Brits enjoy perfect Paris send-off at a packed Olympic Stadium for the Diamond League<\/h5>\n
After her late withdrawal from last year\u2019s London Athletics Meet, Keely Hodgkinson was determined to return to the event in 2024 and put on a show for her home crowd. The 22-year-old did it in style, too, in the British capital, on Saturday (July 20) with a national 800m record of 1:54.61.<\/p>\n
With the Olympics imminent, can she now step up from a series of global silvers to claim gold in Paris?<\/p>\n
The brilliant performance improves on her British record of 1:55.19 and now moves Hodgkinson from tenth to sixth on the world all-time rankings, overtaking the likes of Athing Mu, Maria Mutola and Tatyana Kazankina. Is it too much to dream that Jarmila Kratochvilova\u2019s long-standing world record of 1:53.28 is now in her sights?<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been looking forward to this all week,\u201d said Hodgkinson. \u201cLondon really knows how to put on a crowd. I just have to stay focused now for the Olympics and go and get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t all about Hodgkinson, though. The UK rankings were re-written with stunning personal bests from Jemma Reekie and Georgia Bell.<\/p>\n
After Erin Wallace led through the bell in 55.58, Hodgkinson took up the lead at 500m but Reekie, who won this race 12 months earlier, stuck in doggedly behind and her reward was a time of 1:55.61 that puts her second on the UK all-time rankings, just ahead of Kelly Holmes\u2019 former UK record of 1:56.21. Reekie was recovering from a bout of Covid only a fortnight earlier too.<\/p>\n
Bell stepped down from her more familiar 1500m distance and improved her 800m best from 1:59.93 to 1:56.28 as she moves into fourth on the UK rankings.<\/p>\n
Such was the standard, Laura Muir ran a season\u2019s best of 1:57.63 but was only eighth.<\/p>\n
Matt Hudson-Smith (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Hudson-Smith smashes European 400m record<\/strong><\/p>\n Matt Hudson-Smith blew his European record of 44.07 apart as the Birchfield Harrier stormed around the London Stadium in 43.74.<\/p>\n It places the 29-year-old equal 12th<\/sup> on the world all-time rankings and marks him out as a gold medal contender in Paris. After silver in Budapest last summer, can he step up and claim an Olympic title?<\/p>\n Finishing in his wake were Vernon Norwood of the United States and Jereem Richards of Trinidad & Tobago in 44.10 and 44.18 respectively. There was further joy for British fans, though, with Charlie Dobson improving his PB to 44.23 as Kirani James, the London Olympic champion 14 years ago, finished fifth in 44.38.<\/p>\n James, whose all-time best is also 43.74, was among the first to congratulate Hudson-Smith.<\/p>\n \u201cTo run 43 seconds before Paris is exactly what me, my coach and team were aiming for,\u201d said Hudson-Smith. \u201cTo get that world lead and to set myself up for Paris is what I really needed to show the rest of the world what I am capable of.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore today I wrote on a paper that I was going to run 43.7, because I did a race model and my coach had told me I was in 43 seconds shape. All I had to do was go out there and show it.\u201d<\/p>\n Femke Bol (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Brilliant Bol runs meet record<\/strong><\/p>\n Such is the terrific standard of Femke Bol\u2019s 400m hurdling, the London Stadium fell a tiny bit flat when she crossed the line in \u201conly\u201d 51.30. There were hopes she might improve her European record of 50.95 set the previous weekend in Switzerland but the crowd had to be satisfied with a meeting record of 51.30 \u2013 slightly quicker than the Dutch athlete ran here 12 months earlier when her 51.45 was a European record at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cI truly love to run here in this stadium, it is so special and to put on this great field it is fantastic,\u201d said Bol. \u201cI am excited for Paris and of course put on my best race there. I am looking forward to racing Sydney [McLaughlin-Levrone] and that will push us both.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind, Shamier Little of the United States was runner-up in 52.78 and Jessie Knight was top Brit in fifth in a season\u2019s best of 54.15.<\/p>\n Nickisha Pryce also impressed over one lap as the 23-year-old clocked a women\u2019s 400m meeting and Jamaican record of 48.57. What\u2019s more, the awe-inspiring time lifted her to seventh on the world all-time rankings.<\/p>\n Nickisha Pryce (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Behind, European champion Natalia Kaczmarek ran a Polish record of 48.90 in second, while Lieke Klaver of Netherlands clocked a 49.58 PB in third.<\/p>\n With half an eye on Christine Ohuruogu\u2019s British record of 49.41, Amber Anning fell just short with an excellent 49.63 as fellow Brit Laviai Nielsen ran a PB of 49.87 in fifth.<\/p>\n Taking a chunk off her PB of 50.67, the run moves Nielsen from twelfth on the UK all-time rankings to seventh, leaving her in tears afterwards as she smashed through the 50-second barrier.<\/p>\n Daryll Neita (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n British record in the 4x100m<\/strong><\/p>\n Dina Asher-Smith, Imani Lansiquot, Amy Hunt and Daryll Neita took advantage of good conditions in the London Stadium to equal their British 4x100m record of 41.55.<\/p>\n Rising to the occasion in front of the near 60,000-strong crowd, not only did the quartet match the national mark they ran in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, but they enjoyed a confidence boosting performance ahead of Paris as they beat the Olympic host nation France by more than half a second.<\/p>\n The GB men\u2019s team didn\u2019t enjoy as good an afternoon, though, as the A team failed to finish. Jeremiah Azu, Louie Hinchliffe and Richard Kilty combined to get the team into a good position into the final exchange but Reece Prescod appeared to set off too soon and could not get the baton from a flailing Kilty.<\/p>\n Japan won in 38.07 from Australia with the GB\u2019s second team anchored by Eugene Amo-Dadzie in third.<\/p>\n Noah Lyles (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Americans Lyles and Thomas enjoy sprint wins<\/strong><\/p>\n If this Diamond League meeting was a great meet for British athletes, the US visitors also did pretty well with Noah Lyles winning the men\u2019s 100m in 9.81 (-0.3) and Gabby Thomas the women\u2019s 200m in meeting record of 21.82 (-0.9).<\/p>\n The Brits were also in the mix and now know what they have to do to challenge in Paris. British champion Louie Hinchliffe was fourth in the 100m in 9.97 with Zharnel Hughes, on the comeback from injury, sixth in 10.00 and Jeremiah Azu seventh in 10.08.<\/p>\n If missing last week\u2019s Diamond League in Monaco made Lyles\u2019 fans nervous, there was no need as he beat Akani Simbine of South Africa (9.86) and Letsile Tebogo of Botswana (9.88), the latter equalling his national record.<\/p>\n \u201cA PB and getting faster before Paris,\u201d said Lyles. \u201cI wanted to dip under the 9.80 mark \u2013 I thought I was going to get a wind like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n Behind Thomas and Julien Alfred \u2013 she ran a Saint Lucia record of 21.86 \u2013 Dina Asher-Smith clocked a season\u2019s best of 22.07 after fading a little in the final 50 metres after a great bend. Daryll Neita was fourth, also in a season\u2019s best of 22.20, with Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland fifth in 22.35.<\/p>\n Asher-Smith said: \u201cI am a little frustrated but on the other hand it is my best time in two years and I am feeling fit and healthy going into the Olympics so that is the most important thing just now.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabby Thomas (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Emsley Carr Mile ruined by early fall<\/strong><\/p>\n With 17 men racing into the first bend of a mile race, accidents are always likely. Is it time to consider an 800m-style start with athletes in lanes for the first 100m?<\/p>\n The historic Emsley Carr Mile on Saturday was narrowly won by Olli Hoare of Australia in 3:49.03 from Narve Gilje Nordas but the home crowd was left disappointed and athletes themselves frustrated when Neil Gourley and George Mills hit the track in the opening metres and failed to finish.<\/p>\n Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland ran a world lead of 7:27.68 in the men\u2019s 3000m as he outkicked Grant Fisher of the United States (7:27.99) with Edwin Kurgat of Kenya third (7:28.53).<\/p>\n Fisher made a long run for home from the bell but Lobalu stayed in touch and had too much for the American in the final 100m. Behind a string of PBs included Ireland\u2019s Brian Fay (7:34.48) and Nick Griggs (7:36.59), Jack Rowe (7:38.70), Scott Beattie (7:42.78) and Will Barnicoat (7:48.12).<\/p>\n Leonardo Fabbri (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Big shot Fabbri beats Crouser in head-t0-head<\/strong><\/p>\n Ryan Crouser suffered a rare defeat as the world record-holder finished second to Leonardo Fabbri of Italy. In a key clash on the eve of the Olympics, European champion Fabbri threw 22.52m to Crouser\u2019s 22.37m as Payton Otterdahl was third with 22.13m and Joe Kovacs fourth with 22.03m.<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s Scott Lincoln couldn\u2019t repeat his recent 21-metre form as he threw 20.71m in seventh.<\/p>\n Fabbri said: \u201cI\u2019m really happy because mentally I\u2019m really improving a lot and I\u2019m really confident for Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n Nina Kennedy (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the women\u2019s pole vault, Nina Kennedy continued her fine recent form on the circuit as the Australian won with 4.85m as Alysha Newman of Canada was second with 4.75m and Britain\u2019s Molly Caudery third in 4.65m. Olympic champion Katie Moon of the United States, meanwhile, only cleared 4.50m as she wound up eighth.<\/p>\n The seats in the London Stadium were still filling up when Mackenzie Little of Australia threw the javelin out to 66.27m in the first round of her event. For the world bronze medallist it was the second best throw in the world this year as she beat Adriana Vilagos, who threw a Serbian record of 65.28m.<\/p>\n Little said: \u201cI couldn\u2019t ask for more than getting a PB in the last competition before the Olympics but it does bring a lot of expectation and pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam Reardon (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Huge 400m improvement for Reardon<\/strong><\/p>\n In one of the breakthrough performances of the day, Sam Reardon whopped well over a second off his 400m PB in the \u2018national\u2019 race for domestic men as he won in 44.70.<\/p>\n Reardon was fifth in the world under-20 final for 800m in 2022 and has juggled 400m and 800m \u2013 with a two-lap best of 1:45.95 \u2013 but in 2024 he has raced over just one lap and was rewarded with a huge improvement on Saturday as he moved to fourteenth on the UK all-time rankings.<\/p>\n The 20-year-old\u2019s previous best was 45.99 set in Dublin earlier this month after running only 46.45 to finish third in his heat at the UK Championships in late June. Until 2024 he hadn\u2019t even broken 46 seconds either.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew a big run was on the cards but 44.70!?\u201d said Reardon. \u201cPeople always ask me if I\u2019m a 400m or 800m runner and I always say both. But I think that solidifies me as a 400m runner. I\u2019m just ecstatic and hoping to do both for as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Yemi Mary John, meanwhile, won the women\u2019s \u2018domestic\u2019 400m in 51.18.<\/p>\n Zak Skinner (left) (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Paralympians warm up for Paris<\/strong><\/p>\n In the para-athletics events, Zak Skinner ran a British record in the T13 100m as he won the ambulant men\u2019s race in 10.84 (0.9) from Zac Shaw\u2019s 10.87 as Thomas Young, in third, also set a national record in the T38 category with 10.92.<\/p>\n Sophie Hahn enjoyed a win in the ambulant women\u2019s 100m as she clocked 12.55 (0.2) to win by almost half a second.<\/p>\n Brent Lakatos of Canada out-sprinted Brits Nathan Maguire and David Weir to win the men\u2019s wheelchair 1500m in 2:59.95.<\/p>\n Ben Sandilands clocked 3:55.10 in the ambulant men\u2019s 1500m as he held off fellow Brit Steven Sandilands.<\/p>\n Sammi Kinghorn (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sammi Kinghorn is perhaps more familiar to BBC viewers as a presenter on Countryfile or The One Show but on Saturday she won the women\u2019s wheelchair 800m in 1:43.24 from Lea Bayekula of Belgium as Hannah Cockroft finished fifth.<\/p>\n \u201cI am racing tomorrow at the England Champs,\u201d said Kinghorn. \u201cIt is on my way home so I thought I might as well and it is all good championship experience for doing back to back races. After that it is all about staying healthy, staying fit and preparing for Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n Eugene Amo-Dadzie (Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Amo-Dadzie\u2019s winning return<\/strong><\/p>\n Earlier in the programme Eugene Amo-Dadzie won the \u2018national\u2019 men\u2019s 100m in 10.12 (2.1) from Reece Prescod and CJ Ujah as Imani-Larsa Lansiquot claimed victory in the women\u2019s \u2018national\u2019 100m in 11.12 from Desiree Henry and Bianca Williams.<\/p>\n The win was particularly pleasing for Amo-Dadzie as he used to at the London Stadium in hospitality for West Ham United FC.<\/p>\n Full results here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00bb\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Subscribe to AW magazine\u00a0here<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/athleticsweekly.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Femke-Bol.jpg\")
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