Yomi Omogbeja
Egypt’s Ihab Abdelrahman El Sayed threw 87.10m with his penultimate effort of the night to win the men’s Javelin competition at the 2014 Meeting Areva – IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris, France on Saturday.
The Egyptian, who is the reigning African record-holder, edged out Finland’s Tero Pitkamaki (86.63m, SB) and Germany’s Thomas Rohler (84.74m, PB) into second and third positions respectively.
Kenya’s Julius Yego, who came fourth at the 2013 World championships in Moscow with 85.40m, finished a disappointing 10th with a second round legal throw of 71.06m.
Reigning world champion and Diamond Race leader, Vítezslav Vesely of Czech Republic, settled for fifth place with a throw of 81.43m.
Earlier in the season, Abdelrahman El Sayed, 25, set the African record with a monster throw of 89.21m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, China in May.
Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare, the African 100m record-holder, took the women’s 200m win ahead of reigning Olympic champion Allyson Felix of the USA by two hundredths of a second.
The 25-year-old crossed the line in a time of 22.32 secs, with the four-time Olympic champion Felix second in a season’s best time of 22.34 secs.
Anthonique Strachan of Bahamas (22.54) and France’s Myriam Soumare (22.60) came in third and fourth respectively, with reigning world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica finishing a disappointing fifth in 22.63.
Blessing Okagbare winning the women’s 200m at the Meeting Areva – IAAF Diamond League in Paris, France / © Jiro Mochizuki / IDL
Kenya’s double world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop produced a standout performance and a world best time of the year in winning the men’s 800m with 1:43.34.
Botswana’s Olympic silver medallist, Nijel Amos, clocked 1:43.70 for second place with Cuba’s Yeimer Lopez third in a season’s best time of 1:43.71. Young Frenchman Pierre-Ambroise Bosse finished fourth in a season’s best 1:44.23, while Kenya’s Robert Biwott finished a lowly ninth in a time of 1:45.21.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands produced a surprise victory in the women’s 1500m, overcoming a strong field which included Sweden’s world indoor and outdoor champion Abeba Aregawi and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, with a new Dutch record of 3:57.00.
The 21-year-old was followed home by American Jennifer Simpson, who ran a personal-best 3:57.22, and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri (3:58.89). Reigning world champion Abeba Aregawi of Sweden finished a disappointing 10th in 4:03.46.
Ethiopia’s Hiwot Ayalew clocked a fast 9:11.65 to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase, erasing the previous Meeting Areva record set by Tunisia’s Habiba Ghribi in 2012.
American Emma Coburn set a lifetime best of 9:14.12 for second with Diamond Race leader and race favourite Sofia Assefa, from Ethiopia, clocking 9:18:71 in third place.
Salima El Ouali Alami set a new Moroccan record to finish fifth in 9:21.24, while reigning world champion Milcah Chemos of Kenya ran a season-best time of 9:26.49.
Kenya’s Edwin Cheruiyot Soi clocked a world-leading 12:59.82 to win the men’s 5,000m from Ethiopia’s Yenew Alamirew, who clocked 13:00.21.
The next IAAF Diamond League meet will be held at the Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland, venue of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, on the weekend of July 11-12, 2014.
RESULTS
