Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon hit world record-breaking form at Sunday’s Diamond League meet in Paris, in the perfect boost before the Olympics beginin three weeks’ time in the French capital.
Mahuchikh broke the 37-year-old women’s high jump world record, while Kipyegon improved her own record in the women’s 1,500m, two results that make them two of the stars to watch in Paris.
World champion Mahuchikh set a new best of 2.10m, beating by 1cm the record set by Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova at the 1987 world championships in Rome.
Photo: Reuters
“Coming into this competition, I had feelings that I could jump 2.07m and maybe 2.10m,” Mahuchikh said. “Finally, I signed Ukraine into the history of world athletics.”
In the 1,500m, led out by two pacemakers, two-time defending Olympic champion Kipyegon broke to the front and clocked three minutes, 49.04 seconds in a superb display of running. It improved by 0.07 seconds her previous best set in Florence in June last year.
“Wow this is just amazing. I am so happy to break the world record over my favorite distance again,” Kipyegon said. “I can’t wait to come back to Paris to defend my Olympic title.”
Photo: Reuters
There was a distinctly Olympic tinge to proceedings at a packed Stade Charlety in southern Paris.
The stadium was awash with tricolor flags, Olympic mascots and a lot of blue after organizers asked fans to come dressed in the color to support home athletes.
It did not work for decathlon world record holder Kevin Mayer of France, who tumbled to the ground in the hurdles, the third event of a triathlon also including the shot put and long jump.
Mayer received medical attention before being helped off the track.
In better news for the hosts, Sasha Zhoya equaled his personal best of 13.15 seconds to win the 110m hurdles in a photo finish from the US’ Trey Cunningham.
The two world records notwithstanding, the stand-out race was the men’s 800m.
Algeria’s world silver medalist Djamel Sedjati edged in-form Kenyan teenager Emmanuel Wanyonyi by two-hundredths of a second to win a thriller in one minute, 41.56 seconds.
France’s European champion Gabriel Tual claimed third in a national record of one minute, 41.61 seconds as all top eight finishers set personal bests.
The podium’s times were the third, fourth and fifth fastest ever run. Only world record holder David Rudisha and Wilson Kipketer have gone faster.
Polish pace setter Patryk Sieradzki responded perfectly when Wanyonyi surged to the front of the pack, accelerating away to take the field through 400m in a blistering 48.79 seconds.
All eyes were on Wanyonyi, who had won the Kenyan trials in one minute, 41.70 seconds, but Sedjati and Tual stuck with the Kenyan coming into the home straight, the Algerian producing one final surge to claim a thrilling victory.
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