World-leading athletes impress at Diamond League as British sprinter makes it a double victory
Competing at the third Diamond League of the season on Friday (May 10), British duo Daryll Neita and Molly Caudery produced impressive early-season results.
Neita delivered a fast performance in the women’s 100m as she crossed the line in a time of 10.98 (2.0) ahead of her USA competitors Tamari Davis (10.99) and Celera Barnes (11.02), with Great Britain’s Amy Hunt finishing in fourth (11.13).
It continued a promising start to the outdoor season for the European 100m bronze medallist as she backed up her 200m Diamond League win in Suzhou last month, the 27-year-old running 22.62 to beat a field that included 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States.
Daryll Neita (Diamond League)
Caudery, meanwhile, delivered first-time clearances in the pole vault up until the 4.83m mark – winning her first outdoor competition of the year with a best height of 4.73m. The world indoor champion has a current PB of 4.86m but blustery conditions made life difficult in Doha.
Australia’s Nina Kennedy followed in second place, the joint world champion reaching the same height of 4.73m but crucially failing her opening attempt at 4.53m. Slovenia’s Tina Sutej finished third with 4.63m.
Molly Caudery (Diamond League)
The Qatari capital also saw multiple world-leading performances taking place on the track.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos broke the Diamond League record as he ran a staggeringly quick 46.86 – the fastest time recorded for the distance in May.
Laying down an emphatic marker in Olympic year, the 2022 world champion left his competitors behind in the final 100m as he surged ahead to register an impressive world lead. USA’s CJ Allen finished in second (48.39), with France’s Wilfried Happio taking third (49.10).
Alison dos Santos (Diamond League)
There was also a meeting record in the men’s 200m as American athletes took the top three places. Kenny Bednarek clocked 19.67 (1.7) to win, bettering his PB 19.68 from the Tokyo Olympics which lined him the silver medal.
Bednarek eased away from his competitors in the final few metres as Courtney Lindsey finished second, clocking 20.01, and Kyree King took third with 20.21.
Kenny Bednarek (Diamond League)
Ethiopia’s Beatrice Chebet won the women’s 5000m in a world-leading time of 14:26.98, with Ejgayehu Taye in second (14:29.26) and Medina Eisa third (14:34.11).
In the fiercely contested women’s 800m, Mary Moraa, the 2022 Diamond League champion, made a triumphant return to the outdoor track.
The Kenyan record-holder over 400m (50.38) led the field through the first 400m in 56.57 and, despite mounting pressure, maintained her momentum and ultimately secured victory, clocking 1:57.91.
Britain’s Jemma Reekie fought hard around the two laps and was forced to move wide around the final bend in order to secure her second place in 1:58.42. Benin’s Noélie Yarigo’s time of 1:58.70 saw her come away with third place.
Reekie’s fellow Briton Isabelle Boffey was eighth (2:01.03), while Tokyo Olympic finalist Alex Bell finished ninth (2:01.56).
Mary Moraa and Jemma Reekie (Diamond League)
Brian Komen won the men’s 1500m, clocking 3:32.43, with fellow Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot finishing as runner-up in a time of 3:32.67 and Reynold Cheruiyot coming third in 3:32.96. Great Britain’s Elliot Giles finished fifth in 3:33.50.
Komen, gold medallist at the 2023 African Games over 1500m, looks a strong contender for the Kenyan Olympic team.
Brian Komen (Diamond League)
In an unusual strategy during the women’s 1500m, Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu maintained a solo lead for the majority of the race.
Although a group of four began to close in on her with 200m remaining, they couldn’t quite catch the world indoor 1500m champion, leaving Hailu to claim the victory in a time of 4:00.42. Australia’s Jessica Hull finished strongly in 4:00.84, as Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir finished third (4:01.19).
British indoor champion Georgia Bell finished sixth (4:03.72) with compatriots Revee Walcott-Nolan seventh (4:03.99) and Melissa Courtney-Bryant (4:08.46) 12th. Bell’s training partner, Ireland’s Sarah Healy, finished tenth (4:05.72).
Freweyni Hailu (Diamond League)
In the field, Czech Jakub Vadlejch secured the javelin win over reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra. The 33-year-old threw a best of 88.38m while Chopra was just two centimetres short at 88.36m. Grenada’s Anderson Peters threw 86.62m to place third.
In the early stages of the competition, Carey McLeod from Jamaica produced a big lead of 8.52m in the men’s long jump – setting himself apart from Greece’s Militiadis Tentoglou who currently ranks number one in the world.
Tentoglou had to settle for second with a jump of 8.36m which was the only legal jump in the whole competition due to the high winds.
In the women’s high jump, Serbia’s Angelina Topic jumped 1.94m to win from Ukraine’s Iryna Gerashchenko (1.91m) and Australia’s Eleanor Patterson (1.91m). Britain’s Morgan Lake cleared 1.88m which saw her finish seventh.
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