Jessica Schilder, Jasmine Camacho Quinn, Femke Bol and Niels Laros highlighted the Fanny Blankers Koen Games in Hengelo on a cold and rainy day.
Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho Quinn from Puerto Rico won the women’s 100 metres hurdles setting a meeting record of 12.39 in windy and rainy weather. Nadine Visser placed second improving her Dutch record to 12.46. Marione Fourie set the South African record clocking 12”49 beating Pia Skryszowska (12.57).
Jasmine Camacho Quinn: “I did not expect this time. I just wanted to get out there and try to have a better start. I know where I went wrong in the race a little bit, but I will take it. It’s a seasonal best and this was not good weather. I compete in Szekesfehrvar in hotter weather, so I am excited about that. I think everything is coming together for me”.
Women’s 400 metres:
World 400 metres hurdles champion Femke Bol won the women’s 400 metres in 50.02 setting a meeting record. Martina Weil from Chile finished second setting a national record with 51.05m.
Femke Bol: “It feels great to win in Hengelo and set a meeting record considering the circumstances of today. I don’t know what this race tells about my shape, since it is my first 400 metres outdoors. The audience and the loud cheering are especially helpful. The weather were not really great. I honestly did not know during the race that I would run a meeting record., since I don’t really focus on the time during a race.”
Women’s 1000 metres:
European under 20 champion Niels Laros from the Netherlands won the men’s 1000 metres in a national and world under 20 record and European lead of 2:14.37. Laros moved to sixth place in the European all-time senior list.
Niels Laros: “I did not really have any expectations today because it is my first race of the season. My training went well, so I came here for for the win, It is great not to only win, but also run the world under 20 record."
Women's Shot Put:
Schilder set a European lead and a new Dutch record of 20.33m in the women’s shot put. Lijao Gong from China took the early lead with 20.00m in the second round, but she was overtaken by two-time world champion Chase Jackson, who produced a throw of 20.07m in the fifth round. Schilder moved into first place with 20.33m in the final round.
Jessica Schilder: “With my second throw, which was fault, it went above 20.00m, I thought “come on, I just have to be relaxed if that throw is already above 20.00. I managed to do that with the fourth round, but with the fifth round I wanted too much. In the sixth round I really wanted to make something special out of it. I did not work to keep my nerves under control, which was also due to the rain. The National record says that my form is great, but I know that I have to make some improvements regarding my technique. We will see what is possible in Paris. I just want to enjoy today."
Women’s 800 metres:
Double European champion Keely Hodgkinson clocked 1:57.36 to win the women’s 800 metres. Prudence Sekgodiso from South Africa, winner at the Diamond League meetings in Marrakesh and Oslo, finished second with 1:58.75. Hodgkinson, who won the Diamond League in Eugene in a world leading of 1:55.78, pulled away in the final straight to finish 10 metres ahead of Sekgodiso.
Keely Hodgkinson: “I wanted a little bit more with the time but I have not probably gone after a 800m race since Eugene and that was such a different race so I am happy to be back out here doing my best. I am glad I decided to run the Europeans and now I am just fully focused on Paris and everything is going well. I have just one more race at the London Diamond League meeting. I can’t wait. It’s an iconic one so I am really looking forward to it. I was gutted after Athing Mu fell at the US Trials. The 800 metres race has been hyped up and it’s so unfortunate thing that has happened. I am really sad not to see her at the Olympic Games in Paris. I am sure we will have many battles in the future."
Women’s 1500 metres:
Melissa Courtney Bryant won the women’s 1500 metres in 4:03.58 beating USA’s Dani Jones (4:03.78). Yolanda Ngarambe from Sweden took third place in 4:04.50 ahead of Maureen Koster (4:04.59). Sifan Hassan was overtaken around the final bend by Courtney Bryant and Jones and had to settle with fifth place in 4:04.83 after Ngaramb and Koster moved past her in the final 50 metres.
Melissa Courtney Bryant: “It’smy fourth time and I have never won here before, so I really wanted to win. I was hoping to run under 4 minutes. I really wanted a fast race. The pacers slowed a bit and I just thought: focus on racing, don’t look at the clock. I held back a bit until 200 metres to go. Unfortunately I did not make the Olympics, I was gutted to miss out, but I will hopefully have another race next week then get back into training and hopefully come out after the Olympics and race the girls who were there."
Sifan Hassan: “I did my warm-up too early and then I cooled down too much. I don’t think it says anything about the shape I am in. I still have three weeks to have good training and then I will decide which distance I will run in Paris."
Men’s discus throw:
World record holder Mykolas Alekna won the men’s discus throw with 69.07m in the first round beating last year’s Diamond League winner Matthew Denny (68.17m) and Olympic and European bronze medallist Lukas Weishaidinger (66.82m).
Mykolas Alekna: “The conditions were pretty tough. It was raining. It was not easy, but I am happy . The circle is a bit slippery and also the grip. When the discus gets wet it’s hard to throw. The preparations for Paris are going really smooth.
Men’s triple jump:
World outdoor and indoor champion Fabrice Zango leapt to a meeting record and a seasonal best of 17.57m in his sixth attempt in the men’s triple jump. Zango won nine of his ten competitions this year.
Zango moved past Yasser Triki from Algeria, who had taken the early lead with 17.07m in the second round. Max Hess from Germany also jumped over the 17 metres barrier 17.03m.
Fabrice Zango: “I am really happy with my mark of 17.57m, which is a seasonal best. Going into the competition, I wanted to jump far and around 17.60m, so that Is great. I don’t know why, but I jump the farthest in my last attempt. Every time I try to focus on things that I can improve with my speed and technique."
Men’s 5000 metres:
Ethiopia’s Telahun Haile Bekele won the men’s 5000 metres in 13:01.12 ahead of Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir (13;02.25) and Tadese Worku (13:02.56).
Men’s 100 metres:
African record holder Ferdinand Omanyala claimed the win in the men’s 100 metres in 10.01 ahead of Olympic finalist Ronnie Baker (10.03) and Olympic 200 metres champion André De Grasse (10.07). Forty-year-old Churandy Martina from the Netherlands finished ninth in 10.47 in the final race of his career in front of his home fans.
Ferdinand Omanyala: “The time could not be fast due to the weather, since it is cold here. The fans are nice. I love the fans everywhere and I am always excited to see such an amazing audience. We are getting into camp towards the Olympic Games and we will see what happens in Paris."
Women’s pole vault:
Gabriela Leon won the women’s pole vaultwith 4.62m. European silver medallist Ekaterini Stefanidi finished second with 4.52m. Emily Grove took third place with 4.42m beating Ellen Vekemans from Belgium and Italian record holder Roberta Bruni on countback.
Women’s 100 metres:
US sprinter Celera Barnes won the women’s 100 metres in 11.19 beating 2022 European champion Gina Luckenkemper from Germany (11.25) and Marije Van Hunenstijn from the Netherlands (11.38).
Men’s high jump:
World indoor champion Hamish Kerr from New Zealand topped the men’s high jump with 2.25m beating Australia’s Brandon Starc (2.22m).
Men’s 400 metres:
Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi won the men’s 400 metres in 45.29 holding off Jean Paul Bredau from Germany by 0.01.
Women’s 10000 metres:
Ethiopia’s Lemlem Nibret won the women’s 10000 metres in 30;32.42 ahead of her compatrion Gete Alemayehu (31:06.57).