American Noah Lyles matched the fastest time in the world this year in winning the 200m in 19.69 seconds on Saturday at the Prefontaine Classic IAAF Diamond League athletics meet.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The 20-year-old former world junior champion, helped by a tailwind at the legal limit of 2.0 m/ sec, set a personal best to equal South Africa’s Clarence Munyai for the top 2018 time and even shock himself.
Starting one lane from the outside, Lyles made a great start around the curve and surged over the final 100 to finish 0.01 off Justin Gatlin’s meet record.
Ronnie Baker of USA, who owns the 2018 world best of 9.97, defended his 100m crown in a 2.4m/sec wind-aided 9.78. Compatriot Christian Coleman was second in 9.84 while Great Britain’s Reece Prescod was third in 9.88.
Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou, last year’s world 100m and 200m runner-up, won the women’s 100m in 10.88, 0.02 ahead of compatriot Murielle Ahoure. Rio Olympic champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica was third in 10.98 with reigning world champion Tori Bowie of the USA fifth in 11.03.
Reigning Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas surged late to win the women’s 400m in 49.52 with world champion Phyllis Francis of the USA second in 50.81. Rio Olympic runner-up Allyson Felix withdrew with no reason given.
Olympic and world champion Caster Semenya of South Africa defended her 800m crown in a meet record 1:55.92 with American Ajee Wilson second in 1:56.86.
Reigning world and Olympic champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica won the men’s 110m hurdles in a wind-aided 13.01, rallying to edge non-aligned competitor Sergey Shubenkov by 0.07 of a second with a 3.0 m/sec tailwind.
Two-time Olympic and three-time world champion Christian Taylor won the triple jump by leaping 17.73m on his final attempt with fellow American Will Claye, the world and Olympic runner-up, second at 17.46 and Brazil’s reigning world indoor champion Almir Dos Santos third at 17.35.
Barshim, Crouser win
Reigning world champion and two-time Olympic medallist Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar won the high jump by clearing 2.36m with non-aligned athlete Danil Lysenko edging China’s Wang Yu for second on fewer misses after both cleared 2.32.
Rio Olympics champion Ryan Crouser of the USA won the shot put with a heave of 22.53m. Poland’s Michael Haratyk was second in 21.97, ahead of Brazil’s Darlan Romani (21.95).
American Jenn Suhr, the 2012 Olympic champion, won the women’s pole vault in a meet record 4.85m, edging New Zealand’s Rio Olympic bronze medallist Eliza McCartney on fewer misses.
Former world 1,500m champion Genzebe Dibaba won the women’s 5,000m in 14:26.89 while fellow Ethiopian Letesenbet Gidney was second in 14:30.29. World champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya finished third in 14:35.03.
American Shelby Houlihan won the women’s 1,500m in a personal best 3:59.06, 0.24s ahead of Great Britain’s Laura Muir. Jamaica’s Janieve Russell, the Commonwealth Games champion, won the women’s 400m hurdles in 54.06, edging 2016 Rio Olympics champion Dalilah Muhammad of the USA by 0.03s.
Kenya’s Benjamin Kigen won the 3,000m steeplechase in a personal best 8:09.07, the fastest time in the world this year, and compatriot Timothy Cheruiyot, last year’s world 1,500m runner-up, won the mile in 3:49.87.
