Asafa Powell was the talk of day two of 2016 World indoor Championships, after running two impressive races in the 60m, with many seeing him as favourite to win GOLD, however he was stunned in the final, beaten by Trayvon Brommel.
Twice running 6.44s in the first round and the semi-final there were mooted talks about Powell breaking Maurice Greene’s 6.39s World indoor record, but it was not to be as Bromell crossed the finish line in 6.47s to take GOLD. Bromell who last year was joint 100m Bronze medallist with Canada’s Andre De Grasse, ran a good race coming through with a new Personal Best to win a first World indoor title.
Powell was disappointed after the race, not having the start he would have wanted he even had to clawe his way back to Silver in 6.50s. Barbados’ Ramon Gittens ran a National indoor Record (NiR) of 6.51s to win Bronze.
Interestingly, despite their dominance in the outdoor circuits Jamaica is yet to win a 60m World indoor title, and Powell will rue the missed opportunity he had at becoming his country’s first athlete ever to do so.
In other events, Nigeria-born Oluwakemi Adekoya ran a new Asian indoor Record to win her 400m semifinal race in 51.47s. USA’s Quanera Hayes finished 2nd in the race with 51.54s as Jamaica’s Stephenie Ann McPherson was 3rd in 51.91s. Zambia’s Kabange Mupopo improved from her first round NiR of 52.72s, finishing 4th in the semis with a new one of 52.68s.
It was an American 1-2 finish in the women’s 60m Hurdles as Nia Ali won GOLD in 7.81s, with Brianna Rollins taking Silver in 7.82 and Great Britain’s Tiffany Porter Bronze in 7.90s.
Canada’s Brianne Theisen Eaton needed her victory in the 800m to secure GOLD in the Pentathlon, finishing with a World Leading (WL) mark of 4881 points. While Ukraine’s duo of Anastasiya Mokhnyuk and Alina Fodorova won Silver and Bronze with PBs of 4847 and 4770 points respectively.
Not only did New Zealand’s Tom Walsh set a new NiR of 21.78m to win GOLD in the Shot Put, it was a WL, and he led from his 2nd attempt, not throwing below 21m. Andrei Gag won Silver with an SB of 20.89m and Filip Mihaljevic taking Bronze in 20.87m.
It was a very intriguing finale in the women’s Long Jump, with Olympic Champion Brittney Reese living it late to nick GOLD from Ivana Spanovic with her very last attempt of 7.22m. Spanovic thought she had won, leaping to an NiR of 7.07m but she had to settle for Silver after Reese’s last jump that saw miss out on the American record by just one centimetre. Great Britain’s Lorraine Ugen leapt to a new NiR to take Bronze in 6.93.
Actions will return for Day three of the World indoor championships with more medals to be won.
