Record and kisses for Mondo Duplantis
World class Zurich
Record, win and kisses from fiancée for luminary Mondo Duplantis, Noah Lyles outruns Usain Bolt
Pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis is also the center of attention at Weltklasse Zürich, without attacking his own world record. In addition, the American Noah Lyles shines with a meeting record.
From 9.28 p.m. the stage belonged to him alone, then at a height of 5.91 meters the last competitor fell out of the competition. For Armand Duplantis, the pole vault usually begins when it has already ended for the others. That the 22-year-old suffered his first defeat in more than a year in Brussels last Friday? Remains an exception. Also in Zurich. A year ago he gave the audience the first jump over the 6 meter mark.
Meanwhile, Mondo Duplantnis is not only Olympic champion, but also world champion and European champion. This year alone, the shining light of athletics improved the world record three times. Most recently in July at the World Championships. The record is now 6.21 meters.
Duplantis is the first and only athlete to have surpassed the 6.20 meter mark to date. There is a limit in every discipline, he says. Where is that for him? Does he leave open. At the same time, he says: “I think I’m pretty well suited to testing this limit.” In Zurich it is 6.07 meters this evening. That’s a long way from his own world record, but it’s a record in Zurich. Without a record? Without Duplantis.
Best performances at the start and at the end
It wasn’t the only brilliant performance. In the first as well as in the last race, the spectators in the Letzigrund were spoiled with two records: Marileidy Paulino from the Dominican Republic ran the fastest time of the year in 48.99 seconds over the 400 meters. And the American Noah Lyles finally ran over 200 meters in 19.52 seconds, 14 hundredths of a second faster than the former world athlete Usain Bolt in 2012 at his personal best in Zurich.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce with Fifth Diamond
The 21-year-old Norwegian Jakob Ingebissen, already an Olympic champion, world champion and multiple European champion, undercut his own annual world record over 1500 meters in 3:29.02 minutes. The fastest time of the year is set by Kenyan Emmanuel Korir over 800 meters on the track, in 1:43.26 minutes. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce proved once again that she hasn’t lost any of her speed at the age of 35. With her 10.65 seconds, Jamaican compatriot Shericka Jackson distanced herself by 16 hundredths of a second.
Also that: meeting record. For Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce it is the fifth Diamond League final victory. Only Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie (pole) and American Christian Taylor (triple jump) with seven successes each and Colombian Caterine Ibargüen (triple jump and long jump) with six successes have won the Diamond League several times. Mujinga Kambundji only competes in the 200 meters due to fatigue.
In the men’s 100 meters, USA’s Trayvon Bromell won in 9.94 seconds ahead of Jamaica’s Yohan Blake in 10.05 seconds and Canada’s Aaron Brown in 10.06 seconds.
There was an emotional highlight in the women’s high jump, where Yaroslava Mahuchikh (2.03 m) and Iryna Gerashchenko (1.94 m) ensured a Ukrainian double victory. Former hurdler Mahuchikh will only be 21 in September, but she’s already a world indoor champion, European champion and now a diamond winner.
Venezuelan Yulimar Rojas stayed behind her personal best (15.67 m) in the triple jump. With her 15.28 meters, the Olympic champion and world champion distanced herself from the competition by 32 centimeters and more. Cuban Andy Diaz Hernandez won the men’s race with a personal best of 17.70 meters.