HASSAN STUNNED WITH WORLD LEAD MILE
LONDON: Flying Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan couldn’t believe her own speed after running the third fastest women’s mile of all time and the quickest this year at the London Diamond League meeting on Sunday.
The 25-year-old former world indoor 1500 metres champion, who arrived in the Netherlands as a refugee from Ethiopia 10 years ago, surged clear of her rivals with 200m to go and crossed the finish line in 4min 14.71sec.
Only two women have run the imperial distance quicker: Russia’s Svetlana Masterkova, when setting the world record of 4:12.56 in Zurich in 1996 and Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba, who clocked 4:14.30 in Rovereto, Italy, last year.
Hassan’s mile run was one of five leading performances in the world this year achieved on the second and final day at the London Stadium, but the Dutch runner was taken aback by her display. ‘LAST KICK’ “That was just so amazing,” said Hassan, who broke the European 5000m record at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat on July 13 and who plans to concentrate on that distance at next month’s European championships in Berlin.
“I can’t believe how fast I ran,” she added. “I don’t normally have that last kick but today (Sunday) I did.”
Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay took second place in 4:16.14, with Kenya’s world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri third in 4:16.15, a Commonwealth record.
Obiri’s compatriot Emmanuel Korir stormed to victory in the 800m in 1:42.05sec, the fastest time in the world since fellow-kenyan David Rudisha smashed the world record on the same track at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Clayton Murphy of the United States took second place in 1:43.12, with Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyama in third. Korir’s time took the 2018 world lead from Botswana’s Nigel Amos, who clocked 1:42.12 in Monaco on Friday but could only finish fourth on Sunday in 1:43.29.
“That is a huge performance for me,” said Korir. “I wanted to break that maybe next year. I am happy that I managed it earlier than planned.”
Two years ago in London, Kendra Harrison channelled the frustration of missing a place on the US Olympic team by smashing a 28-year-old 100m hurdles world record.
She couldn’t match that 12.21sec on Sunday, but her winning time of 12.36sec was a 0.02sec improvement on the 2018 world lead previously held by US team-mate Brianna Mcneal, who finished second in 12.47.
World high jump champion Mariya Lasitskene bounced back from the Rabat defeat that ended her 45-meet winning streak with a 2.04 metre clearance which equalled the world lead she set in Paris on June 30.
The 25-year-old Russian was pushed hard by Elena Vallortigara, who improved her personal best by 6cm to clear 2.02m — just 1cm shy of the Italian record.
The other 2018 world lead came in the men’s 4 x 100m relay, the British quartet of Chijindu Ujah, Zharnel Hughes, Adam Gemili and Nethaneel Mitchell-blake,clocking 37.61sec. RUTHERFORD FALLS SHORT
There was British disappointment in the long jump, however, with Greg Rutherford managing just one valid effort — 7.55m for tenth and last place — on his final appearance in the stadium where he struck gold at the 2012 Olympics.
The 31-year-old, who has been hit by a succession of injuries in the last two years, said he would have defended his European title in Berlin if he had managed to better eight metres.
“I’ve been battling so many injuries and they’ve just got on top of me,” said Rutherford. “It’s been a very emotional day. I’ve cried three times.”
The competition produced a South African one-two, world champion Luvo Manyonga equalling his season’s best with a winning 8.58m and African champion Ruswahl Samaai jumping 8.42m as runner up.
New Jamaican sprint prodigy Akeem Bloomfield smashed through the 20 seconds barrier for the first time in the 200m, storming to victory from lane eight in 19.81sec — the fourthfastest time in the world this year.