Statements and surprises in Suzhou

Selemon Barega, Beatrice Chepkoech and Akani Simbine were among the athletes to make their mark at the Yangtze Delta Athletics Diamond Gala, the second Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season, in Suzhou on Saturday (27).

One week on from the opening Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, there were also back-to-back wins for Mondo Duplantis, who attempted another world record in the pole vault, plus Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Daniel Roberts, Marileidy Paulino and Valarie Allman.

The men’s 5000m was the penultimate race of the evening and it saw the meeting record fall as Ethiopia’s Olympic 10,000m champion Barega got his season started with a win. The 24-year-old, who closed his indoor campaign by gaining world 3000m bronze in Glasgow, held off the challenge posed by his 17-year-old compatriot Biniam Mehary, racing just his second ever 5000m.

After battling down the back straight, Barega led off the final bend and was able to respond to Mehary’s strong finish to win, 12:55.68 to 12:56.37. Kenya’s world cross country bronze medallist Benson Kiplangat was third in a PB of 12:58.78.

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Kenya’s world record-holder Chepkoech was dominant. Despite not feeling well, she followed her win in Xiamen with victory in 9:07.36 ahead of Uganda’s Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai. In her first steeplechase race since the 2022 World Championships following the birth of her daughter in April 2023, Germany’s two-time world bronze medallist Gesa Felicitas Krause was third in 9:16.24.

Over in the sprints, Britain's Olympic and world relay medallist Daryll Neita got a strong start in the women’s 200m and she turned it into a powerful finish to win on her individual season debut. Clocking 22.62 (0.2m/s), she held off Anavia Battle (22.99) and her US compatriot Sha'Carri Richardson, the world 100m champion, who ran 23.11.

The focus in the men’s 100m might have been on the head-to-head between USA’s Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman, but South Africa’s Simbine beat them both. He won in 10.01 (-0.1m/s), 0.03 ahead of Coleman, with Kerley third in 10.11.

World 400m champion Paulino made it two wins from two races, following her victory in Xiamen with success in Suzhou in 50.89. USA’s Talitha Diggs was second in 51.77 and Sada Williams third in 52.00.

The same was the case for Camacho-Quinn and Roberts in the hurdles.

Olympic champion Camacho-Quinn finished level with Tobi Amusan in the 100m hurdles but with Amusan running under protest following a false start, Camacho-Quinn secured the win in 12.63, just 0.01 ahead of world indoor 60m hurdles champion and world record-holder Charlton. In the 110m hurdles, world bronze medallist Roberts dipped for the win in 13.12 to deny Japan’s Shunsuke Izumiya (13.23).

Slimane Moula secured top spot in the men’s 800m, holding off Wyclife Kinyamal - 1:43.38 to 1:43.12.

Duplantis put on a show again in the men’s pole vault. After adding a centimetre to his own world record in Xiamen by clearing 6.24m, he got close to doing the same in Suzhou.

Sweden’s Olympic and world champion had the competition won when he cleared 5.92m on his first attempt after also managing 5.62m and 5.82m first time. He had the bar raised to six metres and again soared clear to break the meeting record before it was moved up another 25cm.

While he failed his three tries at that height, his last attempt didn’t look far off.

“To jump six metres today and complete a very successful tour, I have a lot of good takeaways,” he said. “I felt a little bit flat today, but still really good. Conditions have to be perfect for me to jump a world record and I wasn't quite feeling it off the runway tonight. Now I go back home and train for a few weeks until my next competition in Ostrava.”

World indoor champion Hamish Kerr rebounded after his third place in Xiamen to win the high jump in Suzhou, clearing 2.31m on his second attempt. Olympic and three-time world gold medallist Mutaz Barshim had skipped straight to 2.33m after two failed attempts at 2.31m but when that didn’t work out, Kerr was confirmed the winner.

Two-time world champion Chase Jackson surpassed 20 metres for the first time this season to win the shot put. Launching the implement 20.03m in the second round, she went from third in Xiamen to first in Suzhou, finishing ahead of world indoor champion Sarah Mitton, Song Jiayuan and Xiamen winner Gong Lijiao.

A close men’s long jump contest was won by Marquis Dendy as he leapt 8.05m to win by a single centimetre over 2022 world champion Wang Jianan. In the women’s event, Marthe Koala jumped 6.68m in the first round and that ended up being the best of the competition by nine centimetres. Quanesha Burks claimed the runner-up spot.

World champion Haruka Kitaguchi saved her best for last in the women’s javelin, throwing 62.97m to launch herself into first place and beat world bronze medallist Mackenzie Little with 62.12m.

USA’s Olympic champion Allman followed her victory in Xiamen with another win, topping the non-Diamond League women’s discus with a 69.86m throw. Feng Bin was second with 67.11m and recent North American record-breaker Yaime Perez third with 65.59m from her only valid throw of the competition.

Ethiopia’s 18-year-old Mekedes Alemeshete won the non-Diamond League women’s 5000m in 14:36.70 ahead of her compatriot Ayal Dagnachew (14:36.86), the 2021 world U20 800m champion. The 2022 world 10,000m champion and world record-holder Letesenbet Gidey, in her first race since finishing second in the New York Marathon in November, was third in 14:37.13.

Jess Whittington for World Athletics