Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare was back to winning ways this weekend in the Paris meeting of the IAAF Diamond League with a 200 metres victory over Olympic champion Allyson Felix and World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
The 25-year-old overhauled Felix in the final couple of metres, clocking 22.32sec to the American's 22.34, just two days after failing to complete her 100m in Lausanne following a stumble. Fraser-Pryce, whose season has been undermined by a foot injury, could only manage fifth place in 22.63.
USA's Michael Rodgers won the last event of the night, the men’s 100m, in 10.00secs with 2008 Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson placing second in 10.08secs. Kim Collins, who won the world title at the Stade de France back in 2003, showed that he still has plenty left in the tank at the age of 38 by finishing third in 10.10secs. Jamaica’s Nickel Ashmeade was disqualified for a second false start.
Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross
finished strongly to pull away on the home straight and clock 50.10 for
400m victory ahead of a fast-finishing Stephenie Ann McPherson – runner
up in New York – with a 50.40 season’s best.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands produced a surprise victory against a women's 1500m field which included Sweden's world indoor and outdoor champion Abeba Aregawi and Kenya's Hellen Obiri, number one and two in the world prior to the race. Neither of the two favourites were in the hunt at the bell, however, as Hassan tracked the 2011 world champion, Jenny Simpson of the United States, overtaking her to record a national record of 3:57.00.
Kenya's double world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop produced another of the Meeting Areva's standout performances as he demonstrated his basic speed by winning the 800m in 1min 43.34sec, the fastest time recorded this year, ahead of the Botswana's Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos, who clocked 1:43.70.
It was an emotional night for Croatia's Blanka Vlasic winning the women's high jump with 2.00m on countback ahead of Russia's Mariya Kuchina. The double World champion returned to action after a serious Achilles tendon injury.
Jamaica’s Olympic bronze medallist Hansle Parchment sped to a world-leading time and national record of 12.94secs in the men's 110m hurdles beating Pascal Martinot-Lagard breaking local hearts. Despite his disappointment at being unable to win in front of his family and friends, Martinot-Lagarde got some consolation by shaving his personal best by 0.01 to 13.05secs.
The home crowd had plenty to cheer as Renaud Lavillennie, Olympic champion and world record holder in the pole vault, won at this meeting for the fourth consecutive time thanks to an effort of 5.70 metres.
The men’s triple jump also made the home crowd happy by throwing up a surprise winner in the shape of French international Benjamin Compaore, whose 17.12m effort in the fifth round snatched the lead from Olympic champion Christian Taylor.
