Caster Semenya is unstoppable. The South African middle-distance runner blew away the women’s 800m field with her trailblazing run in Monaco Diamond League on July 15. In clocking 1:55.33, Semenya set a DL record, a new South African record and logged the best 800m time since 2008. Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba was second with her personal best. Monaco DL also threw up other notable performances. In men’s 1500m, Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi emerged as the surprise winner in a field that included three Olympic champions; compatriot Asbel Kiprop, Algerian Taoufik Makloufi and Great Britain’s Mo Farah. In men’s 400m, world champion South African Wayde Van Niekerk celebrated his 24th birthday by finishing first ahead of Trinidad & Tobago’s Machel Cedenio with a time of 44.12. Fast-improving Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers ran women’s 100m into a headwind and still clocked 10.94 for a dominant victory over double Olympic winner Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown and men’s high jump saw a 2.39m winning leap from Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi.
Men’s 1500m at Monaco was unexpectedly won by Kenya’s Ronald Kwemoi in 3:30.49. The field also included Kwemoi’s compatriot, DL race leader and Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop and two other Olympic champions; Algeria’s Taoufik Makloufi, and Great Britain’s Mo Farah. Another Kenyan Elijah Motonei Manangoi finished second in 3:31.19 while Algeria’s Taoufik Makloufi was third in 3:31.35. Kwemoi led from start, did the first 400m in 53 seconds and 800 in 1:49. Until then, Kiprop was right behind and Olympic bronze medalist Abdelaati Iguider at third. With 400m left, 10 athletes battled for the top finish but in final stages, Kwemoi broke away to finish as the standout winner. 2015 Monaco DL 1500m winner Mo Farah was fourth, 4 seconds slower than his last years’ time of 3:28.93.
In men’s high jump, Italian Gianmarco Tamberi provided some entertainment with a half-shaved face and baggy basketball shorts. He won the event in a strong field after his first-time clearances of 2.22m and 2.37 meters. At 2.39m, European Champion Tamberi also had Ukraine’s 2013 world champion Bogdan Bondarenko alongside. But Bondarenko failed in his three attempts while Tamberi also missed his first two. On the third as the Italian went over, his heel nicked the bar but it stayed put. Then they raised it further to 2.41. The night turned into shambles for the winner as he crashed through the bar on his second attempt and rolled out by the side clutching his knee. He had to be taken away on stretcher to the utter disappointment of his Italian supporters, who had Rio Gold in their minds for their favorite star.
In a 1-2-3 for Kenya, women’s 3000m was won by Hellen Obiri in 8:24.27 ahead of Mercy Cherono, who clocked 8:27.25. Another Kenyan Janet Kisa was third in 8:28.33. There was another Kenyan 1-2-3 in men’s 3000m steeplechase with Conseslus Kipruto, Paul Koech and Barnabas Kipyego finishing in 8:08.11, 8:08.32 and 8:09.13, respectively. Kipruto had recorded a much better 8:00.12 at Birmingham DL but even with a much slower time, he ended as the winner.
