Shanghai Diamond League: Brianna McNeal, Dalilah Muhammad Shine For USA
Shanghai Diamond League: Brianna McNeal, Dalilah Muhammad Shine For USA
Top American action at the IAAF Shanghai Diamond League meeting came from Brianna McNeal, Dalilah Muhammad and Paul Chelimo.
The second stop on the IAAF Diamond League circuit was this morning in Shanghai, China, where top American and international athletes competed for valuable points and prize money. Below, we recap the highlights.
Women's 100m Hurdles: Brianna McNeal Leads U.S. Women's Sweep
Reigning Olympic champion Brianna McNeal (formerly Rollins) handed world record holder Keni Harrison her first Diamond League loss since 2015, when she placed second to Sharika Nelvis in Monaco while fresh from the NCAA season.
Her winning time of 12.50 (+0.9) set a Shanghai meeting record. U.S. indoor 60m hurdles champion Sharika Nelvis was second in 12.52 and Harrison ran 12.56. McNeal continues to prove that she is just as fit as she was in 2016, though she served a one-year ban for the entirety of 2017 for missing three drug tests.
Harrison clipped the seventh hurdle, which allowed McNeal and a hard-closing Nelvis to finish ahead.
The 100h will always keep you at the edge of your seat. Hit & knocked down hurdle 7 but defeats never get me down only better. Thank you @shanghaiDL for having me. #floknows #faithful #kenikrew
— Keni Harrison (@Ken_AYE_) May 12, 2018
2017 world silver medalist Dawn Harper-Nelson finished eighth in 12.94.
Women's 400m Hurdles: Dalilah Muhammad Back On Top
Reigning Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad of the United States out-leaned Jamaica's Janieve Russell, 53.77 to 53.78, to win her 2017 Diamond League debut.
The win comes after losing to fellow American Georganne Moline, 54.86 to 55.08, at the Drake Relays two weeks ago. Moline was a non-factor in this race today, placing eighth in 59.51.
Men's 5K: Paul Chelimo Dives, Misses The Win By .02
The United States' Paul Chelimo nearly earned his first Diamond League victory with a wire-to-wire performance in the 5K, but couldn't hold off 22-year-old Birhanu Balew of Bahrain, who won in 13:09.64 to 13:09.66.
Chelimo glanced back to measure his lead at least a dozen times over the final quarter mile and it's entirely possible he may have earned the win if he had just looked straight ahead.
Good season opener?.....I will live to fight another day,will be more lethal when it counts✊?
— Paul Chelimo???? (@Paulchelimo) May 12, 2018
Reigning world 5K champion Muktar Edris of Ethiopia finished fifth in 13:10.98.
Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the steeplechase, dropped out in what was his first serious attempt at a 5K.
Men's 800m: Wycliffe Kinyamal Sets Meet Record In 1:43, Murphy Runs 1:45, Windle 1:47
Kenyans Wycliffe Kinyamal and Jonathan Kitilit, who won the Commonwealth Games and Kenyan Commonwealth Trials, respectively, dominated the race with sub-1:44 clockings of 1:43.91 and 1:43.95.
The 20-year-old Kinyamal hails from the same village as world record holder David Rudisha.
Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy of the U.S. enjoyed a nice season's best to clock 1:45.97 for sixth place, his first run under 1:47 this year. Fellow American Drew Windle, the world indoor silver medalist, struggled in his second-ever Diamond League race with a 1:47.77 run for tenth place.
Women's 200m: Shaunae Miller-Uibo Sets Meet Record, Americans Struggle
The Bahamas' Shaunae Miller-Uibo accelerated effortlessly away from a loaded field to win the women's 200m with a new meeting record of 22.06 (-0.4). Two-time reigning world champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands was second in 22.34.
None of the Americans managed to break 23 seconds, as Jenna Prandini (23.02), Kyra Jefferson (23.05) and Deajah Stevens (23.05) placed sixth, seventh and eighth in the field of nine.
Men's 110m Hurdles: Omar McLeod Sets World Lead
Jamaica's Omar McLeod showed why he is the world's most dominant short hurdler by setting a new world leader of 13.16 (+0.2) over the field. Rio Olympic silver medalist Orlando Ortega and world silver medalist Sergey Shubenkov of Russia both ran 13.17 to place second and third.
American Aries Merritt was sixth in 13.65.
Men's 400m: Steven Gardiner Runs Meet Record 43.99
Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas won his second straight Diamond League 400m race with a 43.99, which set a new meeting record in Shanghai.
Gardiner's 43.87 win in Doha still ranks No. 1 in the world this year.
Isaac Makwala of Botswana ran 44.23 for second, a new season's best after running 44.92 in Doha.
Fred Kerley led the American contingent with a 44.71, fourth-place finish. Christian Taylor was the second American with a 45.24, fifth-place run. Taylor is better known as a five-time global champion in the triple jump, but is focusing on the 400m this summer as there are no Olympics or Worlds to aim for in the triple.
Men's 100m: Reece Prescod Wins, Young Fifth, Gatlin Seventh
Reece Prescod of Great Britain won his debut Diamond League race in 10.04 (-0.5), as he seemingly came out of nowhere in lane eight to surpass early leader and hometown favorite Su Bingtian, who ran 10.05.
Isiah Young was the top American in fifth place with a time of 10.18 as reigning world champion Justin Gatlin was seventh in 10.20. Three-time Olympic medalist Andre de Grasse of Canada, once heralded as the successor to Usain Bolt, continued to struggle as he placed eighth in 10.25.
Women's Shot Put: Raven Saunders Takes Third In Diamond League Debut
Former Ole Miss thrower Raven Saunders took third in her Diamond League debut with a competition-best mark of 18.63m, which she threw on her sixth and final attempt. Though she finished relatively high in the final standings, the mark itself was poor compared to her season-opening marks of 19.56m and 19.51m, the former of which was a world leader.
Lijiao Gong of China won the competition with a new world lead of 19.99m.