History made in astonishing 100m sprint race
Updated . First published at
Reigning world champion Oblique Seville came up trumps as all nine athletes cracked the 10-second barrier in an astonishing men’s 100-metre final at the Silesia Diamond League meet on Monday (AEST).
Never before in athletics history had nine athletes broken the 10-second mark in wind-legal conditions in a single race.
Oblique Seville (centre) won a historic men’s 100m race. Maja Hitij/Getty Images
So deep was the competition in Poland that Australia’s fastest man, 9.85-second flyer Lachlan Kennedy, didn’t advance out of the heats.
At a Diamond League meet that diverted from the norm by staging heats in the men’s 100m rather than a straight final, Kennedy finished sixth in his heat in 10.08 seconds (+1.9).
In the final, Jamaica’s Seville took the win in a meet record of 9.83 seconds (+1.4), ahead of Americans Kenneth Bednarek (9.87) and Christian Coleman (9.93).
Last place in the nine-man race, Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon, clocked 9.99.
Kennedy was competing for the first time since the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, where he claimed silver in the 100m in 9.85 to break Patrick Johnson’s long-standing national record, before winning gold as a member of Australia’s heroic men’s 4x100m relay team.
“I didn’t come out as well as I would’ve liked, but I’m just trying to shake the rust off a bit,” Kennedy said.
“I’ll get back into some training and better form. I’m happy.”
Three Australians landed on the podium at the Silesia Diamond League, including double Commonwealth Games gold medallist Rose Davies, who finished third in the women’s 5000m in 14:55.39.
Italy’s Nadia Battocletti won in 14:54.09 in a pulsating sprint finish, edging Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu (14:54.62).
In the women’s 1500m, Australia’s Olympic silver medallist Jessica Hull finished second in 3:55.20, behind Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (3:55.06).
And in the women’s high jump, Australia’s dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eleanor Patterson finished third after clearing 1.98m.
Ukrainian world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh won with a 2.00m jump and fellow Ukrainian Iryna Herashchenko took third with 1.98m, beating Patterson on countback.
In a surprise result, Australia’s reigning world champion Nicola Olyslagers fell short of the podium, finishing fourth with a 1.96m jump.
The Diamond League circuit will continue in Zurich on Friday morning (AEST), as the season builds to a two-day final in Brussels on the first weekend of September.
