Abera and Melkamu win Hamburg Marathon - global update
In blustery conditions, Ethiopia's Meselech Melkamu broke the course record in the Hamburg Marathon with the third fastest time of her career of 2:21:54.
Defending champion Meseret Hailu was a distant second in 2:26:26 while Anja Scherl had a breakthrough performance in third, lowering her PB from 2:36:31 to 2:27:50 to put herself in contention for a place on the German team for the 2016 Olympics. Poland’s Monika Stefanowicz ran a PB of 2:28:26 in fourth with Mexico’s Madai Perez fifth in 2:29:27.
After winning the Dubai Marathon in January in a 2:04:24 world lead, late entrant Tesfaye Abera won his second marathon of the year in 2:06:58 ahead of Kenyans Philemon Rono (2:07:20) and Josphat Kiprono (2:10:44).
Top European was Ivan Fernandez from Spain in 2:12:55 while Uganda’s Moses Kipsiro finished 14th on his debut in 2:15:48 after passing halfway in 62:55. Top German was Julian Flugel in 22nd in 2:17:10.
Six world leading marks highlighted the second edition of the Chris Brown Bahamas Invitational meet at the Ted Robinson National Stadium.
Most impressive was the improvement for 400m world champion and Olympic gold medallist LaShawn Merritt in the 200m as he clocked 19.78 (+0.9). He destroyed the field as Wallace Spearmon and Mike Rodgers clocked 20.40 and 20.42.
Grenada's Olympic champion Kirani James opened with a 44.36 world lead over 400m also as a clear winner. Second was Tony McQuay almost a second behind with 45.34 and Jeremy Wariner with 45.55.
Johnny Dutch posted another world lead in the 400m hurdles of 48.36 with Javier Culson clocking 49.12 and home star Jeffery Gibson with 49.16.
Christian Taylor opened the year with a 17.11m world lead in the triple jump, one centimetre ahead of Troy Doris who got a national record for his new country Guayana of 17.10m.
On the women side there were two world leads. Tori Bowie clocked 22.26 (+0.3) in the 200m ahead of 400m specialist Natasha Hastings with a 22.57 PB. Shaunae Miller made the crowds happy with a home 400m win in a season's best of 49.69 (missed her PB by only 0.02 from the Beijing World Championships) with sensation Quanera Hayes improving to 49.91 (previous best 50.84).
Two other fast times could not be world leads due to the wind readings. Justin Gatlin ran 9.90 (+2.3) in the 100m over Asian record-holder Femi Ogunode of Qatar with 9.94 and home runner Adrian Griffith with 10.03. The 2013 world sprint hurdles champion David Oliver clocked 13.30 (+2.7) ahead of Aleec Harris' 13.32 and Jason Richardson's 13.33.
Queen Harrison won the 100m hurdles in 12.64 (+2.6) over Sharika Nelvis' 12.66 and Jasmin Stowers' 12.74. A close 100m was won by Trinidad's Michelle Lee-Ahye in 11.14 (+1.4) ahead of Murielle Ahoure's 11.16, Veronica Campbell-Brown's 11.17 and Candyce McGrone's 11.18.
There were home wins in the remaining jumping events. Donald Thomas cleared 2.23m in the high jump and Bianca Stuart recorded 6.69m (+3.6) in the long jump.
Yohan Blake is back to fast times. The 2011 world champion won the 100 m at the MVP meet in Kingston's National Stadium with a world leading 9.95 (+1.4) for his fastest since 2012.
Behind him there were personal bests for 200m specialists Rasheed Dwyer with 10.10 and Britain's Zharnel Hughes with 10.10.
In another heat, Warren Weir clocked 10.07 (+1.6) and is also back as this is his second fastest ever. Behind him, 33-year-old Michael Frater ran 10.17. It was interesting to see Hassan Said winning his heat in 10.33 (+1.9) for a national record for Maldives.
Antigua's Miguel Francis posted 20.11 (+0.6) in the 200m with 100m specialist Oshane Bailey second in a 20.42 PB and 400m specialist Javon Francis third in a 20.54 PB.
Ronald Levy clocked a PB of 13.53 (+0.8) in the 110m hurdles and Jura Levy won the women's 100m in 11.25 (+1.1).
In the 200m, Anneisha McLaughlin-Wilby ran 22.78 (+0.7) ahead of Anastasia Leroy's 22.85 PB. There was another personal best for Rhonda Whyte of 55.58 in the 400m hurdles.
Annsert Whyte won the 400m hurdles in 49.39 as 35-year-old former 800m runner Riccardo Cunningham in only his second ever race at the distance shaved two more seconds from first race and won his heat in a 50.28 PB.
Fredrick Dacres won the discus with 63.88m and the Racers TC clocked 38.45 in the 4x100m.
The main action at the 58th Mt. SAC Relays (this year at Cerritos College) was held on Saturday and was highlighted by three world leads.
Johnathan Cabral running for Canada posted a 13.35 (+1.9) PB over the hurdles ahead of Mikel Thomas of Trinidad's 13.40. Ashton Eaton was fourth with 13.48.
The second came from Jenna Prandini who clocked the first legal sub-11 of 2016 in the 100m with 10.95 (+1.7) ahead of Hannah Cunliffe's 10.99 which is a huge improvement for the 20-year-old as her previous PB was 11.58.
The third world lead was by Oregon in the women's 4x100m with 42.68.
Britain's Cindy Ofili, the sister of Tiffany Porter, clocked 12.66 in the hurdles (+2.0) beating Janay DeLoach with 12.90 (she won the long jump with 6.64m, +1.9) and world indoor pentathlon champion Brianne Theisen-Eaton was seventh in 13.15. That is Ofili's second fastest ever time, bettered only by her NCAA victory time of last year.
The 2013 NCAA Champion Ameer Webb showed that he is in shape of his life as he won the 100m in a windy 9.90 (+2.4) and beat Andre De Grasse with 10.04 and Emmanuel Matadi from Liberia with 10.05. In the 200m he posted a superb lifetime best of 19.91 (+1.0) ahead of BeJay Lee's 20.23 and Curtis Mitchell's 20.37.
Duane Solomon won the 800m in 1:45.47 beating Kenyan Eliud Rutto's 1:45.59.
Brazil clocked 38.91 to win the 4x100m ahead of an Altis team with 38.95 and HSI with 39.02.
In other women's races Australian champion Ella Nelson clocked 22.72 (+1.9) in the 200m beating Phyllis Francis with 22.79 and Briton Jodie Williams with 22.89, with former world champion Carmelita Jeter sixth in 23.43.
Ashton Eaton jumped 8.09m (+2.2, 8.01m +1.6) in the long jump.
World indoor champion Vashti Cunningham in her first competition after Portland cleared 1.93m in the high jump.
There was improvement for British sprinting talent at the Texas Invitational. Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake clocked 10.09 (+1.0) in the 100m. Second was Clayton Vaughn with 10.23 and third Enre Barnes of Turkey with 10.24.
NCAA champion Ryan Crouser got a world leading 21.34m in the shot put.
Aldrich Bailey won the 200m in 20.44 (+0.3) over Bahamian 400m runner Demetrius Pinder with 20.45.
LSU achieved 38.95 and 43.23 in the 4x100m relay.
In the women's 100m Alexandria Anderson clocked 11.19 (+0.8) to beat Jamaican relay world champion Natasha Morrison with 11.31.
In the 200m, Taylor Ellis-Watson ran a 22.63 (+2.0) PB ahead of Jada Martin's 22.85, Morolake Akinosun's 22.96 and Jamaican Olympic medalist Kerron Stewart's 22.99.
Alexis Weeks cleared 4.52m in the pole vault and Raven Saunders got 18.57m in the shot put.
A great start to the season for Britain's Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth long jump champion Greg Rutherford saw him leap 8.30m (+0.4) at the Beach Invitational meet at Long Beach in the US.
Behind him Jeff Henderson jumped 8.19m (0.0).
Tori Polk won the women's long jump with 6.65m (0.0).
Ginnie Crawford clocked a windy 12.83 (+2.3) over the hurdles and Kristen Brown and Tori Pena of Ireland cleared 4.52m in the pole vault.
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