Newly-qualified vet finishes second over 1500m at Prefontaine Classic, while young sprinter Reece Prescod continues to show plenty of promise
Laura Muir produced an impressive return to racing while Reece Prescod also stood out from the British performers on day two of the prestigious Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting.
Newly-qualified vet Muir will have been greatly encouraged by her first top-class 1500m since completing her final degree exams. Having sat out the Commonwealth Games to concentrate on her studies, the 25-year-old hardly looked like she had been away in her major outdoor season opener in Eugene as she produced a tremendous late surge to clock 3:59.30 in narrowly coming second to Shelby Houlihan’s victorious 3:59.06.
Another American, Jenny Simpson, had led the way for much of the race, but had to settle for third in 3:59.37 while Muir’s compatriot Laura Weightman ran 4:07.48 for 12th.
Really happy with my first race of the season @nikepreclassic !
3.59 over 1500m for 2nd today, fastest ever opener! After a tiring few weeks with exams, excited for the rest of the season 😊— Laura Muir (@lauramuiruns) May 26, 2018
Sprinter Reece Prescod will also have left Hayward Field with a spring in his speedy step after another 100m performance of note.
The 22-year-old followed up his recent win in the Shanghai Diamond League by coming third in Oregon behind surprise winner Ronnie Baker (9.78), who came through to beat world indoor champion Christian Coleman (9.84).
This particular encounter does not count towards the Diamond League standings but Prescod’s time of 9.88 was also quick (his personal best is 10.03) and, though run in an illegal wind speed of +2.4, it certainly underlined the world finalist’s potential for the season ahead.
Dina Asher-Smith also appears to be hitting her stride, finishing sixth in the women’s 100m but with a time of 11.06 (+1.9) which is her fastest over the distance since 2015.
It was an Ivorian one-two in the race, with Marie-Josee Ta Lou winning in 10.88 from Murielle Ahoure’s 10.90 and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson third in 10.98.
Noah Lyles was another to produce a fine sprinting performance, equalling the 200m world lead with a personal best 19.69 (+2.0) in what was ultimately a commanding win.
He had been locked in battle with Isaac Makwala but the Botswanan pulled up injured on the straight and his America foe streaked away to victory, with Jereem Richards second in 20.05 and Aaron Brown (20.07) taking third. Briton Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake clocked 20.51 for fifth.
Caster Semenya proved to be untouchable over 800m once again and continues to show that matters away from the track are having no affect on her performances. The South African world champion clocked a meeting record, not to mention a world lead, of 1:55.92 in winning from American Ajee Wilson’s 1:56.86 and Francine Niyonsaba’s 1:56.88.
Shaunae Miller-Uibo sent out an emphatic message with the manner of her win in the women’s 400m. The Bahamian who stumbled and lost the world title to Phyllis Francis in London last year made no mistake, clocking a world-leading 49.52 to leave the American trailing in her wake with 50.81. Shakima Wimbley was third in 50.84.
There was also a dominant world-leading performance from Genzebe Dibaba in the women’s 5000m as she clocked 14:26.89 to win from Ethiopian compatriot Letesenbet Gidey’s 14:30.29, while Kenyan Hellen Obiri looked a little out of sorts in third with 14:35.03.
The hurdles produced some fine performances. In the men’s 110m, world and Olympic champion Omar McLeod clocked 13.01 in victory, albeit in an illegal wind of +3.0m. Second was Sergey Shubenkov in 13.08, while Devon Allen clocked 13.13 for third. World record-holder Aries Meritt finished sixth in 13.27 as Britian’s Andrew Pozzi, who had been suffering from food poisoning, was seventh in 13.51.
There was Jamaican success too in the women’s 400m hurdles. A late charge from Commonwealth champion Janieve Russell (54:06) meant she won right on the line from Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad, who ran 54.09. Georganne Moline was third in 54.33.
The 3000m steeplechase was won by Kenya’s Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen, clocking a world lead of 8:09.07.Conselsus Kiptruto and Evan Jager were both given the time of 8:11.71 in finishing second and third respectively.
Mile races opened and closed proceedings on the Hayward Field track, with history being created in the opening event, the Mile Run international. Australia’s Luke Mathews was the man to record the 400th sub-four-minute mile at the Prefontaine Classic when he ran 3:57.02 to beat Drew Hunter (3:57.29). Sixth-placed Riley Masters (3:58.12) ran the 500th sub-four mile to be seen at the famous venue which is about to remodelled ahead of the 2021 IAAF World Championships.
The Bowerman Mile was won by Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot in 3:49.87 from 18-year-old Ethiopian Samuel Tefera (3:51.26), with Elijah Manangoi (3:52.18) only narrowly third ahead of another teenager, Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:52.28), who broke the European under-20 mile record.
In the field events, local boy Ryan Crouser had the home crowd on their feet when he threw a meeting record of 22.53m in winning the shot put, while Jenn Suhr’s pole vault of 4.85m was also a new mark for the Eugene event. She won on countback from New Zealand’s Eliza McCartney, who set a national record.
World champion Christian Taylor produced the goods when he had to in the triple jump, only taking the lead with his final effort of 17.73m, which meant Will Claye’s 17.46m season’s best secured second.
Mutaz Essa Barshim secured what now appears to be a customary high jump victory, with a height of 2:36m enough to defeat Danil Lysenko.
» Full results can be found here, while the May 31 edition of AW will also include coverage
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