Clouds and rain had rolled in by the time Akani Simbine of South Africa sprinted to victory in the men’s 100 metres in 9.94 seconds Thursday at the Bislett Games, just off the season’s fastest time of 9.93 set by Americans Christian Miller and Kendal Williams.
It was the third consecutive victory for Simbine and second in a row on the Diamond League professional circuit to start the outdoor season.
“[The rain] probably influenced the race but at the end of the day we all have to run 100, rain or not, and get to the line first,” Simbine said. “I put my marker out to the world today that I am here. Getting the win always helps with confidence as we get closer to Paris [and the Olympics in July].”
It was also his first clocking under 10 seconds this season across five races, including heats and semifinals. His previous best was 10.01 achieved at the April 27 Diamond League in Suzhou, China and eight days earlier in the final of the South African championships.
Japan’s Abdul Hakim Sani Brown was second in 9.99 while Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon ran 10.01 for third at the Diamond League meet in Oslo, Norway.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs was fourth in 10.03, while Britain’s Jeremiah Azu, who cracked the 10-second barrier for the first time in his career five days earlier, suffered an injury when leading mid-race and limped to the finish line.
WATCH | Simbine dips under 10 seconds to take men’s 100m in Oslo:
South Africa’s Akani Simbine wins the men’s 100-metre final with a season-best time of 9.94 at the World Athletics Diamond League stop in Oslo, Norway.
American Brittany Brown won the women’s 200 at Bislett Stadium, clocking 22.32 out of Lane 8, while world champion Shericka Jackson’s early-season struggles continued.
Jamaica’s Jackson, the second fastest woman ever over the distance, finished fifth in 22.97, well off the 21.41 she clocked last season and slightly slower than her season-opener two weeks ago.
WATCH | Brown sprints to comeback victory at Bislett Games:
American Brittany Brown finishes first in the women’s 200-metre final with a season-best of 22.32 at the World Athletics Diamond League stop in Oslo, Norway.
Ingebrigtsen dives to win men’s 1,500m
Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway hurled himself across the finish line to win the men’s 1,500.
Ingebrigtsen, who had been beaten by British arch-rival Josh Kerr in the mile five days earlier in Eugene, Ore., lunged at the finish line to hold off hard-charging Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot.
The photo finish showed the Olympic champion diving to cross the line in three minutes 29.74 seconds, the world’s fastest time this season and 3-100ths of a second quicker than Cheruiyot.
“I really do not think that it was the decision I made to dive into the finish line, because everything just happened so fast,” said Ingebrigtsen, who flashed a No. 1 finger to the camera at the start line.
“I can tell you that I was getting sore in the last 50 metres, I was expecting someone to come from the outside so I was very prepared to give it 100 per cent.
“Every day I feel better and better,” continued Ingebrigtsen. “About defending the titles at the Europeans and Olympics, I think yes,” he said, with the European Championships starting in Rome on June 7 and the Paris Games July 26.
Gebrhiwet threatens world mark in 5,000m
Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet won the men’s 5,000 in the second fastest time in history with a sizzling final lap.
The 30-year-old, whose last major global medal on the track was bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, passed teammate Yomif Kejelcha with one lap remaining to cross in 12 minutes 36.73 seconds, clocking a blistering 54.99 on his final lap.
“The time I achieved is very nice,” said Gebrhiwet, who narrowly missed Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei’s 12:35.36 world record.
“The conditions, the crowd was great and it was a very fast race, not easy for me but it was going very well. The race had some very nice guys running — my friend Kejelcha is a very good guy. I train alone and we did our own race but we are the same country, so we are both happy.”
British runner lowers his European mark
Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith won the men’s 400 in 44.07, second fastest in the world this season, to break his own European record.
“The time didn’t matter in a way as I care about victories rather than times and preparing for the Olympics,” he said ahead of the Paris Games starting July 26.
“At the end of the day times are temporary but medals are forever. I really want to come away from Paris with a medal,” added Hudson-Smith, who ran with his race bib upside down.
“I did not even realize my number was upside down tonight, maybe that will be my lucky charm going forward,” he said.
Elsewhere, Georgia Griffith surged into the lead with 100 metres to go to win the women’s 3,000, shaving a huge 13 seconds off her previous best time to cross in an Australian record 8:24.20.
“I’m quite new to 3000, I do a lot of 1500s so I usually die in the latter parts but today I kicked really well and finished strong,” Griffith said. “I got lucky today. I really like this race but the 1,500 is my main event.”
WATCH | Full event replay: Bislett Games Diamond League from Oslo, Norway:
Watch the world’s top track and field stars compete at the World Athletics Diamond League stop in Oslo, Norway.
In another race, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos handed Norway’s Olympic and world champion Karsten Warholm a rare defeat in the men’s 400 hurdles. Dos Santos crossed in 46.63 seconds, while Warholm went out like a rocket before fading in the final 50 metres to finish in 46.70.
Diamond League calendar
- Stockholm — June 2
- Paris — July 7
- Monaco — July 12
- London — July 20
- Lausanne, Switzerland — Aug. 22
- Silesia, Poland — Aug. 25
- Rome — Aug. 30
- Zurich — Sept. 5
- Brussels (DL Final) — Sept. 13-14
Source Agencies
