De Grasse trails Prefontaine pack
Canadian star fourth as showdown with Gatlin fizzles during Diamond League meet
Canadian Andre De Grasse narrowly missed the podium Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic.
The Markham, Ont., native finished fourth in the men’s 100 metres in 9.96 seconds at Oregon’s Hayward Field. American Ronnie Baker captured the race in a wind-aided 9.86 seconds ahead of China’s Bingtian Su (9.92) and Britain’s Chijindu Ujah, who captured third in 9.95 seconds.
Baker, a two-time NCAA champion in the 60, was happy to spoil the anticipated showdown between De Grasse and Justin Gatlin.
“I felt great,” Baker said. “I felt like I had a really good start for the first time in a long time, so that was amazing and after that I just went through my motions, executed and came out with a victory.”
Gatlin, who came in second to Usain Bolt at the Olympics last year, finished fifth and said he’s working toward the U.S. national championships next month. He had a strong finish to win the Golden Grand Prix last week in Japan and said he had a good start at the Prefontaine Classic.
“Now I’ve just got to piece them together,” he said.
Toronto’s Shawn Barber achieved a IAAF world championships standard by clearing 5.71 metres in the pole vault while finishing fifth.
Melissa Bishop of Eganville, Ont., was sixth in the 800 metres, finishing the race in 1:59.52. Quebec City’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot ran the mile race in 3:55.83 to finish ninth.
Mo Farah won the 5,000 metres in 13 minutes, 0.7 seconds. The British distance specialist, who defended his Olympic titles in both the 5,000 and 10,000 at the Rio Games last year, plans to retire from track races after the world championships in August. He’s said he’ll likely focus on marathons afterward.
Farah, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II last year, was the star of the Diamond League’s lone stop in the United States, holding off Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha and Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworwor. Mohammed Ahmed of St. Catharines, Ont., finished sixth in 13:08.16.
Farah beamed when he said the victory answered those naysayers who scoff that he is too old at 34.
“If I wasn’t enjoying it, I wouldn’t be winning,” Farah said. “I’m happy, I’m enjoying and I work hard. As long as you work hard and you believe in yourself, you can come up with the results.”
Considered one of the strongest 5,000 fields in recent memory, Farah was joined in the race by Paul Chelimo, who won silver in Rio, and Kenyan Paul Tanui, the silver medallist in the 10,000. The field was crowded with 29 entrants.
Farah started moving up in the pack at the halfway point and with two laps to go he took the lead among some jostling by his challengers. Crossing the finish, he pounded his chest in victory.
Americans Devon Allen, Aries Merritt and David Oliver challenged Olympic champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica in the 110-metre hurdles, with McLeod coming out on top in 13.01 seconds. Ronald Levy was second and Allen was third.
Allen, who also played football at Oregon, decided to go pro in track last November after making the U.S. Olympic team.
Russian Sergey Shubenkov, the 2015 world champion, encountered issues with obtaining a visa in time to compete in the event. Prefontaine director Tom Jordan said that for the first time in nearly a decade, some 10 athletes were denied or faced delays in obtaining visas for the event, the lone U.S. stop on the elite Diamond League series.
Morolake Akinosun won the women’s 100 metres in 10.94 seconds. The race featured Tianna Bartoletta, who won the gold medal in Rio in the long jump and finished second to Brittney Reese in that same event Friday.
Tori Bowie prevailed over a strong field that included Allyson Felix and Jamaican Elaine Thompson to win the 200 metres on a brilliantly sunny, but breezy day.
Other winners Saturday included Americans Jasmine Stowers, who won the 100-metre hurdles; Christian Taylor, who won the triple jump; LaShawn Merritt, who the 400 metres; and Sam Kendricks, who won the pole vault.
South Africa’s Caster Semenya won the women’s 800 metres and Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon won the 1,500.