Suzhou Diamond League: Top Athletes Shine with Back-to-Back Wins

Saturday, 27 April 2024

Armand Duplantis, Jasmine Camacho Quinn, Daniel Roberts, Valarie Allman scored back-to-back wins at the second leg of the Diamond League meeting in Suzhou one week after their victories in Xiamen.

Men's Pole Vault

Armand "Mondo" Duplantis clinched his second Diamond League title this season, setting a meet record with a 6.00m clearance. He made easy work of the 5.62m and 5.82m heights and secured the win with a 5.92m clearance. Although he attempted to break his own world record with a 6.25m jump, he narrowly missed. Ben Broeders and Sam Kendricks shared second place at 5.82m, while Jacob Wooten came in fourth with a 5.72m jump.

Duplantis commented, "Jumping six meters and completing a successful tour feels great. Conditions need to be perfect for a world record, and I didn't feel it on the runway tonight. I'll be training back home before heading to my next competition in Ostrava."

Women's Discus Throw

Olympic champion Valarie Allman claimed her second consecutive Diamond League victory in China, throwing 69.86m with four additional throws over the 68-meter mark. Feng Bin from China secured second place with 67.11m, while North American record holder Yaimé Perez from Cuba took third with 65.59m.

Men's 5000 Meters

Selemon Barega, the Olympic 10,000-meter champion, began his season with a win in the men's 5000 meters, setting a meet record of 12:55.68. Ethiopia's Biniam Mehary, just 17 years old, finished second with 12:56.37, while Benson Kiplagat, a world cross-country bronze medalist, came in third with a personal best of 12:58.78.

Barega expressed satisfaction with his performance, saying, "I am super happy with today's result. My goal is to keep training and achieve better outcomes. I appreciated the supportive crowd and the excellent organization of the Suzhou meeting."

Men's 100 Meters

Akani Simbine from South Africa triumphed in the men's 100 meters with a time of 10.01, outpacing Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley, who finished in 10.04 and 10.11, respectively. Simbine equaled his seasonal best from last week's South African Championships.

Women's 200 Meters

Darryil Neita won the women's 200 meters in 22.62 in her individual seasonal debut. Anavia Battle came in second with 22.99, while world 100-meter champion Sha’Carri Richardson placed third with 23.11.

Men's 110 Meters Hurdles

Daniel Roberts, a world bronze medalist, secured his second consecutive 110 meters hurdles victory with a time of 13.12, just one hundredth of a second off the world lead. Japanese record holder Shunsuke Izumiya took second place in 13.23, with Olympic champion Hansle Parchment from Jamaica coming in third with 13.26.

Women's 100 Meters Hurdles

Jasmine Camacho Quinn from Puerto Rico was declared the winner in the women's 100 meters hurdles with a time of 12.63, after a false start by world record holder Tobi Amusan from Nigeria. Devynne Charlton took second place with 12.64.

Women's 5000 Meters

Mekedes Alemeshete from Ethiopia set the world seasonal lead in the women's 5000 meters with a time of 14:36.70. Her compatriots Ayal Dagnachew and Letesenbet Gidey finished in 14:36.86 and 14:37.13, respectively. Megan Keith from Great Britain was the top non-African finisher in 14:43.24.

Women's 3000 Meters Steeplechase

World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech from Kenya claimed her second straight victory in the women's 3000 meters steeplechase with a time of 9:07.36. Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai from Uganda was a distant second in 9:15.46, and double European champion Gesa Felicitas Krause from Germany placed third with 9:16.24, her first race since giving birth in April 2023.

Men's High Jump

Hamish Kerr bounced back from his third-place finish in Xiamen to win the men's high jump with a clearance of 2.31m. Olympic gold medalist Mutaz Barshim cleared 2.29m for second place, while USA's Vernon Turner took third with a 2.27m jump.

Women's Shot Put

Double world champion Chase Jackson threw over 20 meters for the first time this season, hitting 20.03m on her second attempt. World indoor gold medalist Sarah Mitton took second place with 19.86m, with China's Jiayuan Song and Gong Lijao following closely behind.

Women's 400 Meters

Reigning world champion Marileidy Paulino scored her second consecutive Diamond League win this year in the women's 400 meters, crossing the line in 50.89. Talitha Diggs came in second with 51.77, and world bronze medalist Sada Williams finished third with 52.00.

Men's 800 Meters

Slimane Moula from Algeria won the men's 800 meters with a time of 1:44.55, beating Wycliffe Kinyamal from Kenya, who came in second with 1:44.88.

Men's Long Jump

USA's Marquis Dendy edged out the competition in the men's long jump with a distance of 8.05m, narrowly beating 2022 world champion Wang Jianan by just 1 cm. Yuhao Shi and Carey McLeod finished in third and fourth with 7.99m and 7.93m, respectively.

Women's Long Jump

Burkina Faso's Marthe Koala won the women's long jump with a 6.68m leap, ahead of Quanesha Burks, who reached 6.59m.

Women's Javelin Throw

Haruka Kitaguchi from Japan emerged victorious in the women's javelin throw, reaching 62.97m in the sixth round, overtaking Australia’s Mackenzie Little, who had been leading with a 62.12m throw. World silver medalist Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado from Colombia came in third with 60.70m.