World leads on wild night in Doha

The javelin’s 90-metre club gained two new members at the Jehour Doha Meeting with Neeraj Chopra throwing an Indian record of 90.23m before Julian Weber snatched victory with a last-round throw of 91.06m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting on Friday (16).

Both men had thrown beyond 89 metres on several occasions in recent years, with their PBs – 89.94m for Chopra and 89.54m for Weber – dating back to 2022. Tonight in the Qatari capital, though, they finally bettered the hallowed barrier, becoming the 25th and 26th men to throw beyond 90 metres.

Chopra, the world champion, opened with 88.44m to take an early lead, while Weber started with a more conservative 83.82m. Chropa then produced his PB throw in round three, breaking his own Indian record with 90.23m, then Weber responded with 89.06m.

Chopra didn’t improve on his third effort and closed out his series with a solid 88.20m, but Weber finished with a flourish, throwing 89.84m in round five then a world-leading 91.06m to take victory in the final round. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters was third with 85.64m.

It was just the seventh time in history that two men have thrown beyond 90 metres in the same javelin competition. Weber now moves to 17th on the world all-time list while Chopra sits at 24th.

“I don’t know how that happened,” said Weber, the 2022 European champion. “The previous weeks weren’t that good for me, but today I just felt great. It also was the winning throw in the last round, so it came out really perfect.

“The conditions here in Doha with the backwind is great for us javelin throwers. If you make the right adjustments and throw a little higher, it just flies great.

“I was really happy for Neeraj because he had been fighting for that 90-metre throw for some time and it was really special to achieve it tonight.”

World leads for Masalela, Clayton and Cherotich

World and Olympic finalist Tshepiso Masalela from Botswana produced a well-timed run to win the men’s 800m. He passed Kenya’s Wycliffe Kinyamal in the closing stages and held off USA’s Bryce Hoppel to win in a world-leading 1:43.11, just 0.11 shy of the meeting record set by David Rudisha 15 years ago.

Hoppel took second place in 1:43.26, just ahead of Kinyamal (1:43.37).

Another world-leading mark was established soon after, this time by Olympic finalist Tia Clayton in the women’s 100m. The 20-year-old Jamaican got a great start and managed to hold her advantage to the line, finishing ahead of her twin sister Tina, 10.92 to 11.02 (2.0m/s). Britain’s Amy Hunt was third in a PB of 11.03, just ahead of multiple world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (11.05).

At the end of the evening, Faith Cherotich produced a thrilling finish to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase in a world-leading 9:05.08. World and Olympic champion Winfred Yavi was in control going into the final lap. Cherotich drew level on the back straight, but Yavi had a slight lead coming off the final bend.

Cherotich, the Olympic bronze medallist, negotiated the final barrier best, though, and charged past Yavi in the closing stages to win by 0.18. Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew was third in 9:09.27.

Olympic champion Thea Lafond produced a world-leading leap in the triple jump, but didn’t win. Jamaica’s Shanieka Ricketts sailed out to a wind-assisted 14.72m (3.2m/s) in the second round, which remained the best of the day, but Lafond’s leap of 14.39 (1.9m/s) for second place is the farthest wind-legal outdoor jump in the world this year.

Tebogo takes 200 triumph

Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo, contesting his first 200m on the Diamond League circuit this year, emerged with a narrow victory. The versatile sprinter from Botswana coasted into the lead but eased down – almost too much – before the end, crossing the line in a season’s best of 20.10 (0.7m/s) to win ahead of USA’s Courtney Lindsey (20.11).

Earlier in the programme, 2019 world champion Salwa Eid Naser equalled the meeting record of 49.84 to win the women’s 400m, while Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell took the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.14.

Denny defeats discus stalwarts

Olympic bronze medallist Matt Denny got the better of Daniel Stahl and Kristjan Ceh, winners of the past two world titles, to win the discus with 68.97m.

Denny, competing for the first time since going to second on the world all-time list with 74.78m in Ramona last month, took an early lead with his opening effort of 67.33m, then improved to his winning effort in the final round. Stahl (67.06m) and Ceh (66.92m), neither of whom have competed in Ramona this year, both set season’s bests in second and third.

Molly Caudery, the 2024 world indoor champion, was the standout performer in the women’s pole vault. She got over 4.48m, 4.63m and 4.75m on her first attempts to win ahead of world champion Katie Moon and Italy’s Roberta Bruni, both at 4.63m.

Elsewhere, there was a Kenyan distance double with Reynold Cheruiyot winning the men’s 5000m (13:16.40) and Nelly Chepchirchir taking the women’s 1500m (4:05.00). Italy’s Alessandro Sibilio produced a late charge to win the men’s 400m hurdles (49.32) and USA’s Shelby McEwen took the men’s high jump with 2.26m.