Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was back to winning ways at the Birmingham Diamond League, holding off Marie-Josée Ta Lou to win the women’s 100m with a time of 10.93s.
Having finished 5th at the World Championships where many expected her to win being the overwhelming favourite going into the competition, the Jamacian proved on Sunday that what happened in London was a blip.
Double world silver medallist, Ta Lou finished 2nd in that race with a time of 10.97s while Jura Levy was 3rd in 11.08s and Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare was 4th in 11.21s
Thompson showed a glimpse of what to expect when in the heats she comfortably won with a time of 10.97s, but Ta Lou posted the fastest time in the qualifiers taking heat 2 in 10.94s.
However it was the Jamaican who produced a fine display in the final, striding past Ta Lou who stuck with her up till the last 50m of the race.
In the men’s 200m, world champion Ramil Guliyev took the win crossing the line in 20.17s with Ameer Webb finishing 2nd in 20.26s and Aaron Brown 3rd with a Season’s Best (SB) of 20.30s. World Leader Isaac Makwala who despite coming out of the bend before others finished 4th in 20.41s
Meanwhile in the men’s 110m Hurdles, World Record (WR) holder Aries Merritt held off the challenge of Sergey Shubenkov to win with a time of 13.29s, while former world champion was 2nd in 13.31s and Allen Devon 3rd in 13.40s
In one of the biggest upsets of the Birmingham Diamond League, 5000m world champion Hellen Obiri was beaten in the women’s 3000m finishing in 4 place.
Obiri who was the favourite coming into the race, didn’t have the energy to sustain the lead after the pacemaker exited, and indirectly set the pace for her other competitors as Sifan Hassan kicked ahead of her in the last 150m to secure the win.
Hassan who won Bronze in the 5000m in London, ran a Dutch National Record (NR) and also a Meeting Record (MR) of 8:28.90 to secure the win.
20-year old Konstanze Klosterhalfen ran a German record of 8:29.89 to finish 2nd, while Kenya’s Margaret Kipkemboi finished 3rd with a Personal Best (PB) of 8:30.11. Obiri finished 4th with a time of 8.30.21
Competing in his very last track event, Mo Farah got a befitting send-off taking the men’s 3000m in 7:38.64 ahead of Adel Mechaal who was 2nd with 7:40.34 and Davis Kiplangat 3rd in 7:40.63
