On a cool, blustery afternoon at Hayward Field, with many outbreaks of heavy rain, Norman was one of many athletes who defied the conditions to make it another memorable edition of the Prefontaine Classic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had zero expectation of what I could run today,\u201d said Norman, who revealed he and coach Quincy Watts had gone \u201cback to the basics\u201d during their winter training. \u201cHard work and consistency with diet and training,\u201d he said. \u201cMy motto this year has been that if it\u2019s comfortable, it\u2019s too easy \u2013 on the weight room or the track. Based on how I felt, there are a few areas I can improve on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking to next month\u2019s US Championships and the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 on the same track in July, Norman said: \u201cI\u2019m going to train like I want to do something special, and when the time comes, the time comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon was equally peerless when taking the women\u2019s 1500m in commanding fashion, the Olympic champion tracking chief rival Gudaf Tsegay until the final turn, at which point she blew by and came home a clear winner in a world lead and meeting record of 3:52.59. Tsegay got second in 3:54.21 with Canada\u2019s Gabriela Debues-Stafford third in 3:58.62. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe race today gave me great morale that everything I\u2019m doing is correct towards the World Championships \u2013 that\u2019s my biggest fish and I hope for the best, for the gold medal,\u201d said Kipyegon, who is \u201cgoing to think about\u201d a world record attempt at 1500m later in the summer. \u201cI was not expecting (to run 3:52) when I saw the rain this morning, but I felt comfortable. It was good.\u201d<\/p>\n
USA’s Ryan Crouser produced by far the standout performance in the field events, the Olympic shot put champion looking utterly peerless when launching a world-leading 23.02m effort in the second round. That left him well clear of long-time rivals Joe Kovacs (22.49m) and Tom Walsh (21.96m).<\/p>\n
What made it more impressive is that Crouser did not use his full technique, but threw off a \u201cstatic\u201d starting position, which prior to today had never produced a 23-metre effort. Crouser said he usually throws 40-60cm farther when utilising his full technique. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought 23 was possible but I thought I\u2019d have to get into my full (technique) to do it,\u201d said Crouser. \u201cMy best static ever was in the 22.90s. To throw a static PR, under a heavy load, without a taper, is a really good indicator of where I can be seven or eight weeks from now.\u201d <\/p>\n
Berihu Aregawi turned in a superb solo performance to take the men\u2019s 5000m in a meeting record and world lead of 12:50.05, coming home well clear of fellow Ethiopians Samuel Tefera (13:06.86) and Selemon Barega (13:07.30). Aregawi swept to the front in the third kilometre after the pacers stepped aside and the Ethiopian broke clear of the field, powering through to the final laps to a rapturous reception from the crowd, which historically loves displays of fearless distance running. <\/p>\n
In the men\u2019s 400m hurdles, Brazil\u2019s Alison Dos Santos achieved another dominant performance, clocking a world-leading 47.23 to come home a distant winner ahead of USA\u2019s Khalifah Rosser and Quincy Hall, who both clocked personal bests of 48.10. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy with this, but I want more, I want to go faster,\u201d said Dos Santos. \u201cMe and (Rai) Benjamin never win against (Karsten) Warholm, and nobody wants to lose, but it\u2019ll be hard for us to come up against him at the World Championships and win. He is the boss, the guy to beat, and for winning the final you need to run 45 (seconds) \u2013 everyone is so strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah once again asserted her supremacy with a comfortable win in the 100m, clocking 10.79 (0.7m\/s) to beat Sha\u2019Carri Richardson, who bounced back to form with a 10.92 clocking to edge Shericka Jackson, who was third in 10.92. Britain\u2019s Dina Asher-Smith was fourth with 10.98. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to cross the line healthy and with the win,\u201d said Thompson-Herah, who explained prior to the event that she\u2019d been managing a niggle in training. \u201cIt got me ready for my championship in Jamaica next month.\u201d<\/p>\n
USA\u2019s Trayvon Bromell laid down a big marker ahead of next month\u2019s US Championships by defeating his chief rivals in the 100m, pulling clear to take a comfortable win in 9.93 (-0.2m\/s). Fred Kerley was next best with 9.98, while Christian Coleman faded from first at halfway to third at the finish, clocking 10.04 just ahead of Noah Lyles (10.05). <\/p>\n
“I really just wanted to come out with the win as I knew the wind was iffy today,” said Bromell. “There were some technical things I wanted to do better with but I just have to go back to the drawing board and try to fix it.”<\/p>\n
Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn came from behind to score an impressive win in the 100m hurdles, a non-Diamond League event, the Puerto Rican clocking 12.45 into a slight headwind (-0.7m\/s) with Nigeria\u2019s Tobi Amusan second in 12.58 and USA\u2019s Tonea Marshall third in 12.66. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a little sloppy,\u201d said Camacho-Quinn. \u201cI hit my trail leg a couple of times and that slowed me up, but I\u2019ll take it. I went 12.4 in these conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jamaica\u2019s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was a clear winner of the women\u2019s 200m in 22.41 (0.8m\/s), with USA\u2019s Brittany Brown second in 22.74 and Anthonique Strachan of Bahamas third in 22.76. <\/p>\n
Norway\u2019s Jakob Ingebrigtsen re-asserted his supremacy in the Bowerman mile, the Olympic champion breaking clear with a lap to run and coming home a comfortable winner in a world lead of 3:49.76, with Australia\u2019s Ollie Hoare second in a PB of 3:50.65 and world champion Timothy Cheruiyot third in 3:50.77. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great race \u2013 I\u2019m where I\u2019m supposed to be,\u201d said Ingebrigtsen, who will \u201cfor sure\u201d double over 1500m and 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22. Looking towards the European Championships in Munich, he said he\u2019d \u201clove to do 800m, 1500m, steeplechase, 5km, 10km and marathon, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s possible with the schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n
He will next race over 800m before competing at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Oslo on 16 June. <\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s Keely Hodgkinson utilised her typical sit-and-kick tactics to great effect to take the women\u2019s 800m, the Olympic silver medallist powering clear of race leader Natoya Goule entering the home straight and holding off the late surge of world indoor champion Ajee Wilson to win in a world lead of 1:57.72, with Wilson second in 1:58.06 and Raevyn Rogers third in 1:58.44. <\/p>\n
Olympic champion Athing Mu was a late withdrawal after contracting Covid-19, but Hodgkinson is looking forward to renewing their rivalry in July. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt would have been good if she was here, but she\u2019s going to be there at the World Champs and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll have a good duel then \u2013 I look forward to racing her,\u201d said Hodgkinson. \u201cI felt really good, it was a bit windy out there but there was good competition, it was a good run. I can\u2019t complain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sweden\u2019s Khaddi Sagnia unleashed a PB of 6.95m (1.0m\/s) to take victory in the women\u2019s long jump, with Nigeria\u2019s Ese Brume second with 6.82m and USA\u2019s Tara Davis third with 6.73m. <\/p>\n
Norah Jeruto, the Kenyan-born athlete who now represents Kazakhstan, produced an impressive display to win the women\u2019s 3000m steeplechase in 8:57.97, a world lead. Bahrain\u2019s Winfred Mutile Yavi was close behind in second, clocking a PB of 8:58.71, while Ethiopia\u2019s Mekides Abebe was third in 9:03.26. <\/p>\n
In the men\u2019s 1500m, a non-Diamond League event, New Zealand\u2019s Samuel Tanner took victory in a PB of 3:34.37 in front of Britain\u2019s Neil Gourley, who clocked a PB of 3:34.85.<\/p>\n
Italy\u2019s Martina Caironi set a world record of 14.02 in the T63 women\u2019s 100m, while in the men\u2019s T62 400m, Germany\u2019s Johannes Floors took the win in 48.13. <\/p>\n
Cathal Dennehy for World Athletics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" USA\u2019s Michael Norman produced the standout performance at the\u00a0Wanda Diamond League meeting in...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"city":[],"class_list":["post-2653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2653"},{"taxonomy":"city","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/city?post=2653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}