Dafne Schippers storms to Diamond League record in Oslo
There was a record-breaking end to the ExxonMobil Bislett Games on Thursday (June 9) as Dafne Schippers dominated the 200m and Laura Muir ran a marvellous mile.
Clocking a world-leading 21.93, world 200m champion Schippers took 0.01 off Gwen Torrence's long-standing meeting record from 1994 to also break the Diamond League record, storming over the line to win by more than half a second.
Schippers' fellow sub-22 second sprinter Elaine Thompson, who claimed silver behind Schippers in Beijing last summer, was almost a second off her PB with 22.64 for the runner-up spot in Oslo, while Britain's Jodie Williams was fifth with 23.29.
"In these conditions, to run under 22 seconds is very special for me," said Schippers after her performance at a cool and wet Bislett Stadium. "The curve here is excellent, but I must admit the last 50 metres were very tough.
"After all the Diamond Leagues I need to rest and train little bit before the European Championships in my country. No more races until then."
Laura Muir won over 1500m at the Bislett Games last year and her fine form continued in Oslo as she ran a Scottish record-breaking 4:19.12 in the Dream Mile behind Faith Kipyegon's world-leading 4:18.60 to go second on the UK all-time list.
Among Brits only Zola Budd, with her 4:17.57 from 1985, has ever gone quicker and Muir's mark betters Yvonne Murray's 4:22.64 from 1994 as she adds the Scottish mile record to the 1500m record she ran in Monaco last summer.
With Britain's Jenny Meadows as pacemaker, 400m was passed in 1:02.28 and 800m in 2:06.11. Kipyegon continued to push on once Meadows' job was done but Muir was right behind her and, although the Kenyan created a gap over the final lap, she always had the Scottish athlete for company.
Sweden's European 5000m champion Meraf Bahta was third in 4:25.26 ahead of Poland's Sofia Ennaoui with a 4:25.34 PB, while Karoline Grovdal ran 4:26.23 in sixth to better Grete Waitz's Norwegian record of 4:26.90 from 1978.
Asbel Kiprop cruised to his fifth Dream Mile victory, crossing the line with a world-leading 3:51.48 on the clock despite easing down in the closing stages.
Behind him the battle was on, with Elijah Manangoi, who claimed world 1500m silver behind his fellow Kenyan Kiprop in Beijing, securing second in a 3:52.04 PB ahead of Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi with 3:52.24.
Britain’s Charlie Grice, who ran an almost two-second PB to win the ‘national’ mile event in Eugene in 3:52.64, was just outside that with another fine run in sixth of 3:52.85 – his second quickest ever.
Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris leads the world 5000m rankings with his 12:59.43 from Eugene but it was his compatriot Hagos Gebrhiwet, the two-time world medallist, who took the win in Oslo as he clocked 13:07.70 to Edris' 13:08.11 and Yomif Kejelcha's 13:08.34.
After Ruth Jebet was a late withdrawal from the 3000m steeplechase, Kenya’s world champion, Hyvin Kiyeng, was unchallenged and secured a clear victory, clocking 9:09.57 to win from Ethiopia’s Olympic bronze medallist Sofia Assefa with 9:18.53.
There was disappointment for Kim Collins in the 100m as after a strong start the 2003 world champion, who recently achieved his goal of going sub-10 seconds as a 40-year-old with a 9.93 PB in Germany, pulled up while leading the race, leaving Canada's Andre De Grasse to come through and clock 10.07 for victory.
"Terrible cramp in my left groin," Collins later tweeted.
Brianna Rollins continued her fine form with a win in the 100m hurdles in 12.56 as the 2013 world champion led a US top three, with Dawn Harper-Nelson second in 12.75 and Jasmin Stowers third in 12.79. British record-holder Tiffany Porter was fourth in 12.94.
Poland’s world junior shot put champion Konrad Bukowiecki threw a world junior best with the senior implement of 21.14m to take the lead in the fourth round. But in response, USA’s world champion Joe Kovacs launched the shot to 21.51m and then finally 22.01m to secure victory and just miss the long-standing meeting record of 22.03m which had been set by Werner Gunthor in 1991.
It was Olympic champion and world record-holder against world champion in the men's pole vault and Renaud Lavillenie took the win despite a shaky start as he required all three attempts at his opening height of 5.65m. He managed a best of 5.80m to beat Shawn Barber with 5.73m.
After two fifth-place finishes in Shanghai and Eugene so far this season, Yasmani Copello clocked 48.79 from lane one to beat Javier Culson and Michael Tinsley in the 400m hurdles. Culson ran 48.99, while Tinsley, winner in those two other Diamond League races, clocked 49.02. Just afterwards, another Copello was confirmed as a winner as Cuba’s Alexis Copello went furthest in the triple jump with 16.91m from the second round.
Jamaica’s Commonwealth champion Stephenie Ann McPherson won the 400m in 51.04 from Natasha Hastings with 51.38 as Britain’s Anyika Onuora ran 51.85 for fourth, while Spain's Ruth Beitia claimed victory in the high jump after a 1.90m clearance.
The javelin competition saw Germany's Thomas Rohler extend his world lead to 89.30m to beat his compatriot Johannes Vetter, who threw an 87.11m PB. Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott was third with 86.35m and world champion Julius Yego seventh with 80.90m.
Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic won the discus with her third-round throw of 67.10m, while Britain's Jade Lally was sixth with 59.56m after a last-minute decision to compete. The women's long jump was won by Ivana Spanovic with 6.94m, as Britain's Shara Proctor placed third with a season's best leap of 6.67m.
In the pre-programme 1500m, Britain's Jake Wightman ran 3:38.83 for third behind winner Luke Mathews' 3:37.99. Tom Lancashire was seventh in 3:41.46. At just 15 years of age, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the younger brother of 2012 European 1500m champion Henrik and Filip, both of whom contested the Dream Mile, ran a 1500m PB of 3:42.44.
