Monday, July 16, 2018

Rabat's 5000 leads strong week

Already covered, of course, were the 6 days of the World Junior Championships!
But this was a busy week outside of Tampere, Finland!
And one race--the Women's 5000--from the Rabat Diamond League--once and for all KILLED the idea of 2018 being an "off" year!!

In a field "featuring" Genzebe Dibaba, it was 5 other Women who broke all the Records, and rose high on the A-T list!!
Helen Obiri led the way, winning in 14:21.75, with a last 400 in about 62 seconds!
She got the Age 28 Record!

Next came Sifan Hassan in 14:22.34, cutting her PR by almost 20 seconds!!
She gets the Age 25 Record.
She also breaks her own National Record of the Netherlands!
This makes her 7th A-T World!
On my World Combined Events list for the 1500 & 5000, her times of 3:56.05 and 14:22.34 adds to 18:18.39, making her 4th A-T!!

Getesenbet Gidey's 14:23.14 nabs the best 3rd Place mark, as well as the Age 20 Record!!
She moves from 19th A-T World to 8th!

Senbere Teferi ended in 14:23.33, getting the best 4th Place mark!!
On my World C-E list for the 1500 & 5000, her times of 4:01.86 and 14:23.33 adds to 18:25.19!
This rates her 8th A-T!!
On my World DDD list, she moves from 19th A-T to 9th!

Agnes Tirop gets the best 5th Place mark with her time of 14:24.24.
She also gets the Age 22 Record!
It makes her 11th A-T World!!
Dibaba ended 6th in 14:42.98--a full 26 seconds off her Meet Record!!
In 10th came Molly Huddle, time of 15:21.24!
Knocked OFF my World DDD was Gabriela Szabo, her 14:31 time dating from 1998!!

Several other Rabat events were HOT!!
One which was NOT--but was shocking nonetheless!!--was the Women's HJ!!
It saw Mariya Lasitskene's 45 meet Winning streak comes to its end!!
In fact, the Russian's 6-2.75 mark got her no better than 3rd!!
Winning was Mirela Demireva's 6-4.25, with Yuliya Levchenko matching that height in 2nd!

Another "icon" losing was Val Adams in the SP!!
But, still on the comeback trail after giving birth last year, her 62-1.75 was actually her best mark of her return!
She ended 3rd also, with Christina Schwanitz winning with 63-7.75!

There were Meet Records galore, with some of the events being held for the 1st time here!
Akeem Bloomfield's 44.33 got the 400 MR!
Shaunae Miller-Uibo was sharp, her 22.29 beating Dina Asher-Smith's 22.40, and nabbing the 200 MR!
Brianna McNeal sped over the 100H in 12.51, getting yet another MR!
She beat the 12.58 run by Sharika Nelvis!
Tying the MR, Christian Coleman returned to action after his injury problem, as he took a CLOSE 100 in 9.98.
While given 2nd, Ronnie Baker also tied the 9.98 MR!
Noah Lyles was gaining fast---and might have won if the race had been 110 meters!--and took 3rd with his 9.99.
Mike Rodgers was 4th in 10.01!!

While a certain South African ran 2:31.01 up front, my declared Winner of the Women's 1000 was Ce'Aira Brown, whose 2:35.85 makes her 6th A-T US!!
Right behind her came Kaela Edwards, whose 2:36.13 makes her 7th A-T US!!
Winnie Nanyondo's 2:36.13 (Yes, same time as Edwards!) took 3rd, and gave her the National Record of Uganda!
Cut OFF my US list was the most venerable Francie Larrieu, her 2:38.2 dating from 1976!!

Yomif Kejelcha took a rapid 3000 in 7:32.93, getting the Rabat MR!
Birhanu Balew's 7:34.26 took 2nd, followed by Australia's Stewart McSweyn in 7:34.79, and the US's Paul Chelimo, in a non-PR time of 7:34.83!

Sam Kendricks rose to the occasion--as they say!!--winning the PV at 19-2.75 for another MR!
Magnus Kirt's JT of 294-5 closed the Meet Record doors!!
It also breaks his own National Record of Estonia!
And makes him 19th A-T World!!
Second was Andreas Hofmann's 290-7!

Other good Rabat marks---
Caterine Ibarguen's 49-1 TJ Winner also nabbed her the Age 34 Record!!
Ben Kigen took the 3000SC in the PR time of 8:06.19.
Chala Beyo's 8:07.27 took 2nd, with Hillary Bor taking 4th in 8:12.20.
Don't know what happened, but Consesius Kipruto ended just 12th (!!), time of 8:27.36!
Did he fall?
Brahim Kaazouzi won the 1500 in 3:33.22.
Filip Ingebrigtsen took 2nd in 3:33.40, with Ayanleh Souleiman's 3:33.42 just behind!
Matthew Centrowitz could finish only 10th, but his 3:35.17 was the US's fastest of 2018!
Finally (for Rabat!!), a person with the initials of FN ended up front in 1:57.90, but my declared Winner of the Women's 800 was Natoya Goule, time of 1:58.33!

This past week also gave us the IAAF's "new" conceptual meet--the Athletics World Cup--held in London over the weekend!
Let's look at the results first!

Anita Wlodarczyk got her best mark of the year, her HT measuring 258-4!!
Having a WAY sub-par meet was DeAnna Price, whose measly 212-8 placed her 6th!
(This meet allowed each of the 8 nations 1 competitor per event!)

The Women's TJ saw a SQUEAKER!!
Nipping Keturah Orji's 47-10.75 by ONE centimeter was Shericka Ricketts, her 47-11.25 the Winning mark!
Lijiao Gong's SP of 65-3.50 is the 2018 World Leader!
Luvo Manyonga had a consistent LJ series (4 rounds!), with his 27-11 taking the W!
Zack Bazile's best measured 27-2.75!
Vashti Cunningham beat Laura Lake in the HJ, her W height being 6-5!

The Relays produced some decent marks--and at least two casualties!!
The most RARE was the removal of Great Britain from the Men's 4 X 400 when one of their legs injured himself during his warm-up--and no emergency replacement could be found!!
The lead-off runner was informed of this as he was preparing to get down in his blocks!!
Anyway, the winner was the United States, and their time of 2:59.78 beat Poland (3:02.80) by quite a margin!
The Women's 4 X 100 saw the US end its run with Mikiah Brisco's injury!
She was taken away in a wheelchair!!
Great Britain won the race in 42.52, with Jamaica 2nd in 42.60!
The US Women also took the longer Relay, their 3:24.28 JUST edging Jamaica's 3:24.29!!
France was 3rd in 3:25.91, followed by Poland's 3:26.17, and GB's 3:26.48!!
The American Men took their sprint Relay, timed in 38.42.
Jamaica's 38.52 beat South Africa's 38.53 for 2nd!

Other good Worl Cup marks---
Holly Bradshaw took a good Women's PV with her 15-7 topper!
Katie Nageotte and Ninon Guillon-Romarin cleared 15-4.25, with Nageotte given 2nd!
Ashley Henderson's 11.07 beat Elaine Thompson's 11.09 in the 100!
Pascal Martinot-Legarde's 13.22 took the 110H!
Clay Murphy took the 800 in 1:46.52 over Adam Kszczot's 1:46.98!
Running INTO a wind of 1.1, Zhanye Xie's 20.25 won the 200!
Stephanie McPherson took the 400 in 50.98!

Raevyn Rogers easily nabbed the 800, time of 2:00.20!
Paul Dedewo's 44.48 PR won the 400!
Michal Haratyk won the SP with his 72-0.25!
Jeron Robinson won the HJ with 7-6.50!
Lorraine Ugen easily won the LJ with her 22-6.25!
And Sofia Ennaoui (sp ??) took the 1500 in 4:07.56 from the US's Rachel Schneider, timed in 4:08.04!

Best thing from this affair??
We got to watch 4 hours of it--for FREE!
(Well, free if you'd already paid your Xfinity bill of $50!!  LOL)

I have several "old" marks to report--"old" meaning possibly a week ago!!
Curtis Jensen PR'ed in the SP with his 70-11.75!!
David Storl threw the SP 70-11.25, but not in the same meet!
Christina Schwanitz's SP reached 64-10.75!

In the Luzern meet, Brianna McNeal sped the 100H in 12.44, wind of 0.9!
Janieve Russell's 53.63 beat Delilah Muhammed's 53.79 in the 400H!
Alonzo Edward took the 200 in 19.90, wind of 0.4!
Akeem Bloomfield's 20.00 in 2nd was a PR!
And there was a TIE in the Women's PV, as Angelika Bengtsson and Jenn Suhr both cleared 15-5--with no jump-off!!

You've heard of Hannah Cunliffe, the former UO sprinter and Queen of the Selfies??
Well, she has a sister (More than 1, as her sibling count is 8!!), name of Chloe!
And Chloe Cunliffe became the 13th HS'er to clear 14 feet or higher OUTdoors!!
Her mark makes her 7th A-T HS, tied with 6 others!!

Speaking of the PV, we have Ninon Guillon-Romarin's (See above!) 15-6.25 nabbing her the National Record of France!!
Another National Record fell in the 100, as Mujinga Kambundji's GREAT 2018 season continues!!
Her time of 10.95 breaks her own NR of Switzerland!!
AGAIN!!

From the Lausanne DL---
I missed reporting that Eric Jenkins's 3000 time of 7:38.19 makes him 18th A-T US!!

From the Flanders Cup (NOT to be confused with the above-detailed World Cup!!) comes a couple of significant marks!
Karissa Schweizer--recent College graduate and Newbie Pro--slashed her 1500 PR by about 4 seconds, her 4:06.77 beating Vanessa Fraser (Same labels as those given to Schweizer above!), who ran 4:09.74!
And while Lonah Chemutai's 15:17.81 won the Women's 5000, the 2nd placer gained the headlines--as Konstanze Klosterhalfen returned from injury with a solid "rust-buster" of 15:19,93!!

(Deep breath!  A sigh!)
Alas, another coming-back-from-injury rust-buster did NOT go well!!
As reported in my previous post, Mary Cain--out of track action for TWO YEARS!!--made her return in the Cork (Ireland) meet, a popular waystation for American distance runners!

BUT---
when I saw her (You Tube livestream!) walking around the start line before the race--and saw the other 15 or so entrants--
I KNEW Cain's return would end abysmally!!
She was CLEARLY not in shape--what we called "lean & mean" back in my racing days--or "toned", as they call it in the Spa industry!!

Facing a class field--albeit what some would call "2nd tier elite"--Cain went to the back of the large pack right at the gun!
And never moved up!
In fact, she was a DNF--somewhere around or after 2000, as the camera focused solely on the lead pack!!

And that group produced a slate of PR's worth mentioning!!
New Zealand's Camille Buscomb cut about 20 seconds (!!) off her PR, winning in 8:45.97!!
(This puts her 3rd A-T NZ!!)
Recent College graduate Eleanor Purrier improved her best time (run INdoors in 2017!) by 9 seconds, her 8:46.43 beating the Jessica O'Connell PR of 8:46.97!
BTW, Purrier's time, if run at or prior to the NCAA's, would have broken the Collegiate Record of Vicki Huber from 1988!!
(I'd seen that race in person!!)
Next came Emily Sisson--who led part of the way--in 8:49.61.
GenGen LaCaze also PR'ed in 5th, time of 8:50.02!1

Cain didn't have a chance!!!

That meet also gave up a few sub-4's, with Sam Prakel's 3:56.11 the Winner!!

Cain is scheduled to run another 3000 on July 28th!
But after that DISASTER, we'll have to wait and see if she even shows up!!
Sad.

See you soon!!



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