Dafne Schippers and Maria Lasitskene among winners in Hengelo
Dafne Schippers stormed to success to the delight of the home crowd, while Maria Lasitskene and Jenny Simpson achieved world-leading performances at the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands, on Sunday.
Innovation had been the organisers' aim for the meeting, with world-class athletics, battles and entertainment described as the "foundation" of the new-style FBK Games.
Looking to enhance the stadium experience for fans, less events were held to allow spectators to follow one discipline at a time, while the programme featured a half-time show. Wavelight technology – which involves inner track-side lights following a set pace – was used to demonstrate how close a record might be, with different coloured lights highlighting world, national or meeting records or season’s bests.
This is wave light technology. It’s being used for the first time ever @FBKGamesHengelo tomorrow. As well as pacing some early events, it flashes entirely red for false starts, white for stadium records, blue for special effects
Do you like it @sportmoderator and @AndyKayEvents ? pic.twitter.com/eacEXjwQFx— Geoff Wightman (@WightmanGeoff) June 2, 2018
One of the events utilising that technology was the women's mile, which was won by USA's Simpson in 4:25.71. Sarah McDonald clocked a PB of 4:27.12 in fourth, while her fellow British athletes Melissa Courtney and Katie Snowden were fifth and ninth with respective times of 4:27.29 and 4:29.56.
Lasitskene's world lead was a high jump mark of 2.03m, adding a centimetre to her result from the Rome Diamond League.
It was the world champion's 41st successive competition win and another dominant victory. Olympic silver medallist Mirela Demireva was second with 1.94m.
A clear win was also claimed by Schippers as she won the final event –the 200m – in 22.44 ahead of Ivet Lalova-Collio with 22.79 and Kyra Jefferson with 22.81.
Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor was sixth in 23.03, one place ahead of Britain's Desiree Henry with 23.39. Maya Bruney was eighth in 23.97.
Also among the British athletes in action was two-time world indoor medallist Andrew Osagie and he ran a European-leading 1:45.09 for 800m, his quickest time since 2013, for fourth in a race won by Kenya’s Jonathan Kitilit in 1:43.77. Elliot Giles placed ninth and Guy Learmonth 11th.
1:45.09.. I think I just ran the fastest time by a European this year and I'm the fastest 30 year old in the world! Haha.. I love this game! #OsagieBoom #Hengelo #FBKGames pic.twitter.com/HdeqdvOAyY
— Andrew Osagie (@andrewosagie) June 3, 2018
Netherlands-based Adam Gemili clocked 20.45 for fifth in the 200m in his first race since injury at the Commonwealth Games. South Africa’s Luxolo Adams won in 20.34.
Abdalleleh Haroun ran a meeting record 44.35 to win the 400m, with Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor placing fourth in a PB of 45.07.
Shakima Wimbley won the women's one-lap race in a meeting record of 50.88, while Britain's Anyika Onuora was seventh in 51.86.
USA's Olympic champion Brianna Rollins-McNeal won the 100m hurdles in 12.66, while Russia's Sergey Shubenkov took 110m hurdles victory in 13.23.
South Africa's world champion Luvo Manyonga recorded 8.18m to win the long jump, while USA's world champion Sam Kendricks cleared 5.82m to win the pole vault.
» Results can be found here
