on Saturday was narrowly received by Olli Hoare of Australia in 3:49.03 from Narve Gilje Nordas however the dwelling crowd was left disenchanted and athletes themselves annoyed when Neil Gourley and George Mills had been hit the monitor within the opening metres and failed to complete.
Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland ran a world lead of seven:27.68 within the males’s 3000m as he outkicked Grant Fisher of the USA (7:27.99) with Edwin Kurgat of Kenya third (7:28.53).
Fisher made a future for dwelling from the bell however Lobalu stayed in contact and had an excessive amount of for the American within the closing 100m. Behind a string of PBs included Eire’s Brian Fay (7:34.48) and Nick Griggs (7:36.59), Jack Rowe (7:38.70), Scott Beattie (7:42.78) and Will Barnicoat (7:48.12).
Leonardo Fabbri (Getty)
Large shot Fabbri beats Crouser in face to face
Ryan Crouser suffered a uncommon defeat because the world record-holder completed second to Leonardo Fabbri of Italy. In a key conflict on the eve of the Olympics, European champion Fabbri threw 22.52m to Crouser’s 22.37m as Payton Otterdahl was third with 22.13m and Joe Kovacs fourth with 22.03m.
Britain’s Scott Lincoln couldn’t repeat his latest 21-metre kind as he threw 20.71m in seventh.
Fabbri mentioned: “I’m actually blissful as a result of mentally I’m actually enhancing rather a lot and I’m actually assured for Paris.”
Nina Kennedy (Getty)
Within the ladies’s pole vault, Nina Kennedy continued her tremendous latest kind on the circuit because the Australian received with 4.85m as Alysha Newman of Canada was second with 4.75m and Britain’s Molly Caudery third in 4.65m. Olympic champion Katie Moon of the USA, in the meantime, solely cleared 4.50m as she wound up eighth.
The seats within the London Stadium had been nonetheless filling up when Mackenzie Little of Australia threw the javelin out to 66.27m within the first spherical of her occasion. For the world bronze medallist it was the second finest throw on this planet this yr as she beat Adriana Vilagos, who threw a Serbian report of 65.28m.
Little mentioned: “I couldn’t ask for greater than getting a PB within the final competitors earlier than the Olympics nevertheless it does convey numerous expectation and strain.”
Sam Reardon (Getty)
Large 400m enchancment for Reardon
In one of many breakthrough performances of the day, Sam Reardon whopped nicely over a second off his 400m PB within the ‘nationwide’ race for home males as he received in 44.70.
Reardon was fifth on this planet under-20 closing for 800m in 2022 and has juggled 400m and 800m – with a two-lap better of 1:45.95 – however in 2024 he has raced over only one lap and was rewarded with an enormous enchancment on Saturday as he moved to No.14 on the UK all-time rankings.
The 20-year-old’s earlier finest was 45.99 set in Dublin earlier this month after operating solely 46.45 to complete third in his warmth on the UK Championships in late June. Till 2024 he hadn’t even damaged 46 seconds both.
“I knew a giant run was on the playing cards however 44.70!?” mentioned Reardon. “Individuals at all times ask me if I’m a 400 or 800m runner and I at all times say each. However I believe that solidifies me as a 400m runner. I’m simply ecstatic and hoping to do each for so long as attainable.”
Yemi Mary John, in the meantime, received the ladies’s ‘home’ 400m in 51.18.
Zak Skinner (left) (Getty)
Paralympians heat up for Paris
Within the para-athletics occasions, Zak Skinner ran a British report within the T13 100m as he received the ambulant males’s race in 10.84 (0.9) from Zac Shaw’s 10.87 as Thomas Younger, in third, additionally set a nationwide report within the T38 class with 10.92.
Sophie Hahn loved a win within the ambulant ladies’s 100m as she clocked 12.55 (0.2) to win by virtually half a second.
Brent Lakatos of Canada out-sprinted Brits Nathan Maguire and David Weir to win the boys’s wheelchair 1500m in 2:59.95.
Ben Sandilands clocked 3:55.10 within the ambulant males’s 1500m as he held off fellow Brit Steven Sandilands.
Sammi Kinghorn (Getty)
Sammi Kinghorn is maybe extra acquainted to BBC viewers as a presenter on Countryfile or The One Present however on Saturday she received the ladies’s wheelchair 800m in 1:43.24 from Lea Bayekula of Belgium as Hannah Cockroft completed fifth.
“I’m racing tomorrow on the England Champs,” mentioned Kinghorn. “It’s on my approach dwelling so I believed I’d as nicely and it’s all good championship expertise for doing again to again races. After that it’s all about staying wholesome, staying match and getting ready for Paris.”
Eugene Amo-Dadzie (Getty)
Amo-Dadzie’s successful return
Earlier within the programme Eugene Amo-Dadzie received the ‘nationwide’ males’s 100m in 10.12 (2.1) from Reece Prescod and CJ Ujah as Imani Lansiquot received the ladies’s ‘nationwide’ 100m in 11.12 from Desiree Henry and Bianca Williams.
The victory was notably pleasing for Amo-Dadzie as he used to on the London Stadium in hospitality for West Ham United FC.
Full outcomes right here.
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