The 2023 Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha commenced with a spectacular showcase of athletic prowess, a spirited audience, and ideal wind conditions at the Qatar SC Stadium on May 5th. Notably, Sha’Carri Richardson shattered the 100m meeting record, formerly held by the late Tori Bowie, with a remarkable time of 10.76 seconds.
In the 3000m race, a staggering nine runners clocked times under 7:40, with Lamecha Girma clinching victory. Local favorite Mutaz Essa Barshim settled for third place in his season opener. The event witnessed seven world-leading marks and three meeting records being established.
In the men’s events, Fred Kerley triumphed in the 200m race, clocking 19.92 seconds (0.3) and showcasing exceptional acceleration in the final 50m. Kenny Bednarek (20.11) and Aaron Brown (20.20) secured second and third places, respectively.
The 800m race had a slow start with the initial lap at 53.69 seconds. Slimane Moula emerged as the victor with a time of 1:46.06, followed by Wycliffe Kinyamal (1:46.61) and Djamel Sedjati (1:46.97).
The 3000m race featured a blistering pace for the first 2km (2:30.01/4:58.91), breaking the meeting record and setting a world-leading time of 7:26.18 by Lamecha Girma, placing him at all-time No. 8. Selemon Barega finished second with a time of 7:27.16, trailed by Berihu Aregawi (7:27.61) and Soufiane El Bakkali (7:33.87). Sweden’s Andreas Almgren set a new national record at 7:37.05, securing seventh place, while Tunisia’s Mohamed Amine Jihnaoui set a new national record at 7:37.56 in eighth place.
In the 400m hurdles, Rai Benjamin seized victory with a time of 47.78 seconds, closely followed by CJ Allen, who achieved a personal best of 47.93 seconds. Wilfried Happio of France secured third place with a time of 49.12 seconds, and in the B race, U20 Doudai Ismail Abakar achieved a personal best time of 49.18 seconds.
JuVaughn Harrison dominated the high jump, flawlessly clearing seven attempts from the opening height of 215cm to 232cm. He retired after a single failed attempt at 235cm. Sanghyeok Woo took second place with a height of 227cm, while Mutaz Essa Barshim settled for third with a height of 224cm.
Pedro Pichardo won the triple jump with a leap of 17.91m (2.1), followed by Hugues Fabrice Zango, who set a world-leading mark of 17.81m (1.5). Andy Diaz secured third place with a jump of 17.80m (2.6), while Lazaro Martinez achieved a jump of 17.71m (3.4). Notably, two-time Olympic champion Christian Taylor finished outside the top eight with a jump of 16.53m (3.1).
In the discus event, Kristjan Ceh clinched victory with his first attempt, achieving a distance of 70.89m, setting a new meet record. He delivered an exceptional series with throws of 70.89m, x, 68.95m, and 68.46m. Daniel Stahl secured second place with a throw of 67.14m, while Sam Mattis claimed third with a throw of 64.69m.
The javelin competition was decided early on, with Neeraj Chopra winning with a world-leading throw of 88.67m, narrowly edging out Jakub Vadlejch (88.63m) and Anderson Peters (85.88m). Changing winds posed challenges, as Vadlejch fouled in the fourth attempt.
In the women’s events, Sha’Carri Richardson continued her dominant form, triumphing in the 100m race with a world-leading and meet-record time of 10.76 seconds (0.9). She left Shericka Jackson (10.85 seconds) and Dina Asher-Smith (10.98 seconds) trailing behind.
Marileidy Paulino secured victory in the 400m race with a time of 50.51 seconds, defeating the in-form Shamier Little (50.84 seconds) and Natalia Kaczmarek (51.64 seconds).
In the 1500m race, Faith Kipyegon claimed a resounding victory with a new world-leading time of 3:58.57, with Ethiopians Diribe Welteji (3:59.34) and Freweyni Hailu (4:00.29) following closely.
Winfred Yavi triumphed in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:04.38, establishing a world-leading mark and an Ethiopian U20 record. Sembo Almayew secured second place with a time of 9:05.83, setting the third-best ever U20 record. Faith Cherotich took third place with a time of 9:06.43, while Marusa Mismas Zrimsek set a new Slovenian record of 9:13.61 to finish fifth. Unfortunately, both Emma Coburn and Valerie Constien experienced falls during the race.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn opened her international season with a victory in the 100m hurdles, clocking a time of 12.48 seconds (1.1). Alaysha Johnson secured second place with a time of 12.66 seconds, followed by Nia Ali with a time of 12.69 seconds.
Katie Moon excelled in the pole vault, clearing a world-leading height of 481cm on her second attempt to claim victory. Tina Sutej equaled the Slovenian record with a height of 476cm, while Sandi Morris settled for third place with a height of 471cm. Unfortunately, Wilma Murto failed at the first height of 445cm, and Nina Kennedy faltered at 455cm. Holly Bradshaw did not compete due to injury.
In summary, the 2023 Wanda Diamond League meeting in Doha proved to be an electrifying and successful event, highlighted by remarkable performances and the establishment of new records.
Source Pictures: trackalerts
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