Emma Coburn Aiming To Break American Record At Paris Diamond League
Emma Coburn Aiming To Break American Record At Paris Diamond League
With the USATF Championships out of the way, several Americans are off to Europe to continue on the Diamond League circuit on Saturday in Paris.
With the USATF Championships out of the way, several Americans are off to Europe to continue on the Diamond League circuit on Saturday in Paris. Some are continuing to hone their tactics in advance of the World Championships, like U.S. champions Emma Coburn, Sam Kendricks, and Ameer Webb, while others seek some redemption abroad after falling short of qualification to London.
Who: Emma Coburn, Ruth Jebet, Celliphine Chespol, Hyvin Kiyeng, Beatrice Chepkoech, Sofia Assefa
When: ​3:00 PM ET
Why: Fresh from winning her sixth straight USATF steeplechase title, Emma Coburn told the press that she intends on pressing her American record of 9:07.63 in the event at this weekend's Diamond League meeting in Paris. The City of Lights is a good place to take up the task, as it was the 2016 Paris DL meeting that saw Olympic champion Ruth Jebet of Bahrain break the eight-year-old world record by an astonishing six seconds in 8:52.78.
Emma Coburn said after the USATF Championships that she hopes to challenge her American record in Paris:
As dominant as Jebet was in 2016, the 20-year-old ranks just No. 4 in the world this year with her season best of 9:01.99; she won the Shanghai Diamond League but placed third at both Doha and Prefontaine. She may soon be replaced as the favorite for the world title by Kenya's 18-year-old wunderkind Celliphine Chespol, who won Prefontaine in the world's second-fastest time ever of 8:58.78, even while stopping at the second-to-last water jump to readjust her shoe.
Chespol easily disposed of Jebet and her countrywoman Beatrice Chepkoech in that race's final meters, though Chepkoech closed in 9:00.70, which makes her the fifth-fastest woman in world history. Jebet followed in 9:03.52 for third. Coburn was a well-beaten fourth in 9:07.96, a time that narrowly missed breaking her own American record. Coburn hopes to close the gap this weekend as all three of the women who beat her in Eugene, OR, will also race in Paris.
Another Kenyan to watch is Hyvin Kiyeng, the Olympic silver medalist and 2015 world champion. The 25-year-old ran a season-best 9:00.12 to win in Doha ahead of Chepkoech, Jebet, Chespol, and Coburn.
Who: Sifan Hassan, Winny Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, Meraf Bahta, Besu Sado, Gudaf Tsegay, Rababe Arafi, Angelika Cichocka, Nelly Jepkosgei
When: ​3:40 PM ET
Why: The top three ranked women in the world this year are entered in Paris for what should be an exciting preview of the IAAF World Championships 1500m final later this summer in London.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands has enjoyed a banner year since joining Alberto Salazar's Nike Oregon Project and is undefeated in 1500m and mile distances. The 2016 world indoor 1500m champion has twice run 3:56 this year in races just three days apart at Rome and Hengelo, the latter race producing her world-leading time of 3:56.14 and the former marking a three-second victory over Winny Chebet, whose 3:59.16 runner-up time is the second fastest in the world this year.
​Watch Sifan Hassan set the world lead and Rome Diamond League record of 3:56.14:
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya owns the third-fastest time this year in 3:59.22 and is the only other woman under four minutes in 2017 besides Germany's Kostanze Klosterhalfen. But as the reigning Olympic champion, Kipyegon remains the favorite for the world title in August. Indeed, she is undefeated in the 1500m this year, including wins at the Shanghai Diamond League and the Prefontaine Classic. She also defeated Chebet by a full second at the Kenyan Trials.
Meraf Bahta of Sweden and Besu Sado of Ethiopia have also run under 4:01 this year, and an additional four women here have run under 4:02 in 2017.
Who: Elaine Thompson, Morolake Akinosun, Murielle Ahouré, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor
When: ​2:29 PM ET
Why: Jamaica's double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, who famously swept the 100m and 200m title in Rio, will seek some redemption in Paris after recording her first loss in a race shorter than 400m in nearly a year with a third-place finish at the Pre Classic 200m. Thompson ran 21.98 in that race to finish behind Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas and American Tori Bowie, who earned silver and bronze, respectively, in the 100m and 200m at last year's Olympic Games.
Since Pre, Thompson refocused on winning the 100m at the Jamaican National Trials, where she lowered her world-leading time to 10.71 (+0.8) and nearly broke the Jamaican national record of 10.70, which Thompson shares with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
​Watch Elaine Thompson run a world lead of 10.71 in the 100m at the Jamaican National Senior Trials:
Thompson, who celebrated her 25th birthday on Tuesday, is expected to race only the 100m at the World Championships later this summer.
Morolake Akinosun of the United States will also have something to prove here on the Diamond League circuit. The Texas alum finished fourth for the second year in a row in the 100m finals at the USATF Championships, thus guaranteeing herself a spot in the relay pool but failing to secure an individual position in the 100m at worlds. She won an Olympic gold medal last year in Rio for her efforts in the prelims of the 4x100m for Team USA.
This year has looked like her time to make an impact individually after winning the 100m at the Pre Classic over a stellar field that included the three fastest women in the world this year not named Elaine Thompson -- Murielle Ahouré, Michelle-Lee Ahye, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, all of whom ran between 10.82 and 10.84 at the start of the season.
However, USATF 100m champion Tori Bowie did say after her 200m final, in which she placed third, that she was not interested in pursuing a double at worlds and had not yet decided which event to focus on. If Bowie sets her sights on the 200m, Akinosun would take her place in the 100m in London. Either way, Paris will be a nice opportunity for Akinosun.
​Morolake Akinosun talks to FloTrack after placing fourth in the USATF 100m finals:
Who: Christian Taylor, Will Claye
When: ​2:38 PM ET
Why: The men's triple jump competition was one of the stranger events at the USATF Championships, as two-time Olympic champion and world leader Christian Taylor intentionally fouled out. The 27-year-old already had a bye to the IAAF World Championships thanks to his status as both the 2015 world champion and reigning Diamond League champion, but he's required by USATF to compete at the national championships in order to be selected to Team USA. Taylor, who trains in Great Britain, flew straight from Sacramento back to Europe, where he is competing in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Wednesday and Paris on Saturday.
​Christian Taylor spoke to the media at the USATF Championships about intentionally fouling in the triple jump to save energy for the European circuit and World Championships:
Taylor's intentional absence left room for fellow American Will Claye to secure a rare win at USAs, as the two-time Olympic silver medalist is usually runner-up behind Taylor at the sport's biggest events. Now, both will meet in Paris, and we'll see on Saturday--and, again later, in the world final--if Taylor's decision to skip nationals was a good one or not.
The duo's battle at the Prefontaine Classic produced a then-PB for Claye, who uncorked a 17.82m as well as a wind-aided 18.05m, both of which pushed Taylor to a world-leading mark of 18.11m, the second-farthest jump of his career and 0.10m off his American record.
Claye, also an aspiring rapper, moved up to No. 4 American all-time in Sacramento last weekend, setting a 17.91m PB to win USAs.
Who: Renaud Lavillenie, Sam Kendricks, Shawn Barber, Kevin Mélnado, Raphael Holzdeppe, Pawel Wojciechowski
When: ​1:32 PM ET
Why: A who's who of the men's pole vault will meet in world-record holder and Frenchmen Renaud Lavillenie's backyard. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist has won his last two competitions but finished second in both the Shanghai and Eugene Diamond League events to American Sam Kendricks, who took over the world lead from 17-year-old Swede Mondo Duplantis with a 6.00m PB to win USAs this past weekend.
Kendricks, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is undefeated in 2017 and looks to keep the momentum building toward London in pursuit of his first global gold medal.
​Sam Kendricks reflects on his first career clearance of 6.00m to win USAs:
Defending world champion Shawn Barber of Canada has not exhibited the form this year that saw him win gold in Beijing, as his season-best stands at just 5.71m, 15th in the world this year and well off his PB of 6.00m. He was a well-beaten third in Shanghai behind both Lavillenie and Kendricks and just fifth in Eugene.
Who: Ameer Webb, Ramil Guliyev, Rasheed Dwyer, Churandy Martina
When: ​3:52 PM ET
Why: The final event of the Paris Diamond League competition is the men's 200m, featuring newly minted U.S. champion Ameer Webb. The 26-year-old Webb, third in last year's Olympic Trials 200m, collected his first USATF outdoor title over NCAA champion and world No. 2-ranked Christian Coleman in the finals in Sacramento. Justin Gatlin and Lashawn Merritt, last year's champion and runner-up, respectively, were late scratches from the event, as was 19-year-old Noah Lyles, who won the Shanghai Diamond League in 19.90, the third-fastest time in the world this year.
Paris represents a nice opportunity for Webb, the 2016 Doha champion for 200m, to pick up his first Diamond League victory of the year after placing fourth in Shanghai and third in Rome.
​Ameer Webb talks to the press after winning his first USATF outdoor title in the 200m:
Women's 3K Steeplechase
Who: Emma Coburn, Ruth Jebet, Celliphine Chespol, Hyvin Kiyeng, Beatrice Chepkoech, Sofia Assefa
When: ​3:00 PM ET
Why: Fresh from winning her sixth straight USATF steeplechase title, Emma Coburn told the press that she intends on pressing her American record of 9:07.63 in the event at this weekend's Diamond League meeting in Paris. The City of Lights is a good place to take up the task, as it was the 2016 Paris DL meeting that saw Olympic champion Ruth Jebet of Bahrain break the eight-year-old world record by an astonishing six seconds in 8:52.78.
Emma Coburn said after the USATF Championships that she hopes to challenge her American record in Paris:
As dominant as Jebet was in 2016, the 20-year-old ranks just No. 4 in the world this year with her season best of 9:01.99; she won the Shanghai Diamond League but placed third at both Doha and Prefontaine. She may soon be replaced as the favorite for the world title by Kenya's 18-year-old wunderkind Celliphine Chespol, who won Prefontaine in the world's second-fastest time ever of 8:58.78, even while stopping at the second-to-last water jump to readjust her shoe.
ICYMI:- Cellphine Chespol won the 3000m SC in 8:58.77 -2nd fastest of all time, national record & a new #preclassic & Hayward Field record. pic.twitter.com/x921OP8oAM
— Katami Michelle (@MichKatami) May 27, 2017
Chespol easily disposed of Jebet and her countrywoman Beatrice Chepkoech in that race's final meters, though Chepkoech closed in 9:00.70, which makes her the fifth-fastest woman in world history. Jebet followed in 9:03.52 for third. Coburn was a well-beaten fourth in 9:07.96, a time that narrowly missed breaking her own American record. Coburn hopes to close the gap this weekend as all three of the women who beat her in Eugene, OR, will also race in Paris.
Another Kenyan to watch is Hyvin Kiyeng, the Olympic silver medalist and 2015 world champion. The 25-year-old ran a season-best 9:00.12 to win in Doha ahead of Chepkoech, Jebet, Chespol, and Coburn.
Women's 1500m
Who: Sifan Hassan, Winny Chebet, Faith Kipyegon, Meraf Bahta, Besu Sado, Gudaf Tsegay, Rababe Arafi, Angelika Cichocka, Nelly Jepkosgei
When: ​3:40 PM ET
Why: The top three ranked women in the world this year are entered in Paris for what should be an exciting preview of the IAAF World Championships 1500m final later this summer in London.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands has enjoyed a banner year since joining Alberto Salazar's Nike Oregon Project and is undefeated in 1500m and mile distances. The 2016 world indoor 1500m champion has twice run 3:56 this year in races just three days apart at Rome and Hengelo, the latter race producing her world-leading time of 3:56.14 and the former marking a three-second victory over Winny Chebet, whose 3:59.16 runner-up time is the second fastest in the world this year.
​Watch Sifan Hassan set the world lead and Rome Diamond League record of 3:56.14:
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya owns the third-fastest time this year in 3:59.22 and is the only other woman under four minutes in 2017 besides Germany's Kostanze Klosterhalfen. But as the reigning Olympic champion, Kipyegon remains the favorite for the world title in August. Indeed, she is undefeated in the 1500m this year, including wins at the Shanghai Diamond League and the Prefontaine Classic. She also defeated Chebet by a full second at the Kenyan Trials.
59.55 last lap 35:59.67 for Faith Kipyegon! #preclassic #DiamondLeague pic.twitter.com/jkZwVmrgb5
— Prefontaine Classic (@nikepreclassic) May 27, 2017
Meraf Bahta of Sweden and Besu Sado of Ethiopia have also run under 4:01 this year, and an additional four women here have run under 4:02 in 2017.
Women's 100m
Who: Elaine Thompson, Morolake Akinosun, Murielle Ahouré, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor
When: ​2:29 PM ET
Why: Jamaica's double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, who famously swept the 100m and 200m title in Rio, will seek some redemption in Paris after recording her first loss in a race shorter than 400m in nearly a year with a third-place finish at the Pre Classic 200m. Thompson ran 21.98 in that race to finish behind Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas and American Tori Bowie, who earned silver and bronze, respectively, in the 100m and 200m at last year's Olympic Games.
HOLY TORIE BOWIE! American hands Elaine Thompson and Shaunae Miller rare losses with 21.77 world leader #PreClassic https://t.co/StwPzTdXwn pic.twitter.com/KZCVZtL6W7
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) May 27, 2017
Since Pre, Thompson refocused on winning the 100m at the Jamaican National Trials, where she lowered her world-leading time to 10.71 (+0.8) and nearly broke the Jamaican national record of 10.70, which Thompson shares with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
​Watch Elaine Thompson run a world lead of 10.71 in the 100m at the Jamaican National Senior Trials:
Thompson, who celebrated her 25th birthday on Tuesday, is expected to race only the 100m at the World Championships later this summer.
Elaine Thompson clocked WL 10.71 in Women's 100M at National Senior Trials. pic.twitter.com/c1vLSqg11H
— Team Jamaica (@JamaicaOlympics) June 25, 2017
Morolake Akinosun of the United States will also have something to prove here on the Diamond League circuit. The Texas alum finished fourth for the second year in a row in the 100m finals at the USATF Championships, thus guaranteeing herself a spot in the relay pool but failing to secure an individual position in the 100m at worlds. She won an Olympic gold medal last year in Rio for her efforts in the prelims of the 4x100m for Team USA.
This year has looked like her time to make an impact individually after winning the 100m at the Pre Classic over a stellar field that included the three fastest women in the world this year not named Elaine Thompson -- Murielle Ahouré, Michelle-Lee Ahye, and Veronica Campbell-Brown, all of whom ran between 10.82 and 10.84 at the start of the season.
However, USATF 100m champion Tori Bowie did say after her 200m final, in which she placed third, that she was not interested in pursuing a double at worlds and had not yet decided which event to focus on. If Bowie sets her sights on the 200m, Akinosun would take her place in the 100m in London. Either way, Paris will be a nice opportunity for Akinosun.
​Morolake Akinosun talks to FloTrack after placing fourth in the USATF 100m finals:
Men's Triple Jump
Who: Christian Taylor, Will Claye
When: ​2:38 PM ET
Why: The men's triple jump competition was one of the stranger events at the USATF Championships, as two-time Olympic champion and world leader Christian Taylor intentionally fouled out. The 27-year-old already had a bye to the IAAF World Championships thanks to his status as both the 2015 world champion and reigning Diamond League champion, but he's required by USATF to compete at the national championships in order to be selected to Team USA. Taylor, who trains in Great Britain, flew straight from Sacramento back to Europe, where he is competing in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on Wednesday and Paris on Saturday.
​Christian Taylor spoke to the media at the USATF Championships about intentionally fouling in the triple jump to save energy for the European circuit and World Championships:
Taylor's intentional absence left room for fellow American Will Claye to secure a rare win at USAs, as the two-time Olympic silver medalist is usually runner-up behind Taylor at the sport's biggest events. Now, both will meet in Paris, and we'll see on Saturday--and, again later, in the world final--if Taylor's decision to skip nationals was a good one or not.
The duo's battle at the Prefontaine Classic produced a then-PB for Claye, who uncorked a 17.82m as well as a wind-aided 18.05m, both of which pushed Taylor to a world-leading mark of 18.11m, the second-farthest jump of his career and 0.10m off his American record.
Will Claye 17.91!! pic.twitter.com/bwupQ2IsOE
— Joe Fleming (@ByJoeFleming) June 24, 2017
Claye, also an aspiring rapper, moved up to No. 4 American all-time in Sacramento last weekend, setting a 17.91m PB to win USAs.
Men's Pole Vault
Who: Renaud Lavillenie, Sam Kendricks, Shawn Barber, Kevin Mélnado, Raphael Holzdeppe, Pawel Wojciechowski
When: ​1:32 PM ET
Why: A who's who of the men's pole vault will meet in world-record holder and Frenchmen Renaud Lavillenie's backyard. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist has won his last two competitions but finished second in both the Shanghai and Eugene Diamond League events to American Sam Kendricks, who took over the world lead from 17-year-old Swede Mondo Duplantis with a 6.00m PB to win USAs this past weekend.
Kendricks, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is undefeated in 2017 and looks to keep the momentum building toward London in pursuit of his first global gold medal.
​Sam Kendricks reflects on his first career clearance of 6.00m to win USAs:
Defending world champion Shawn Barber of Canada has not exhibited the form this year that saw him win gold in Beijing, as his season-best stands at just 5.71m, 15th in the world this year and well off his PB of 6.00m. He was a well-beaten third in Shanghai behind both Lavillenie and Kendricks and just fifth in Eugene.
Men's 200m
Who: Ameer Webb, Ramil Guliyev, Rasheed Dwyer, Churandy Martina
When: ​3:52 PM ET
Why: The final event of the Paris Diamond League competition is the men's 200m, featuring newly minted U.S. champion Ameer Webb. The 26-year-old Webb, third in last year's Olympic Trials 200m, collected his first USATF outdoor title over NCAA champion and world No. 2-ranked Christian Coleman in the finals in Sacramento. Justin Gatlin and Lashawn Merritt, last year's champion and runner-up, respectively, were late scratches from the event, as was 19-year-old Noah Lyles, who won the Shanghai Diamond League in 19.90, the third-fastest time in the world this year.
Paris represents a nice opportunity for Webb, the 2016 Doha champion for 200m, to pick up his first Diamond League victory of the year after placing fourth in Shanghai and third in Rome.
​Ameer Webb talks to the press after winning his first USATF outdoor title in the 200m: