On July 09, 2015, the Lausanne Diamond League Meeting concluded with Justin Gatlin and Mo Farah producing great performances in the events of their choice. USA’s Justin Gatlin was dominant in his 9.75s 100m sprint leaving Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay in his wake. Great Britain’s Mo Farah, who disappointed his fans at Birmingham by an eleventh-hour withdrawal, ran gloriously at Lausanne. Farah finished first in 13:11.77 on Thursday night in his first race since the circulation of doping allegations against his coach. But Ethiopia’s 17-year-old Yomif Kejelcha gave Farah a tough challenge and he was the only one close to him in the final 100m. In the other news from Lausanne athletic night, Nijel Amos defeated David Rudisha in 800m and Pedro Pablo Pichardo lost a pitched battle for triple-jump superiority before losing to USA’s Christian Taylor. In another unexpectedly brilliant performance at Lausanne, Britain’s 19-year-old 200m sprinter Zharnel Hughes finished a sensational race to clock the personal best time of 20.13. Incidentally, Hughes acquired his British citizenship only a month ago.
Champion sprinter Justin Gatlin brought the 100m race alive by out-running two of the biggest names in the event at the Athletissima Diamond League meet. Justin Gatlin crossed finish line in 9.75s to leave Paris DL winner Jamaica’s Asafa Powell in second place in 9.92. Gatlin’s compatriot Tyson Gay was third. But Gatlin had already run 0.01 seconds faster this season and he looks in terrific form ahead of the Beijing World Championships in August 2015. If Usain Bolt could overcome his leg injury by then, he will have a hard-nosed opponent in Gatlin at Beijing.
Mo Farah made a resounding return to the track with a great victory in the 5000m event. It was the first time in 41 days that the British athlete was back on the track. He was due to run at Birmingham on June 7 but doping allegations against his coach forced him to cancel his plans. On Thursday, Farah was impressive for 13 minutes 11.77 seconds that took him to cover 5000m. But he had a bit of scare from Ethiopian teenager Yomif Kejelcha, who went past him with 300 meters to go despite Farah leading until the last two laps. As Kejelcha crossed Farah, the Briton still had his last weapon of finishing speed and he shot himself forward on the home stretch and crossed the Ethiopian, who finished second. Farah’s next race will be 1500m in Monaco before he comes back to London for taking part in the 3000m during Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games.
In men’s 800m, Botswana’s Nijel Amos, finished ahead of David Rudisha in 1:43.27. After his victory in New York, the Kenyan had hoped for a repeat at Lausanne but Amos crossed Rudisha halfway down the straight. Rudisha settled for second place with 1:43.76. For Ethiopia’s world indoor and outdoor champion Mohammed Aman, the pace prove too hot as he was eighth in 1:46.03.
After their historic show at Doha, USA’s Christian Taylor and Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo dished out another stupendous triple-jump contest at Lausanne. Finally Taylor won with 18.06m, the same distance that PPP jumped to set the DL record at Qatar. Pichardo made a great start with an effort of 17.85m. One round later, PPP enhanced his lead with a jump of 17.99m. When Taylor fouled his fourth attempt, it seemed that the contest was over for him but he found some hidden energy with an effort that took him in the lead with a jump of 18.02m. Next when, PPP wanted to respond with a huge jump, he was ruled to have committed a foul. Taylor added another 4 centimeters in his final effort to finish the winner.
Britain’s Zharnel Hughes scored a great victory in 200 meters to become the first ever British athlete to win a 100m or 200m race at a DL event in a Personal Best time of 20.13. Hughes ran a fantastic bend from lane two and finished ahead of the pack. Hughes trains alongside Usain Bolt in Jamaica and he won the British title last weekend. After Julius Yego scintillating 91.39m throw men’s javelin at Birmingham DL meeting last month, it was the turn of Olympic champion, Trinidad and Tobago’s Keshorn Walcott, who hurled the spear through 90.16m to set a national and meeting record. Czech Republic’s world champion Vitezslav Veseley was second with a third-round effort of 87.97m. In women’s discus, Croatia’s world champion Sandra Perkovic suffered a rare loss to Cuba’s Yaimi Perez. In her Personal Best, the Cuban threw 67.13m, 7 centimeters ahead of Perkovic. In men’s shot put, Germany’s David Storl produced another fine performance to continue as the DL leader. Storl had a challenge from USA’s Joe Kovacs, who passed him to lead with 21.71m but the German’s fourth round hurl of 22.20m proved decisive.
In women’s 3000m steeplechase, USA’s Emma Coburn led until the second half but she allowed two Africans to move past her. The race ended with Kenya’s Virginia Nyambura winning in 9:16.99 ahead of Ethiopia’s Hiwot Ayalew. In women’s 1500 m Jenny Simpson of USA also fell to third place after a good start. The winner was Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan in 4:02.36.
In women’s long jump, USA’s Tianna Bartoletta maintained her DL lead with a victory in 6.86m while Britain’s Shara Proctor was second in 6.79m. In women’s 200m, USA’s Allyson Felix was first in 22.09s ahead of Netherlands’ European champion Dafne Schippers, who came second in 22.29s. Women’s 400m was won by Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller with the Personal Best time of 49.92s ahead of USA’s Sanya Richards-Ross, who clocked 51.12.
