Swedish shot putter Fanny Roos (© Getty Images)
European indoor silver medallist Fanny Roos extended her own Swedish record to 19.33m at the Folksam Grand Prix – a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting – in Sollentuna on Sunday (13).
The 26-year-old dominated the competition, taking an early lead with her opening effort of 18.99m. After fouls in the next two rounds, she improved to 19.04m in round four and backed it up with 18.94m in round five. She saved her best for the final round, though, hurling her shot out to 19.33m.
It added three centimetres to the national record she set in Vaxjo at the end of May and it places her fifth on this year’s world list.
European champion Paulina Guba of Poland was second with a season’s best of 17.92m.
World champion Daniel Stahl notched up another victory in the discus. All four of his valid throws – 65.95m, 67.25m, 66.52m and 68.03m – were farther than anyone else managed. Domestic rival Simon Pettersson was second with 64.42m.
African U20 champion Vincent Keter was a convincing winner of the men’s 1500m. The Kenyan sprinted away from the field to cross the line first in a PB of 3:35.21 with Ireland’s Andrew Coscoran taking the runner-up spot in a PB of 3:35.66.
Keter’s compatriot Mary Moraa, the 2017 world U18 400m silver medallist, enjoyed a decisive victory in the women’s 800m. The 20-year-old, who won in Turku at the start of the week, improved her PB to 1:59.25 with Benin’s Noelie Yarigo finishing second in 2:00.57.
Britain’s Ama Pipi was also in PB form, chopping half a second off her best to win the 400m in 51.53.
Marija Vukovic and Nastassia Mironchyk-Ivanova were among the winners at the Filothei Women Gala – a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting – on Monday (14).
Katerina Stefanidi was also among the athletes in attendance but according to the Greek athletics federation the Olympic champion decided not to compete due to the windy conditions. That women’s pole vault competition was won by Switzerland’s Andrina Hodel thanks to a second-time clearance of 4.35m.
Montenegro’s Vukovic won the high jump, achieving 1.93m on her second attempt before having three tries at 1.96m, which would have been an Olympic qualifying mark and added a centimetre to her own national record. Mironchyk-Ivanova’s 6.79m (-0.7m/s) led the long jump results, as one of her four jumps over 6.70m during the competition, with Serbia’s Milica Gardasevic leaping 6.48m (-0.7m/s) in the final round to place second.
Rafalia Spanoudaki-Chatziriga went quickest in the three 100m races, clocking 11.59 (-0.9m/s).
Debjani clocks 3:33.06 in Geneva
Ismael Debjani improved his Belgian 1500m record to achieve an Olympic qualifying time, while Rasmus Magi was also among the athletes to tune up ahead of Tokyo at AtletiCAGeneve, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Saturday (12).
Debjani ensured that the competition ended on a high as he broke the meeting record in the last event of the day, clocking a dominant 3:33.06 in the first of the two men’s 1500m finals to take 0.64 off his previous best from 2017. He won by more than five seconds, with Czech Republic’s Jan Fris the runner-up in 3:38.88.
The men’s 400m hurdles was much closer, with 2014 European silver medallist Magi challenged by Germany’s Constantin Preis. Magi went close to his Estonian record of 48.40 set at the Rio Olympics in 2016, clocking 48.49 to win the first of the three finals ahead of Preis with a 48.60 PB, his first performance under 49 seconds and an Olympic qualifying mark. France’s Ludvy Vaillant was third in 49.22. Viktoriya Tkachuk of Ukraine won the women’s 400m hurdles in a PB of 54.60.
France’s world indoor 60m hurdles bronze medallist Aurel Manga kept his cool as barriers were falling around him and won the 110m hurdles final in 13.32 (1.1m/s) to match the Olympic qualifying mark. He had earlier won his heat in 13.46. Italy’s Hassane Fofana was second in the final, equalling his PB with 13.44.
France’s Laura Valette was another athlete to match her PB as she clocked 12.87 (1.5m/s) to win the 100m hurdles final ahead of Belgium’s Anne Zagre with 12.90.
A strong finish saw world 200m bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji secure a 100m win and Olympic qualifying time on home soil as she clocked 11.07 (1.2m/s) from her compatriots Salome Kora (11.12) and Ajla Del Ponte (11.18).
Mouhamadou Fall of France was quickest in the men’s 100m finals, running 10.26 into a -1.7m/s headwind, and he completed a sprint double with a 200m win in 20.37 (0.1m/s) ahead of South Africa’s Clarence Munyai (20.49).
Dutch sprinters Lieke Klaver and Liemarvin Bonevacia triumphed in the two 400m ‘A’ finals, with Klaver pipping Portugal’s Catia Azevedo, the pair clocking an equal PB of 50.98 and 51.02 respectively, and Bonevacia running 45.01 in a strong race.
A close women’s 800m saw Deborah Rodriguez take more than a second off her Uruguayan record to win in 2:00.20 ahead of Lore Hoffmann (2:00.29) and Angelika Sarna (2:00.34).
The men’s high jump was also competitive and saw Bulgaria’s Tihomir Ivanov win on countback as both he and 2007 world high jump champion Donald Thomas of the Bahamas cleared 2.28m. Britain’s Emily Borthwick added one centimetre to the meeting record and also her PB in clearing 1.93m to win the women’s high jump as her compatriot Morgan Lake achieved 1.90m.
Cuba’s Denia Caballero also improved a meeting record with a 60.25m throw to win the discus.
Jess Whittington and Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics
