Another week of incredible performances on the Diamond League circuit, with multiple World Leads achieved and many fierce battles in Doha. 

Even though some of the sprints didn’t feature as deep of fields due to the World Relays the weekend prior, we saw incredible runs from Kenny Bednarek, Alison de Los Santos, Daryll Neita, Tamari Davis, and many more.

Mary Moraa, Jemma Reekie, Beatrice Chebet, Ejgayehu Taye, and Samuel Firewu highlighted some of the best middle and long distance performances on the day.

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• Kenny Bednarek Cruises To 19.67 200m PR, World Lead, & Doha Diamond League Meet Record
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Kenny Bednarek Runs World Lead in Men’s 200m

Even though the sprinting events were not the highlight for this year’s Doha Diamond League, “Kung Fu Kenny” Bednarek made sure people paid attention, as he ran an impressive 19.67 over 200 meters, which stands as the fastest time in the world in 2024 thus far.

Without much competition to push him, Bednarek ran incredibly strong from Lane 7, never giving an edge to his opponents by seizing the lead early and running away from the field. 

Once he hit that turn 👋

19.67 = 200m PR, world lead, meet record, No. 9 all-time U.S.@kenny_bednarek #DohaDL💎pic.twitter.com/2rAcHmrIbc

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) May 11, 2024

Bednarek has always been an under-the-radar type of guy behind Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley… but this kind of performance in early May makes him a lethal weapon at the top of the sprinting world. Watch out for Kung Fu Kenny!

Mary Moraa Wins First Diamond League Appearance of 2024

Positioning herself right behind the pacemaker, Mary Moraa looked very smooth in running 1:57.91 to win the Women’s 800 meters in Doha.

After getting out in 56 seconds through the first 400 meters, Moraa held the lead, but with Jemma Reekie, Noelie Yarigo, and Haibtam Alemu hanging right there behind her, it was an incredibly tight pack with just 100 meters remaining.

Moraa would employ her signature kick on the homestretch, giving herself the win over runner-up Reekie by half a second and exuding some great confidence in competing against a great field.

After all of those races running the 400 meters to start the year, Moraa is looking like she's starting to refine her groove in the 800 meters to wreak havoc on the world stage once again.

Brian Komen Nearly Runs PB in Upset Men’s 1500m Victory

The star-studded cast in this men’s 1500 field included Timothy Cheruyiot, but Brian Komen outlasted him in the final stages to win his first Diamond League meeting in 3:32.42, just off his PB of 3:32.43.

Reynold Cheruyiot finished in third, whereas pre-race favorites Narve Gije Nordas ended up in fifth and Samuel Tefera finished in a modest 11th, three seconds back of the lead.

As the pace remained fairly honest throughout, Timothy Cheruyiot took the primary leading duties through a majority of the race after the pacemaker stepped off, but could not hold off the charging Komen, who also brought home the gold in the 1500m at the African Games just a few weeks ago.

Komen’s career on the international scene is fairly young, which bodes very well considering he’s already taking down great talents such as Cheruyiot and Nordas. With mainly only results in the 1500m listed in his young career, may we see him step down to the 800m or up to the 5,000m?

Two Centimeters Separate 1st and 2nd in Men’s Javelin

There was an incredibly tight battle in the Men’s Javelin, as Jakub Vadlejch won over Neeraj Chopra by just two centimeters, as Vadlejech threw 88.38m to Chopra’s 88.36m.

Vadlejch took the lead early, holding strong with this third throw being the one to secure him victory, fouling his two final throws. Chopra, on the other hand, saved his best throw for last, as his 88.36 came up just short of the victory and only ended up 1.6 meters from his PB. We’ll likely see some excellent battles between these two throughout the remainder of the season and this was a great, drama-filled start.

Alison de Los Santos Dominates Men’s 400m Hurdles, Runs World Lead

Continuing his legacy as a perennial medal contender in the 400m hurdles, Alison de Los Santos obliterated the competition in Doha, running 46.86 to establish the new World Lead by over a second.

After a late start to his 2023 campaign and finishing 5th at the World Athletics Championships, de Los Santos has already run faster in 2024 than he did in all of 2023—this is his fastest season opener, by far.

He’s clearly ready to challenge the likes of Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin… and it’s only early May! We should be excited about the state of the men’s 400m hurdles with these three to watch.

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