Omar McLeod clocks 13.08 110m hurdles at Drake Relays - global update
The Drake Relays ended on Saturday in rainy and cold weather. Despite the conditions, Omar McLeod of Jamaica clocked a world-leading 13.08 (-0.1) in the 110m hurdles. Last weekend he went sub-10 seconds in the 100m and he looks set to go sub-13 seconds in this next hurdles race in Shanghai.
Behind him, David Oliver clocked 13.31, Hansle Parchment 13.42 and world record-holder Aries Merritt - who was returning to track action following his kidney transplant - was fifth in 13.61.
Britain's Meghan Beesley clocked 55.43 over Dalilah Muhammad's 55.45 in the 400m hurdles, with Jamaica's Kaliese Spencer fourth in 56.39 for her slowest time since 2010.
The women's sprint hurdles was won in 12.56 (+1.5) by world leader Kendra Harrison over Kristi Castlin's 12.62 and Brianna Rollins' 12.65
In the college hurdles there were also solid times by Adarius Washington with a 13.40 PB (+1.1) and Cindy Ofili with 12.90 (+1.4).
The jumps events were held indoors. Sandi Morris cleared 4.70m in the pole vault and tried at a world record height of 5.04m.
Levern Spencer of St Lucia cleared 1.95m in the high jump, beating among others world indoor champion Vashti Cunningham who was fourth with 1.85m.
Clayton Murphy in 1:46.71 beat the world indoor 800m champion Boris Berian with 1:47.29.
Heather Kampf was the best in the mile with 4:37.52.
On Friday, Olympic champion Kirani James beat world champion LaShawn Merritt over 400m, clocking 44.08 at the Drake Relays despite chilly conditions for the second fastest time ever achieved in April (behind Michael Johnson's 43.75 in Waco on April 19, 1997).
It is also a world lead and meet record. Merritt clocked 44.22 for the fourth fastest ever time in April. In head-to-heads all-time, James now leads over Merritt 11:7 (per Tilastopaja).
"It shows that I’m on course to do some great things, so long as I don’t take anything for granted and keep on doing the right things for the rest of this season," James said. "I wanted to win the race, but I didn’t want to kill myself. The main thing that was tough is that my toes felt frozen. When I tried to really push, I felt like I was tip-toeing," Merritt added, quoted by local media.
British world indoor medallist Lorraine Ugen won the long jump with 6.82m (+3.5, legal 661 +1.1) over Olympic and world champion Brittney Reese with 6.74m (+1.5).
In other Rio preview events, Jenny Simpson clocked a 4:06.44 world lead in the 1500m. The 2005 world champ Bershawn Jackson won the 400m hurdles in 49.30 over Michael Tinsley's 49.36.
Derek Drouin won the high jump with 2.24m and Shawn Barber the pole vault with 5.50m.
In the mixed shuttle hurdles relay the Team Blue (Castlin, Adams, Ali, Lovett) won in 54.42 over Team Red (Stowers, Parchment, Coward, A. Merritt) 54.77 and Team Green (K. Harrison, Harris, Rollins, McLeod) 54.89. The fourth Team White was disqualified (DeLoach, Riley, Q. Harrison, Oliver).
The NTC/Pure Athletics Spring Invitational had as usual top entries in the sprints and many European athletes who are in Florida for training camps.
Jamaican Nickel Ashmeade posted 20.07 (+0.2) in the 200m, with one of his main global rivals Alonso Edward running 20.11 (+1.2) in another heat. Behind him, Britain's James Ellington ran a 20.31 PB.
Earlier in the 100m, Ashmeade had posted also the fastest time in heats of 10.03 (+1.6) with Ellington behind him 10.15. In the final the winner was Adrian Griffith of Bahamas in a 10.12 (+1.1) PB ahead of Britain's Danny Talbot with 10.15 and Dominican Republic sprinter Yancarlos Martinez with 10.15. Harry Aikines-Aryeetey clocked 10.18.
Jamaica's Veronica Campbell-Brown won the 200m in 22.29 (+0.5), while Britain's Christine Ohuruogu was fifth in 23.74.
Earlier Veronica Campbell-Brown had been disqualified in the 100m heats. Tori Bowie topped the final in 11.00 (0.0) ahead of Tiffany Townsend and 400m world leader Shaunae Miller as both tied for second in 11.19.
Britain's Dwayne Cowan improved to 46.17 to win the 400m, while Dan Bramble leapt 7.98m (+0.3) in the long jump. Their fellow Briton Laura Samuel recorded 14.07m (0.0) in the women triple jump as veteran Yamile Aldama got 13.74m (+0.1).
World triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen started her season at the Grand Prix Ximena Restrepo in Colombia with a leadp of 14.43m. Second was Yorsiris Urrutia with 14.08m.
Diego Palomeque won the 400m in 45.25. Also to note is Bernardo Baloyes' 20.42 in the 200m and Brigith Merlano's 13.04 at the 100m hurdles.
Jhon Murillo attacked his Colombian triple jump record with 16.70m after last week jumping 16.74m.
Marisol Landazuri from Ecuador won the 100m in 11.43 and Christian Morton from Nigeria the 400m hurdles in 50.26.
At the Turkish 10,000m Championships, Yasemin Can clocked 31:30.70 for what is not only an Olympic standard but also a European under-23 record.
Polat Kemboi Arikan won the men's title in 27:59.59.
Meryem Akda achieved the women's steeplechase Olympic standard with 9:36.30.
Shot put super junior Konrad Bukowiecki threw a European junior record 22.94m with the 6kg implement at Bojanowo in Poland.
He is now only 6cm behind the world junior record of Jacko Gill (23.00m in 2013).
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