As part of our national athletics team’s champions’ preparations to take on the challenge of the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil, the trio of Femi Ogunode, Mutaz Barshim and Abdalelah Haroun took part in the Rome international athletics meeting, the fifth leg of the Diamond League, last Thursday. In an exciting 100m race, our outstanding runner Femi Ogunode Seun finished fourth with a time of (10.09 seconds), while the leading trio, led by American runner Justin Gatlin, dipped under the ten-second mark, with Gatlin taking first place in a time of (9.93 seconds), while his compatriot Ameer Webb, who achieved a career-best (9.94 seconds), also topped the 200m, and Frenchman Jimmy Vicaut finished third with (9.99 seconds)
Haroun fourth
In the 400m, young Qatari runner Abdalelah Haroun took fourth place with a time of (45.5 seconds), while South African runner Wayde van Niekerk claimed first place with a time of (44.19 seconds), Grenada’s Bralon Taplin came second with a time of (44.43 seconds), and Botswana’s Isaac Makwala came third with a time of (44.45 seconds)
Barshim sixth in the high jump
In the high jump, our Qatari champion Mutaz Barshim finished sixth with a clearance of (2.27m), which is no cause for concern, especially since Barshim’s current appearances are part of his preparations for the Rio Olympics, though it is also a positive indicator of his physical and technical readiness. Meanwhile, Ukrainian champion Bohdan Bondarenko regained his form with a clearance of (2.33m), Britain’s Robbie Grabarz came second with (2.30m), and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi came third with ( 2.30m)
Ethiopia’s Almaz shines
Among the rest of the results of the Rome Diamond League meeting, Ethiopian runner Almaz Ayana came close to a record in the 5000m, covering the distance in a time of (14:12.59 minutes), coming close to the world record held by her compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba (14:11.15), set on June 6, 2008, at the Oslo meeting in Norway. Ayana, who recorded a good time of (14:16.31 minutes) at the Rabat meeting, the third leg of the Diamond League, on May 22, said, “I am confident in my ability to break the record in upcoming meetings.” Ayana finished ahead of Kenyans Mercy Cherono (14:33.95) and Viola Kibiwott Kiplagat (14:34.39). Jamaican runner Janieve Russell recorded the year’s best time in the 400m hurdles with 53.96 seconds, a hundredth of a second off the previous record held by Jorgen Molin, who finished eighth today (57.64). Russell, the 2012 world youth champion, improved her personal best (54.16), finishing ahead of South Africa’s Wenda Nel (54.61), while Bahrain’s Oluwakemi Adekoya settled for fifth place (55.48).
Caster wins the 800m
In the 800m, South African Caster Semenya equalled her previous mark, the best of the year, after covering the 800m distance in a time of (1:56.64 minutes). Semenya, who has previously stirred much controversy over her gender, waited until the last 100m to assert her control over the race, equalling the mark she set in Rabat on May 22. The South African finished ahead of Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba (1:58.20) and Britain’s Lynsey Sharp (1:59.03). Morocco’s Malika Akkaoui finished sixth with a time of 2:01.45, and Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto (21) recorded the year’s best time in the 3000m steeplechase, covering the distance in a time of (8:01.41 minutes), improving on the previous mark he set in Rabat of 8:02.77). Kipruto finished ahead of his compatriots Jairus Kipchoge Birech (8:11.39), who was a strong rival until the last 300m, and Paul Kipsiele Koech ( 8:14.46), while Algeria’s Bilal Tabti finished eighth (8:20.26).
Full results.
The rest of the results from the Rome Diamond League meeting were as follows ( 110m hurdles: ) 1- Spain’s Orlando Ortega 13.22 / 2- France’s Pascal Martinot-Lagarde 13.29 / 3- Britain’s Andrew Pozzi 13.37 ( 200m: ) 1- America’s Ameer Webb 20.04 / 2- Canada’s Aaron Brown 20.24 / 3- Panama’s Alonso Edward 20.25 ( 1500m ) 1- Kenya’s Elijah Manangoi 3:33.96 / 2- Kenya’s Robert Kipto Biwott 3:34.21 / 3- Australia’s Ryan Gregson 3:34.27 / ( Long jump: ) 1- Britain’s Greg Rutherford 8.31m
2- America’s Marquis Goodwin 8.19m / 3- Australia’s Fabrice Lapierre 8.18m
( Discus ) 1- Poland’s Robert Urbanek 65.00m / 2- South Africa’s Victor Hogan 64.03m / 3- Germany’s Robert Harting 63.96m / ( Women ) ( 100m ) 1- Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson 10.87 / 2- America’s English Gardner 10.92 / 3- America’s Barbara Pierre 11.13 / ( Pole vault ) 1- Greece’s Ekaterini Stefanidi 4.75m / 2- Greece’s Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou 4.75m / 3- Cuba’s Yarisley Silva 4.60m ( Triple jump ) 1- Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen 14.78m / 2- Kazakhstan’s Olga Rypakova 14.51m / 3- Jamaica’s Shanieka Thomas 14.46m / ( Shot put ) 1- New Zealand’s Valerie Adams 19.69m / 2- Hungary’s Anita Marton 18.98m / 3- Belarus’s Alena Dubitskaya 18.38m ( Javelin ) 1- South Africa’s Sunette Viljoen 61.95m / 2- Latvia’s Madara Palameika 61.92m / 3- Germany’s Christin Hussong 61.21m
