New bests set by Scots in Monaco Diamond League

Chris O’Hare breaks Scottish record, while Muir and McColgan set PBs

It was a night of records at the Monaco Diamond League, where the 40-year old Scottish 1,500m mark fell to Chris O’Hare and Usain Bolt, the star draw for the sell-out crowd, did not disappoint.

Milnathort athlete Laura Muir was third in the 3,000m in an outdoors PB, followed by Dundee’s Eilish McColgan, also in a PB.

The Scottish 1,500m record came after a fierce pace in the opening 800m.

Passing through the two-lap mark in 1:51.43, 21-year-old Timothy Cheruiyot and Kenyan colleague Elijah Manangoi stole a march on the chasing group.

Manangoi won out in the sprint for the line, with his 3:28.80 topping the 2017 world rankings. Cheruiyot was second in a PB 3:29.10. The UK 1,500m champion O’Hare (Edinburgh AC) was seventh in 3:33.61, bettering John Robson’s Scottish record of 3:33.83 set in 1979.

In the 3,000m, European indoor 1,500m and 3,000m champion Laura Muir tracked Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri over the opening laps before the Kenyan pulled away at the halfway point.

Obiri piled on the pace over the final two laps, carving out a 40m lead at the bell to clock 8:23.15.

Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya) won out in the battle for second in 8:28.66, while Muir in third clocked 8:30.64, her fastest time ever outdoors, behind her indoor Scottish record of 8:26.41.

Eilish McColgan was fourth in 8:31.39, seven seconds inside her previous best in Doha last year. Muir commented: “The race was fast. “I’ve done my outdoor personal best so that’s great. In London, I’ll double 1,500m and 5,000m, and now it’s back home to train for London.”

Double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya kept her unbeaten run, timed at a South African record and world lead of 1:55.27.

Lynsey Sharp (Edinburgh AC) had her best run this year placing sixth in a season’s best 1:58.01.

A world lead came in the men’s 800m where Emmanuel Korir (Kenya) won in 1:43.10. Elliott Giles (GB) was ninth in 1:46.10.

Kinross athlete Eilidh Doyle was fourth in the 400m hurdles, contesting the lead at the halfway mark with winner Kori Carter (USA) at 53.36. Doyle, timed at 54.75, was only marginally outside her season’s best of 54.36.

GB 200m sprinter Dina Asher-Smith posted a season’s best 22.89 seconds, placing third behind the 22.25 of winner Marie-Josée Ta Lou (Ivory Coast).

Evan Jager was a surprise winner of the 3,000m steeplechaser in a world lead 8:01.29.

Pictures: Getty. Usain Bolt broke 10 seconds for the first time this year to win his last ever race outside of a major championships, while Chris O’Hare broke a Scottish record set in 1979.