By Trevor Stynes
SILESIA, Poland, Aug 23 (Reuters) – World champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden handed Olympic gold medallist Julien Alfred her first loss of the season to win the women’s 100 metres at the Silesia Diamond League on Sunday, with Oblique Seville storming to victory in the men’s sprint.
In a stacked race featuring the top three at both the last Olympic Games and World Championships, American Jefferson-Wooden led from the off and posted a season’s best of 10.78 seconds, with Alfred lunging in vain for the line to take second.
Olympic silver medallist Sha’Carri Richardson trailed in third, at 10.96. Alfred’s time of 10.83 was also her best this season, but not enough to avoid defeat for the first time over 100m and 200m this year.
“Running in a race of this quality feels amazing. I missed it a lot,” Alfred said. “But I am in second place, so great is not the right word, rather disappointed.”
World champion Seville posted a time of 9.83 seconds, and after finishing second in London last month, looks to be hitting form ahead of the World Athletics Ultimate Championships next month in Budapest.
The Jamaican had time to take a look to his right at American Kenny Bednarek coming in second at 9.87, with former world champion Chris Coleman in third.
Brazil’s former world champion Alison Dos Santos beat world record holder Karsten Warholm to win the men’s 400m hurdles in a time of 46.43 seconds.
The pair were neck-and-neck coming into the home straight with Dos Santos jumping the final hurdle just in front and held off Warholm to the line, who ran 46.52.
Norway’s Warholm arrived in Poland on the back of retaining his European gold in Birmingham last week, which may have played a role in his tired finish.
Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino left her rivals behind in the women’s 400m, posting a time of 48.87 to beat Jamaican Nickisha Pryce, with Olympic silver medallist Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain in third.
Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma came from behind with a bursting sprint finish to overtake Australian Jessica Hull before the line to win the women’s 1,500m.
Hull looked headed for victory coming into the final 100m, before Duguma stormed past, winning with a personal best of 3:55.06. World silver medallist Dorcus Ewoi took third.
HOCKER AND INGEBRIGTSEN DUEL FAILS TO MATERIALISE
The men’s 1,500m had been billed as the battle between Olympic champion Cole Hocker and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who was running his first 1,500 in almost a year and only his second race this season after winning 5,000m European gold last week.
The pair were left to contend for third place, with Hocker finishing ahead of Ingebrigtsen, as American Ethan Strand won in a time of 3:30.77 ahead of Kenyan Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech.
UKRAINIAN PRIDE
Olympic champion and world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh was the only athlete to clear 2.00 metres to win the women’s high jump on the day her country Ukraine celebrates National Flag Day.
“I like to represent Ukraine, this is really important to me considering that the war lasts already more than four years,” Mahuchikh said. “Today is our day of the Ukrainian flag and this makes my victory even more special.”
Mondo Duplantis won the men’s pole vault but failed in his bid to break the world record for a 16th time.
It may not have been a Diamond League event, but with Duplantis involved, the crowd inside the sun-soaked Silesia Stadium were captivated to the end.
The Swede looked rocky early on, failing his first attempts at 5.65 metres and 5.90, but was the only one to clear 6.20. The bar was raised to 6.32, with Duplantis looking to break his own record by another centimetre, but retired after failing with his first effort.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Mark Porter)
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