The American’s landmark achievement – which was a new Area record, a meeting record and a Diamond League record – now takes its place behind the top five vaults by the double Olympic champion who retired on the day of the Rio 2016 pole vault final, from which she was excluded following the IAAF ban on Russian track and field athletes following allegations of state-supported doping.
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Jamaica’s double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson confirmed her sprint queen status with an emphatic 100 metres victory at a season-ending Diamond League meeting packed with gold medal winners in Brussels.
Ethiopia’s Olympic gold medallist and world record holder at 10,000 metres, Almaz Ayana, finished more than seven seconds adrift of her world 5,000m record target but still won comfortably in 14min 18.89sec to confirm her overall Diamond Race victory.
Ayana sliced almost 14 seconds off the previous world 10,000m best – set by Wang Junxia in 1993 during the era of notorious Chinese coach Ma Junren – when she won Olympic gold in 29min 17.45sec at last month’s Rio Games.
“It was really close between Julian and myself, but I’m happy with the result”, said Gemili.
Well behind, Shannon Rowbury of the United States set a continental record of 14:38.92.
The men’s high jump, which was the most open of the 16 remaining Diamond League events, produced a surprise as Erik Kynard of the U.S., the Olympic silver medallist at London 2012, who could only finish sixth at Rio 2016, took the overall prize with victory on the night. “The only thing I regret is not going under 13 seconds this season”.
The Jamaican shot out of the blocks and never let Schippers close to finish in 10.72 seconds.
In the men’s high jump, Erik Kynard prevailed in a four-way battle involving Bohdan Bondarenko, Robbie Grabarz and Mutaz Essa Barshim.
South African Caster Semenya, Olympic 800m gold medallist, pulled off an extraordinary victory in the women s 400m, setting a personal best of 50.40sec for the win that looked completely out of question after the first half of the race. McPherson got the overall Diamond Race win with 39 points to Natasha Hastings’ 32, the American having finished fifth in Brussels. Poland’s world silver medallist Adam Kszczot pipped Kenya’s Kipyegon Bett in the 800m – a strong surge seeing the victor clock 1:44.36 to Bett’s 1:44.44 as world bronze medallist Amel Tuka was third in 1:44.54. Finishing fifth with a time of 55.26 after a strong start, Doyle achieved a total of 40 points for the season but Tate’s win helped her to 50 points for overall victory.
Eilidh Doyle of Great Britain, who has also won two Diamond League events this season, lined up at the Brussels meet in front of Tate in the overall Diamond Race standings for the women’s 400 hurdles.
Spain’s Olympic 110m hurdles silver medallist Orlando Ortega needed all his competitive will to overhaul Pascal Martinot-Lagarde as the Frenchman ran an outstanding first six hurdles.
The Dutchwoman could only finish fifth in the blue riband event in Rio, rebounding to claim 200m silver behind Thompson, who remains the sprinter to beat after victories in the Lausanne 100m and Zurich 200m.
Another four-time Diamond Race victor was Colombia’s Olympic triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen as she leapt 14.66m to beat London 2012 gold medallist Olga Rypakova with 14.41m.
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Britain’s Elliot Giles ran 1:46.49 to place third in an 800m “B” race won by Kenya’s Willy Kiplimo Tarbei in 1:45.11.
