Oblique Seville inflicted another defeat on Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the 100m on a night of heavy rain and several surprises at the Wanda Diamond League meeting at Athletissima Lausanne on Wednesday.
Just weeks after beating Lyles at the Diamond League meeting in London, Seville powered to an impressive 9.87m in Lausanne to claim his second win of the season.
It was a third straight 100m defeat for Lyles, who finished second with 10.02, edging out Ackeem Blake in a photo finish.
Seville’s win was one of several surprise results on a night where many of the world’s best struggled amid a relentless downpour and cool temperatures.
Emmanuel Wanyonyi, returning to the track where he set his lifetime best last year, was this time relegated to runner-up as world indoor champion Josh Hoey burst from the pack down the home straight to charged ahead and win in 1:42.82.
Wanyonyi finished second in 1:43.29 ahead of Mohamed Attaoui (1:43.38) and Max Burgin (1:43.44).
Hoey finished fourth at the US Trials, missing out on making the team for the World Championships. But if he wins at next week’s Diamond League Final, he’d earn a wildcard entry for Tokyo.
Hodgkinson comeback continues
In the women’s 800m, Keely Hodgkinson continued her impressive return to action after a year out injured.
Four days ago in Silesia, in what was her first race since winning Olympic gold last year, Keely Hodgkinson won by two seconds in a world-leading 1:54.74, showing that she’s still capable of dominating the women’s 800m.
But could she do it on a cold, rainy night in Lausanne?
The 23-year-old let her feet respond to that question; the answer was an emphatic ‘yes’ in the form of a 1:55.69 victory, once again winning by two seconds.
She tracked the pacemaker through the first lap, which was covered in 56.04. She then led the pack down the back straight and went through 600m in 1:25.58 before kicking away to a convincing win in 1:55.69, smashing a meeting record that had stood since 2002.
Switzerland’s Audrey Werro came through to take second place in 1:57.34, overtaking Georgia Hunter Bell (1:57.55).
In the men’s 110m hurdles, which was held earlier in the evening when the rainfall wasn’t so heavy, world leader Cordell Tinch produced a near flawless run to win comfortably in 12.98 (0.3m/s). He led a US 1-2-3 from Jamal Britt (13.13) and Trey Cunningham (13.19).
The women’s 100m hurdles was generally more affected by the rain, though it didn’t seem to hamper Nadine Visser, who came through to win in 12.45, beating Olympic champion Masai Russell (12.53) and European indoor champion Ditaji Kambundji (12.54).
Karalis over six metres again
The field events were hit hardest by the rain, not least the women’s pole vault, which had to be cancelled after just the second height.
Fortunately for the athletes in the men’s pole vault, their event was held in Lausanne’s city centre on Tuesday evening, the night before the main competition. Competing in much kinder conditions, Olympic bronze medallist Emmanouil Karalis notched up his 10th six-metre clearance of the season to win with 6.02m.
French duo Renaud Lavillenie and Thibaut Collet tied for second place with 5.82m, the latter securing his place at the World Championships in the process.
Two-time world champion Joe Kovacs stole victory from Leonardo Fabbri in the men’s shot put, producing a fifth-round effort of 22.04m to overtake the Italian’s earlier effort of 21.77m. Adrian Piperi was third with 21.49m.
Brittany Brown, another athlete to miss out on making the US team for Tokyo, gained redemption here by winning the women’s 200m. She crossed the line in 22.23 to hold off Nigeria’s Favour Ofili (22.31) and Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith (22.37).
The winning margin was the same in the women’s 400m as Norway’s Henriette Jaeger came through in the closing stages to overtake Lieke Klaver, winning in 50.09 to the Dutch runner’s 50.17.
The two longest races on the programme – the women’s 3000m steeplechase and the men’s 5000m – soon became tactical affairs as no one was willing to chase fast times in such conditions.
NCAA champion Doris Lemngole, making her Diamond League debut, produced an impressive victory in the steeplechase, winning by four seconds in 9:16.36 ahead of Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew (9:20.39).
The men’s 5000m was even more unpredictable. Leading positions and pace changed frequently throughout. On the last lap, just when it looked as though Hagos Gebrhiwet would challenge for victory, the pack responded and Isaac Kimlei emerged as the leader, kicking to a clear victory in 13:07.67. Olympic bronze medallist Grant Fisher was second (13:08.51) and Mexico’s Eduardo Herrera third (13:09.50).
Elsewhere, in events heavily affected by the rain, Adriana Vilagos won the women’s javelin by four metres with 63.02m. Jo-Ane du Plessis was second with 58.89m while world and Olympic champion Haruka Kitaguchi struggled in the conditions, placing 10th with 50.93m.
There was a three-way tie in the women’s high jump between Nicola Olyslagers, Maria Zodzik and Christina Honsel, all of whom cleared 1.91m on their first attempts. Olympic champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh retired from the competition after her first two jumps.
Anvar Anvarov was perhaps the biggest surprise winner of the night, taking the men’s long jump with 7.84m and becoming the first Uzbek man to win at a Diamond League meeting.
Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics
