Lausanne (AFP) – Switzerland’s Audrey Werro clocked a meet best to win the 800m on home soil at the Lausanne Diamond League on Friday, but fell well short of the world record. The newly-crowned European champion, the third fastest ever in the women’s two-lap race, is aiming to break the 1min 53.28sec run by Jarmila Kratochvilova of then-Czechoslovakia in 1983. It remains the oldest world record in track and field, albeit one that is highly contested having come during a period when systemic doping of athletes was prevalent. Kratochvilova, however, never failed a doping test.
Unlike the European champs, the Diamond League features wavelight technology, trackside lighting that enables runners to see at what pace they are running. Werro also had Myrte van der Schoot as her pacemaker, but despite the Dutchwoman clocking an electric 54.64sec for the opening 400m, the 22-year-old Swiss could not maintain the pace, ultimately winning in a meet record of 1:55.33. “I really enjoyed the race, especially with all the fans who came to support me,” said Werro. “The turnaround after the European championships was very short, so I had to recover quickly, and I felt more tired than usual today. Despite that, I managed to win, so I’m very happy.”
Related news
Femke Broeders-Bol, the former two-time world 400m hurdles champion who won European bronze behind Werro and Britain’s Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson in Birmingham, came second in a national record of 1:55.41. “The Europeans gave me confidence, and this race gives me even more confidence that I belong with the best,” said Broeders-Bol. “I need to trust myself, keep pushing after 500 metres, stop protecting myself too much and simply enjoy racing.”
World and Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi claimed victory in the men’s 800m in 1:42.19 ahead of Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, the two-time world silver medallist who won bronze at the Paris Games. It was a first Diamond League 800m win of the season for the Kenyan after two second places and a fourth-placed finish in London last month. He did, however, set a new world best for the non-Olympic distance of 1,000m in Monaco. “I had a battle, especially over the final 100 metres, but I felt very strong and I’m happy to have won the race,” said Wanyonyi, with Canada’s 2023 world champ Marco Arop finishing fourth.
Britain’s Amy Hunt, who won a historic four golds at the recently-concluded European championships, had to be happy with second behind American Kayla White in the 200m. White won in 22.18sec, with Hunt holding off Nigeria’s Favour Ofili in a photo-finish at 22.32. Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, the two-time former world champion in the event, pulled up with 70 metres of the race to run. Hunt acknowledged that she had been “tired before the race and my pre-competition felt pretty stiff.”
Botswana’s Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo dominated the men’s 200m, winning in 19.87sec in a dominant display. Like Hunt, there was also no joy for Italy’s Andy Diaz Fernandez, who went out to the third longest distance ever, of 18.15m, to win gold at the Euros in Birmingham. He finished third in Switzerland with a best of 17.20m, Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo winning with 17.44.
Pre-empting Werro, there were also meet records for American Masai Russell in the 100m hurdles (12.27sec) and teammate Rai Benjamin, who has been focused on the 400m flat this season, in the 400m hurdles (46.67), beating Edwin Moses’ mark of 47.14 from 1981. “It was my first 400m hurdles race of the season, so it was rusty as hell, but I’m happy with it,” said Benjamin, the reigning Olympic and world hurdles champion. “I feel really good, and I have a flat 400m at the Silesia Diamond League in Chorzow on Sunday. I wanted to do things differently this year, have some fun and try some interesting things.”
© 2024 AFP
