Brits take pleasure in good Paris send-off at a packed Olympic Stadium for the Diamond League
After her late withdrawal from final 12 months’s London Athletics Meet, Keely Hodgkinson was decided to return to the occasion in 2024 and placed on a present for her residence crowd. The 22-year-old did it in fashion, too, within the British capital, on Saturday (July 20) with a nationwide 800m file of 1:54.61.
With the Olympics imminent, can she now step up from a sequence of worldwide silvers to say gold in Paris?
The good efficiency improves on her British file of 1:55.19 and now strikes Hodgkinson from tenth to sixth 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 file of 1:53.28 is now in her sights?
“I’ve been wanting ahead to this all week,” mentioned Hodgkinson. “London actually is aware of placed on a crowd. I simply have to remain centered now for the Olympics and go and get the job finished.”
This wasn’t all about Hodgkinson, although. The UK rankings have been re-written with beautiful private bests from Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell.
After Erin Wallace led by means of the bell in 55.58, Hodgkinson took up the lead at 500m however Reekie, who gained this race 12 months earlier, caught in doggedly behind and her reward was a time of 1:55.61 that places her second on the UK all-time rankings, simply forward of Kelly Holmes’ former UK file 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 800m 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 file
Matt Hudson-Smith blew his European file 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 season, can he step up and declare an Olympic title?
Ending in his wake have been Vernon Norwood of america 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 also be 43.74, was among the many first to congratulate Hudson-Smith.
“To run 43 seconds earlier than Paris is precisely what me, my coach and workforce have been aiming for,” mentioned Hudson-Smith. “To get that world lead and to set myself up for Paris is what I actually wanted to indicate the remainder of the world what I’m able to.
“Earlier than at the moment I wrote on a paper that I used to be going to run 43.7, as a result of I did a race mannequin and my coach had advised me I used to be in 43 seconds form. All I needed to do was go on the market and present it.”
Femke Bol (Getty)
Good Bol runs meet file
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” 51.30. There have been hopes she would possibly enhance her European file of fifty.95 set the earlier weekend in Switzerland however the crowd needed to be glad with a gathering file of 51.30 – barely faster than the Dutch athlete ran right here 12 months earlier when her 51.45 was a European file on the time.
“I actually like to run right here on this stadium, it’s so particular and to placed on this nice area it’s improbable,” mentioned Bol. “I’m excited for Paris and naturally placed on my finest race there. I’m wanting ahead to racing Sydney [McLaughlin-Levrone] and that may push us each.”
Behind, Shamier Little of america was runner-up in 52.78 and Jessie Knight was 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 file of 48.57. What’s extra, the awe-inspiring time lifted her to seventh on the world all-time rankings.
Nickisha Pryce (Getty)
Behind, European champion Natalia Kaczmarek ran a Polish file of 48.90 in second, whereas Lieke Klaver of Netherlands clocked a 49.58 PB in third.
With half an eye fixed on Christine Ohuruogu’s British file of 49.41, Amber Anning fell simply quick with a superb 49.63 as fellow Brit Laviai Nielsen ran a PB of 49.87 in fifth.
Taking a bit off her PB of fifty.67, the run strikes Nielsen from twelfth on the UK all-time rankings to seventh, leaving her in tears afterwards as she smashed by means of the 50-second barrier.
Daryll Neita (Getty)
British file within the 4x100m
Dina Asher-Smith, Imani Lansiquot, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita took benefit of excellent situations within the London Stadium to equal their British 4x100m file of 41.55.
Rising to the event in entrance of the close to 60,000-strong crowd, not 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 take pleasure in nearly 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 place into the ultimate change however Reece Prescod appeared to set off too quickly and couldn’t get the baton from a flailing Kilty.
Japan gained in 38.07 from Australia with the GB’s second workforce anchored by Eugene Amo-Dadzie in third.
Noah Lyles (Getty)
Individuals Lyles and Thomas take pleasure in dash wins
If this Diamond League assembly was an awesome meet for British athletes, the US guests additionally did fairly properly with Noah Lyles successful the lads’s 100m in 9.81 (-0.3) and Gabby Thomas the ladies’s 200m in assembly file of 21.82 (-0.9).
The Brits have been additionally within the combine and now know what they must 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 Simbine of South Africa (9.86) and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (9.88), the latter equalling his nationwide file.
“A PB and getting quicker earlier than Paris,” mentioned Lyles. “I needed to dip beneath the 9.80 mark – I assumed I used to be going to get a wind like everybody else.”
Behind Thomas and Julien Alfred – she ran a Saint Lucia file of 21.86 – Dina Asher-Smith clocked a season’s finest of twenty-two.07 after fading just a little within the closing 50 metres after an awesome bend. Daryll Neita was fourth, additionally in a season’s finest of twenty-two.20, with Rhasidat Adeleke of Eire fifth in 22.35.
Asher-Smith mentioned: “I’m just a little annoyed however alternatively it’s my finest time in two years and I’m feeling match and wholesome going into the Olympics so that’s an important factor simply now.”
Gabby Thomas (Getty)
Emsley Carr Mile ruined by early fall
With 17 males racing into the primary bend of a mile race, accidents are all the time probably. Is it time to contemplate an 800m-style begin with athletes in lanes for the primary 100m?
The historic Emsley Carr Mile on Saturday was narrowly gained by Olli Hoare of Australia in 3:49.03 from Narve Gilje Nordas however the residence crowd was left disillusioned and athletes themselves annoyed when Neil Gourley and George Mills hit the observe 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 america (7:27.99) with Edwin Kurgat of Kenya third (7:28.53).
Fisher made a future for residence 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)
Massive shot Fabbri beats Crouser in head-t0-head
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 current 21-metre kind as he threw 20.71m in seventh.
Fabbri mentioned: “I’m actually pleased as a result of mentally I’m actually enhancing lots and I’m actually assured for Paris.”
Nina Kennedy (Getty)
Within the ladies’s pole vault, Nina Kennedy continued her positive current kind on the circuit because the Australian gained 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 america, in the meantime, solely cleared 4.50m as she wound up eighth.
The seats within the London Stadium have 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 the earth this 12 months as she beat Adriana Vilagos, who threw a Serbian file of 65.28m.
Little mentioned: “I couldn’t ask for greater than getting a PB within the final competitors earlier than the Olympics but it surely does convey quite a lot of expectation and stress.”
Sam Reardon (Getty)
Enormous 400m enchancment for Reardon
In one of many breakthrough performances of the day, Sam Reardon whopped properly over a second off his 400m PB within the ‘nationwide’ race for home males as he gained in 44.70.
Reardon was fifth on the earth 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 fourteenth 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 an enormous run was on the playing cards however 44.70!?” mentioned Reardon. “Folks all the time ask me if I’m a 400m or 800m runner and I all the time say each. However I feel that solidifies me as a 400m runner. I’m simply ecstatic and hoping to do each for so long as doable.”
Yemi Mary John, in the meantime, gained 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 file within the T13 100m as he gained 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 file 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 lads’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 probably extra acquainted to BBC viewers as a presenter on Countryfile or The One Present however on Saturday she gained 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 residence so I assumed I’d as properly and it’s all good championship expertise for doing again to again races. After that it’s all about staying wholesome, staying match and making ready for Paris.”
Eugene Amo-Dadzie (Getty)
Amo-Dadzie’s successful return
Earlier within the programme Eugene Amo-Dadzie gained the ‘nationwide’ males’s 100m in 10.12 (2.1) from Reece Prescod and CJ Ujah as Imani-Larsa Lansiquot claimed victory within the ladies’s ‘nationwide’ 100m in 11.12 from Desiree Henry and Bianca Williams.
The win 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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