The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Doyle puts Rio disappointment behind her to stay on course for the Diamond Race title
– page 54
Eilidh Doyle bounced back from her Olympic disappointment to remain on course for the Diamond Race title with a second-placed finish in the 400 metres hurdles at the Athletissima meeting in Lausanne last night.
The Pitreavie athlete, who trailed home in last place in the final in Rio before helping Great Britain’s women win 4x400m relay bronze, beat the silver and bronze medallists from Brazil, Denmark’s Sara Petersen and Ashley Spencer of the United States, as she clocked 54.45 seconds.
Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad won in 53.78, but Doyle leads the Diamond League standings by six points, with only the season-ending meeting in Brussels on September 9 now standing between her and the title.
“I had a good solid race and I am very happy to have finished second behind the Olympic champion,” she said.
“After having finished second in 2014 I am really motivated to win this year.”
Fellow Scot Lynsey Sharp continued her impressive form as she clocked 1 minute 58.52 seconds to finish third over 800m, Olympic silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba winning in the absence of Caster Semenya.
Sharp clocked a personal best 1:57.69 to finish sixth in Rio and this was her fourth sub 1:59 run this season.
Robbie Grabarz finished second in the high jump with a clearance of 2.32m, while in the long jump Lorraine Ugen and Shara Proctor both beat Olympic champion Tianna Bartoletta.
Ugen jumped 6.71m to finish second and Proctor 6.48m for fourth.
Joel Fearon, the bobsledder who is Britain’s fastest man this year with 9.96, but did not qualify for Rio, proved again that time was no fluke by clocking 10.05 to finish third over 100m. Asafa Powell won in 9.96.
Cindy Ofili finished fourth in the 100m hurdles in 12.80. World record holder Kendra Harrison, who missed the Olympics, won in 12.42, a time which would have won gold in Rio.
Churandy Martina, fifth in Rio, broke the Dutch record to win the 200m in 19.81, while Jamaica’s double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson claimed an emphatic 100m win in 10.78.