Olympic stars lead Americas to victory in Continental Cup
We were exhausted at the finish line and long after. I must say I felt the pressure competing for the team but the joy this victory brings is significant. Shaunae Miller-Uibo
OSTRAVA, Czech Republic: Triple jumper Christian Taylor and sprinter Shaunae Miller-Uibo handed the Americas team a win in the Continental Cup on Sunday after dominating their events and then leading the final mixed 4x400 metres relay to a win.
Americas collected 262 points over the two days of the event in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, topping defending champions Europe with 233 points, AsiaPacific with 188 and Africa with 142.
Taylor, a two-time Olympic and three-time world champion, won the triple jump with 17.59 metres.
Miller- Uibo, the Olympic 400metres champion, swept the 200metre track in 22.16sec.
“This last race of the season was a tough one,” said Miller-Uibo.
“We were exhausted at the finish line and long after. I must say I felt the pressure competing for the team but the joy this victory brings is significant.”
American Noah Lyles took the 100m in 10.01sec, while his compatriot Sam Kendricks won the pole vault, clearing 5.85 metres.
“I loved representing the Americas here because the weight is not only on my shoulders,” rei g ning world champion Kendricks said after beating France’s Renaud Lavillenie and Canada’s Shawnacy Barber.
“From 2017 when I became world champion I always have to defend something and every time I end second, people take it as a fail.
“I finally won myself today. It is really hard to travel across the world and be a world champion everywhere.”
Qatar’s Abdalelah Haroun won the 400m in 44.72sec, and reigning world champion Elijah Motonei Manangoi of Kenya won the 1,500m in 3min 40.00sec ahead of Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski and Norwegian teenage sensation Jakob Ingebritsen.
Ingebrigtsen’s brother Henrik won bronze i n the 3,000m, won by American Paul Chelimo in 7min 57.13sec.
Sergei Shubenkov of Russia, the 2015 world champion, won the 110m hurdles, clocking an impressive 13.03sec.
Olympic champion Thomas Rohler won javelin with a throw of 87.07m, while the hammer throw honours went to another Olympic winner, Tajikistan’s Dilshod Nazarov.
In the women’s competitions, South African two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion Caster Semenya breezed to victory in the 800m in 1min 54.77sec, a day after setting a new national record for the 400m.
“Today was a fantastic race for me,” Semenya told the IAAF website.
“I kept the rhythm and went with the flow. I know I can do a 1: 54 and under, so for next year I hope to do something special.”
Jamaican sprinter Janieve Russell won the 400m hurdles in 53.62sec and Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech dominated the 3,000m steeplechase in 9min 07.92sec.
Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia won the long jump with 6.93 metres a day after taking the triple jump.
Two- time world champion Mariya Lasitskene of Russia cleared two metres to win the women’s high jump and reigning world champion Lijiao Gong of China won the shot put.