Eugene/Stanford: What You Missed

From the women’s 200m to the men’s shot put, Stanford confirmed what we had come to suspect in recent weeks: in more than a few disciplines, the battle for the Diamond Trophy will be anything but a foregone conclusion.

Whether in Blessing Okagbare’s recent resurgence or in the steady rise of Darlan Romani, the Road to the Final has thrown up some surprises in recent weeks, and the race to be crowned IAAF Diamond League Champion has been blown wide open on both track and field. 

The action continues in Lausanne this Friday, but first it is worth taking a look back at Stanford, where aside from Okagbare and Romani, there were a number of eye-boggling performances to get stuck into. So before you get too excited about Friday night’s action on the shores of Lake Geneva, here is a round-up of everything you missed in the California sun. 

Top stories from Stanford

Blessing Okagbare had already reminded everyone how good a sprinter she can be with a stunning victory in Rabat, and in Stanford, she proved that to be more than just a flash in the pan with victory in the women’s 200m.

Okagbare surged past Elaine Thompson and Dina Asher-Smith to win in 22.05, missing her own African record by the daintiest of whiskers. The result sees both her and Thompso soar up the rankings to begin nipping at the heels of leader Asher-Smith. With races in Monaco and Birmingham to loook forward to ahead of the Zurich final, there are plenty of fireworks to come in the women’s 200m.

In the men’s 100m, Diamond Trophy holder Christian Coleman nailed down his place at the top of the standings with a world-leading 9.81, while in the men’s 400m, the much-hyped showdown between rising superstar Michael Norman and Diamond Trophy holder Fred Kerley ended in victory for the former. Norman clocked 44.62 to extend his two-year unbeaten run and stay on course for a place in the Diamond League Final. 

There was also excitement in the middle-distance events, as Caster Semenya broke her own meeting record with 1:55.70 in the women’s 800m. Yet even that fine performance was overshadowed by a jaw-dropping women’s 3000m. 

With stars such as Hellen Obiri, Genzebe Dibaba and Sifan Hassan, the field was well and truly studded, and the race lived up to all expectations as Hassan claimed a dramatic and historic victory after surging past Letesenbet Gidey in the final lap. 

The Dutchwoman clocked 8:18.49, a new European record and the fastest time in the world for 26 years. Having not picked up any points before Stanford, it was also a crucial victory on the Road to the Final as she looks to challenge for the Diamond Trophy she came so close to winning last year. 

Over in the field events, meanwhile, Mariya Lasitskene cruised to a flawless victory with 2.04m in the women’s high jump, while Mondo Duplantis and Sam Kendricks delighted the crowd as they exchanged (figurative) blows in the men’s pole vault. 

Duplantis eventually triumphed with 5.93m, but perhaps the bigger story happened long before the Swedish star reached his winning mark. Seven-time Diamond Trophy winner Renaud Lavillenie, making his first Diamond League appearance after a six-month injury absence this year, could not clear 5.46m, and remains on null points as a result. With only two more meetings to go in Lausanne and Monaco, there is now a serious chance that the French legend could miss out on the Diamond League Final for the very first time in 2019. 

Performance of the week

Nobody, we would wager, went to bed on Sunday evening quite as happy as Darlan Romani. While all the talk ahead of the meeting had been of the rivalry between Tom Walsh and Ryan Crouser, it was Romani who triumphed in the Stanford circle, setting a new Diamond League record of 22.61m and becoming the first non-American to win the shot put at the Prefontaine Classic. 

Having clocked two solid third-place finishes before Sunday, Romani is now well on course for a place in the final.