Lafond, Thompson-Herah and Campbell Shine at Zagreb Meeting
Olympic champion Thea Lafond produced the standout performance of the Memorial Boris Hanžeković in Zagreb by soaring to a world-leading and national record mark of 15.25m in the women's triple jump, headlining a meeting packed with world-class performances. Elaine Thompson-Herah returned to top form with a meeting record 10.91 in the women's 100m, Jamal Britt equaled the meeting record with a personal best 12.98 in the men's 110m hurdles, while Rajindra Campbell set a Jamaican record of 22.44m in the shot put. Kristjan Čeh, Pawel Fajdek, André De Grasse and several other international stars also delivered impressive victories on a hot evening in the Croatian capital.
Women’s 100 metres:
Five-time Olympic champion Elaine Thompson Herah won a close women’s 100 metres in a seasonal best of 10.91 breaking the meeting record. The Jamaican sprinter dipped under the 11 seconds barrier for the second time this season following her win in Kingston in 10.98. Her compatriot Brianna Lyston finished second in 10.94 equalling her PB set in Clermont five days after her win in Hengelo in 10.99. Ewa Swoboda from Poland, world indoor silver medallist in Glasgow 2024, took third place improving her PB to 10.98. Zoe Hobbs from New Zealand placed fourth in 11.02.
Elaine Thompson Herah: “I would say it was hard, as I said I'm doing a minor setback, I'm having a little hamstring issues, but I'm just grateful that there was no pain. So I was running with my hamstring and not my brain. So I'm healthy, I'm happy that I crossed the line without any pain, so I'm grateful. I'm satisfied, I'm just rebuilding back, doing some races. I don't care about the time, I just care about execution. I'm still working on small stuff. This win is a small and a big win also, so I'm just grateful. Definitely, I am still very ambitious, but as I said this is a rebuilding. I'm not focusing too much on the championship, just rebuilding to get back to where I was”
Women’s triple jump:
Olympic champion Thea Lafond set a world leading mark and a national record of 15.25m (+1.8 m/s) in the fifth round. Lafond produced two more valid jumps of 14.49m in the first round and 14.57m in the fourth round. World outdoor champion Leyanis Perez Hernandez from Cuba leapt to 14.76m (+1.0 m/s) in the sixth round. Dariya Derkach from Italy took third place with a seasonal best of 14.51m (+0.4 m/s) in the third round, missing her PB by just one cm. Ivana Spanovic from Serbia placed fourth with 14.25m.
Thea Lafond: “I was really coming into this meet trying to project of that board and get a good hop, I was missing that most of the season. I thought about the fact that I am not at the weight I am normally at, not running as fast as I normally am, but I feel so powerful. My coach/husband was telling me to focus on that take off and being patient of that hop and I was failing to do it for the first jumps and it wasn't until that last jump I told myself to forget everything else and just make sure that the body feels good and launch off that board. It was probably one of the easiest jump of my life, I just wish that I had figured it out a little bit earlier in the season. I have been using this week to take a little breather, I went to Slovenia to visit Neja Filipic. It was a great little mental break and it forced me to analyze myself. 15m25, saying it sounds insane. The meet is always great, it's my third time here, the weather is hot, but I am from the Carribbeans, so I am not complaining. The crowd is amazing, they take great care of us from the hotel staff to the meet officials. The triple jump is in a very good place right now. We are just naturally pushing each other. Any meet we go to at least four out of the six best jumpers are gonna be there, so we can't really have an off meet. We have to show up and perform every time and these women are rising to the occasion. Triple Jump is a very hot event right now, and if you are not paying attention you are missing out.
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Jamal Britt won the men’s 110 metres hurdles equalling Mark Crear’s meeting record with a PB of 12.98 (+1.2 m/s) in the race dedicated to the memory of Croatian hurdler Boris Hanzekovic, who died during the second World War in a concentration camp. Britt dipped under the 13 seconds barrier for the second time in his career following his win in 12.99 at the Los Angeles Grand Prix.
Shunsuke Izumiya from Japan finished second improving his PB to 13.00. Cuban 20-year-old Kendry Menendez improved his PB by five hundredths of a second to 13.02 finishing third ahead of world champion Cordell Tinch (13.17) and Enzo Diessl (13.26).
Jamal Britt: “The race wasn't perfect because of the heat, but I am happy with it even though I am not feeling at 100%, I was still able to go out there and run fast and come out with a PB. This year, I have become a lot faster in terms of full speed and this season has been quite difficult to maintain that speed in the hurdles. I fell in Rome and crashed in Doha a bit, that was frustrating. But this type of things happens so I am just trying to dial in on my technique and make sure I can maintain that speed on the hurdles. It's hurdles, it happens to fall. I always want to go out there and win. Last year I fell in the final at the US Champs but the only thing I can do is move on, I can't dwell on that one race. We still have more races to go in the season and that one race doesn't define who I am. I was able to continue regardless of what happens: win or lose, or fall. To be part of that generation in the hurdles is amazing, I mean I have seen that since before I became pro, it's generational hurdles even outside of the US. I just try to focus on myself, when I step on the line I am always betting on myself, I don't focus on anybody else but me. I got a lot more races: Paris, Eugene, Memphis and then back in Budapest and London.”
Men’s shot put:
Olympic bronze medallist Rajindra Campbell won the men’s shot put setting a Jamaican record of 22.44m in the fifth round at the Ivan Ivancic Memorial, part of the Boris Hanzekovic Memorial in the competition held at the Zagreb Fountains. European champion and two-time world medallist Leonardo Fabbri from Italy finished second with 22.21m following five consecutive wins in Rome, Lucca, Pergine Valsugana, Ostrava and Rieti. Four-time world indoor champion Tom Walsh finished third with 21.42m beating USA’s Roger Steen on countback. World silver medallist Uziel Munoz from Mexico took fifth place with 21.13m.
Rajindra Campbell: “This is my best series ever, so I was happy to chase after Fabbri threw the 22m. This competition is the best, it removed the limitation out of my mind and I just kept throwing and then the National Record came. I already threw a National Record here in 2023. One of the best things about Zagreb is when we are throwing, it's just us, all the attention and energy is here. So, this is the best place to showcase your talent and your work. I will keep coming here and hoping to continue progressing. Next is the Eugene Diamond League, the rest of July is more for training and focus on the end of the season.”
Men’s discus throw:
Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh, European champion in Rome 2024 and world gold medallist in Eugene 2022, threw to 70.32m to win the men’s discus throw for the fifth time in his career in Zagreb. British record holder Lawrence Okoye went to the lead with 68.24m in the fifth round but Ceh overtook Okoye with his winning mark of 70.32m in the sixth round. Ruben Rolvenk from the Netherlands took third place with 66.39m.
Kristjan Ceh: “Zagreb is quite close to Slovenia, so it feels almost like a home stadium, it's my fifth victory here. We were on the program early today, so maybe we didn´t get a lot of attention by audience, but it was a good competition. To win with a last throw is something special. When you are a last thrower, and you are currently in second place, you need to do it all, give your best. Every competition over 70 meters is a great competition, it's not easy to throw this result which is, by my opinion, a medal in European Championship in Birmingham, if not a win.”
Men’s hammer throw:
Five-time world champion Pawel Fajdek from Poland set his seasonal best with 81.89m to win the men’s hammer throw. Olympic bronze medallist Mykhaylo Kokhan from the Ukraine placed second with a throw of 81.42m in the fifth round ahead of French record holder Yann Chaussinand (80.92m) and Olympic silver medallist Bence Halasz from Hungary (80.71m). Iosif Kesidis from Cyprus set a national record with 78.61m.
Pawel Fajdek: It was my second competition this season, and I'm really happy with the result, every throw over 80m is a good result. This result is huge for me, the best since last year. I put 110 percent into this throw. I feel really good today, the weather is amazing, very hot, but for my old body it's something good, because my muscles are more relaxed at high temperature. The competition was very tough, it's always a good push when they throw over 80m. I'm a 100 percent athlete, I always want to win. I had a lot of troubles in the past, now I forget about everything and focus on preparing for the European Championships in Birmingham.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Olympic finalist Alaysha Johnson from the USA stormed to a win in the women’s 100 metres hurdles in a meeting record and a seasonal best of 12.43 into a headwind of -0.2 m/s edging her compatriot Rayniah Jones with the same time. Jones improved her PB by 0.03. Aila Armstrong completed the top three for the USA in 12.51 beating three-time world indoor champion Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas (12.62).
Alaysha Johnson: “I honestly didn't expect anything, I just wanted to have a clean race, be competitive and I knew that this was a good atmosphere for me. Because it's comfortable, I've been here before and the fans really seem to like me, so the energy is good. I know that anytime I'm next to Charlton, I have to really lock in and make sure that I have the cleanest start that I can have. She's an amazing starter, everybody else on the line has their own strengths. And honestly, it's just really about me getting over those ten barriers, clean and just fighting to the end. I did a little hit on the first hurdle, but I was in a good position, so I just kept going. You just gotta finish strong and hope that you make it to the end.”
Men’s 200 metres:
André De Grasse from Canada, Olympic champion in Tokyo 2021, won the men’s 200 metres in 19.95 setting the second fastest time this year, just 11 hundredths of a season shy of his seasonal best of 19.84 set in Gaborone last April.
Yassine Hssine from Morocco finished second improving his national record to 20.00. Ubodi Onwuzurike from Nigeria placed third in 20.18 ahead of 2021 Olympic 4x100 relay champion Eseosa Desalu (20.57).
André de Grasse: It was a good race, I fought very hard for the win, I'm happy with the sub 20. I have to keep improving for the rest of the season. I don't know about my plans for this season, I just want to run fast and stay healthy. I feel a little bit tired, but I think it's because of the heat, but I'm very happy with the performance. I have run faster this season, but I'm satisfied because it was close to my season's best. This season my focus will be on the 100m, so I would like to stay more in shape in the 200m and keep breaking the 20-second barrier.”
Women’s 200 metres:
Double 400 metres Olympic champion Shaunae Miller Uibo stormed to a win in the women’s 200 metres in 22.19, her second fastest time this season. Liberia’s Thelma Davis finished second in a seasonal best of 22.76 ahead of Jael Bestue from Spain (22.80).
Shaunae Miller Uibo: “The race went great, we are just working on a lot of things in training, trying to get the speed up from the beginning and to get the positions familiar again, it's still all over the place. I ran an 11.05 a few weeks ago, it was a great run with Sha'Carri Richardson. We are doing a lot of speed in training. Rabat was added last minute to my planning, so in between this and China I flew back home. We are still trying to figure out the schedule with the family, now I will be in Europe for a bit.”
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
Rushell Clayton, double world bronze medallist in Doha 2019 and Budapest 2023, won the women’s 400 metres hurdles setting a meeting record with 53.54. Paullen Couckuyt from Belgium finished second improving her PB to 54.32. Fatoumata Diallo took third place in 54.55 ahead of Shamier Little (55.44). Emma Zapletalova had to settle with fifth place with 55.82 after winning four Diamond League races in Rabat, Rome, Oslo and Doha.
Rushell Clayton: “I think I had an idea about my previous record, but I was so focused on this race. It was so hot and I wanted to finish the race healthy. I finished it with a meeting record, which is pretty awesome. I'm never surprised at winning, I'm also as good as Zapletalova. Every time we step on the track we know everyone could win, she won last time, today I won this one. Today was so hot in Zagreb and I woke with a headache, my coach prepared me for the race, through the phases, I just came here and I executed.”
Women’s 400 metres:
Stacey Ann Williams, bronze medallist in the 4x400 relay at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021, won the women’s 400 metres setting a meeting record of 49.48 five days after claiming the Jamaican title in Kingston. Yemi Mary John from Great Britain finished second in 50.33 ahead of this year’s Hengelo 400m winner Bassant Hemida from Egypt (50.77) and Chilean record holder Martina Weil, who set a seasonal best of 50.85.
Stacey Ann Williams: I am pretty happy with my performance today, I was already the record holder for this meet and today again with a lower personal best. I have been working, practicing my race model, so I expected this performance today. I will compete in Paris this Sunday, and probably the Commonwealth Games. I didn't handle the travel from the Jamaicans so well, I am not a fan of the travelling, but I gotta do what I got to do.
Men’s long jump:
Anvar Anvarov from Uzbekistan set a national record with 8.29m in the fourth round to win the men’s long jump. Anvarov produced a second best jump of 8.25m. Luka Boskovic from Slovenia took second place with 8.23m ahead of three-time world medallist Tajay Gayle from Jamaica (8.18m).
Anvar Anvarov: “I feel very good, I broke the national record with 8.29m, the competition was very intense. I felt very confident today and the result proved that. I improved my personal record by 4cm and I showed that I'm ready for the Asian Games.
Men’s 1500 metres:
US Nathan Green won the men’s 1500 metres in 3:32.46 holding off Romain Mornet from France (3:32.53), Mudhin Werku (3:32.71) and Olympic finalist Pietro Arese from Italy (3:32.76 the third time of his career) and Samuel Prakel from the USA (3:32.90). National records were set by Slovenia’s Žan Rudolf with 3:34.23) and Andorra’s Pol Moya (3:34.54).
Men’s 800 metres:
Jordan Terrasse from France won the men’s 800 metres in 1:44.77 ahead of Tshepiso Maselela from Botswana (1:44.99) and Croatian record holder Marino Bloudek (1:45.00).
Women’s 800 metres:
British 18-year-old Phoebe Gill won the second women’s 800 metres in 1:59.18 ahead of Isabelle Boffey from Great Britain (1:59.70).
Vivian Chebet Kiprotich took the win in the B race in 1:59.26 ahead of Valentina Rosamilia from Switzerland (2:00.21).
Phoebe Gill: “I have been getting back into racing this year and each race I improved by 1 second. Obviously, it was really hot today but you just have to try to not get stressed out in the warm-up because you don't want to get overheated. With the heat I tried not to freak out on the first lap, because obviously your heart rate raises up with the heat so you are kind of buzzed to go. So I made sure to hold back in the first 200 and round up from 400m to go. It was really hard to get from the highest point in my life in 2024 to some of the lowest moments in the following year. It was a lot for me to wrap my head around mentally. But luckily I had my A-level exam to focus on, so I was not only thinking about running and able to focus on something else. Looking back I am grateful that it happened that way. Now, going forward I know how to tackle injuries in the future. Because I just came back into running this year, I didn't want to put any pressure into getting into any senior champs, so I am just focusing on the World U20 Champs. I will run the U20 nationals and then the big one for me is the London Diamond League. I was there in 2024 as a spectator, the atmosphere was incredible and I knew that this was a race I wanted to do.
Women’s javelin throw:
Leonie Hugli from Switzerland claimed the win in the women’s javelin throw with 61.14m in the fifth round ahead of Madison Wiltrout from the USA (60.17m), two-time European silver medallist Adriana Vilagos from Serbia (60.04m) and 2016 Olympic champion Sara Kolak from Croatia (59.82m).
Women’s 3000 metres:
Ethiopian 18-year-old middle distance runner Nigist Molla won the women’s 3000 metres setting a PB of 8:44.75. Mastewal Mehabaw finished second in a PB of 8:45.02. Two-time European 3000 metres steeplechase Gesa Felicitas Krause took third place improving her PB to 8:45.32.
