Sifan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon and Yomif Kejelcha are among the stars signed up for a middle and long distance meeting set for 10 October at FBK Stadium in the Dutch city of Hengelo.
Organised by Global Sports Communication (GSC), the meeting will provide a select group of world class athletes with an opportunity to compete once more at the end of a season that was heavily restricted by the global Covid-19 pandemic. The programme will feature three events: 1000m and 10,000m races for women and a 5000m race for men.
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 Hasan, the reigning world 1500m and 10,000m champion, will contest the longer the distance, taking on Ethiopian rising star Tsehay Gemechu. Hassan, who broke the world record for the one-hour run in Brussels in August, is looking for one last track outing before her attempt to add another world title to her collection at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships Gdynia 2020 on 17 October.
The women&rsquo;s 1000m features Olympic 1500m Champion Faith Kipyegon who will mount another assault on world record which barely eluded her in Monaco earlier this summer.
The Kenyan&rsquo;s sparkling 2:29.15 run at the Stade Louis II in Monaco put her second on the all-time list, just 0.17 seconds shy Svetlana Masterkova&rsquo;s world record which has stood for 24 years.
In the men's 5000m the focus will fall on Ethiopia&rsquo;s world 10,000m silver medallist Yomif Kejelcha who'll face in-form Australian Stewart McSweyn.
"Our athletes were not done with the season yet," said GSC event manager Ellen van Langen. "They were super motivated for running another race. That&rsquo;s why we had the idea to organise a race ourselves. Where else than Hengelo?&rdquo;&nbsp;
Hans Kloosterman, meeting director for the FBK Games, added: &ldquo;Next year we celebrate the 40th edition of the FBK Games. We expect Covid-19 will still play a role by then. It is great to have the opportunity to organise a professional race within Covid-19 restrictions."
The Wavelight electronic pace-setter will be used to help guide the athletes. Current pandemic restrictions will prohibit spectators, but a broadcast of the meeting will be available via livestream on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGuKwPWTXgk">FBK Games YouTube channel</a>.
Organisers for World Athletics

Sifan Hassan, Faith Kipyegon and Yomif Kejelcha are among the stars signed up for a middle and long distance meeting set for 10 October at FBK Stadium in the Dutch city of Hengelo.

Hassan, Kipyegon and Kejelcha to chase fast times at distance meeting in Hengelo

Britain's Mo Farah and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands set respective men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s world one-hour records* at the Wanda Diamond League exhibition meeting at the King Baudouin Stadium tonight.
Britain&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic champion held off the challenge of his training partner, home athlete Bashir Abdi, to set a new mark of 21,330m &ndash; eclipsing the 2007 mark of 21,285m set by Haile Gebrselassie. Abdi finished eight metres behind.
Hassan&rsquo;s record also came after a titanic battle with Kenya&rsquo;s world marathon record-holder Brigid Kosgei, although it later transpired the latter had been disqualified for stepping on to the infield in the closing stages.
The Dutch world 1500m and 10,000m champion reached 18,930 metres as the hour elapsed, beating the existing mark of 18,517 metres set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dire Tune in 2008.
Moving into the final quarter of an hour, Tune&rsquo;s mark seemed certain to be bettered, given that both women were more than a minute ahead of world record pace. The only question remained &ndash; which champion would secure it?
As they shadowed each other, swapping the lead but never getting away from each other, it was impossible to predict who would triumph. Hassan said afterwards that she thought Kosgei would &ldquo;run away from her&rdquo;.
But when the gun went to mark the final minute with the pair halfway down the back straight, Hassan moved ahead once more, and this time it was decisive.
Looking once behind her, the Dutch athlete took off, pumping her arms, going for broke. Kosgei, baring her teeth, did everything in her power to stay in touch, but there was no catching up, and when the 60 minutes elapsed, Hassan slowed to a halt halfway down the back straight after a crazy sprint finish.
"I didn't feel good before the start of the race, I even puked," revealed Hassan. "After 30 minutes of racing, I finally felt better. It was in the final 20 minutes that I gained the confidence I needed. When there were only two minutes left on the clock, the fun began. I just gave everything I had left. I am so happy with the win and the world record. It wasn't easy."
As the men&rsquo;s race moved into the final quarter of an hour, the ghostly figure of the current world record holder, Gebrselassie, was shown in virtual shape, running at their side. They were bang on the pace.
With 10 minutes to go, they moved ahead of the world record schedule. They passed 18,000 metres in 50:43. 
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 Inside the final five minutes, the home runner, who the day before had confessed that he expected Farah to beat him, moved to the lead, but the multiple champion was shadowing him still.
As advertised, the Wavelight visual pace-guidance system employing differently coloured LED lights installed on the inside edge of the track made the pursuit of records on the night immediately intelligible.
With three minutes remaining, both men were 30 metres clear of the leading blue lights, showing the intended pace, and the green lights snaking behind them, showing the actual world record pace.
A second world record appeared in the offing &ndash; and the same question was being asked. Who would break it?
The gun went to mark one minute to go, then Farah made a significant break. He charged around the bend as the final seconds ticked away, and at the same spot where Hassan had earlier triumphed, Farah did too, taking a few seconds to realise it was all over.
&ldquo;The world record is yours, Mo!&rdquo; said the stadium MC.
Abdi had the consolation of lowering the world best for 20,000m from 56:26 to 56:20.2*, having led his friend through that mark.
"I was very excited to be back on the track," said Farah. "I knew I was in a great shape after the hard work I did in the last six weeks. At a certain point, with just 10 laps to go, it became tough so I was happy that Bashir took the lead, but I felt great with just one minute to go. A fast last lap is still my best tactic."
Kenya&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon had to settle for another near miss as she attempted to beat the world 1000m record of 2:28.98 set on this track in 1996 by Russia&rsquo;s double Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova.
Having finished just 17 hundredths of a second short at last month&rsquo;s opening Diamond League meeting in Monaco, Kipyegon seemed on track to achieve her ambition with 200 metres remaining, but faltered slightly over the final few metres to cross the line in 2:29.92. 
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 Norway&rsquo;s 19-year-old European 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who has already reduced the European record to 3:28.68, made a bold effort to improve on that but his honourable solo effort saw him finish in 3:30.69, with Jesus Gomez of Spain a distant second in 3:34.64.
In the pole vault, Sweden&rsquo;s 20-year-old world record-holder Mondo Duplantis saw the last challenger, home vaulter Ben Broeders, fall away with a best of 5.70m.
The European champion then went on to clear a meeting record of 6.00m at his first attempt before having another crack at 6.15m, a centimetre higher than the best outdoor clearance ever made, by Sergey Bubka in 1994. He didn&rsquo;t make it. But surely his time will come sooner rather than later. 
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 Twenty-year-old Rani Rosius, who had won the Belgian title in 11.39, needed 11.43 to earn another prestige victory in the women&rsquo;s 100m, with France&rsquo;s Carolle Zahl second in 11.56.
Britain&rsquo;s world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson had said the day before that this meeting &ndash; where she was competing in the 100m hurdles and the high jump &ndash; was effectively the highlight of her season, and she had a reasonably satisfactory result in the first of them, which was won by home champion Anne Zagre in 13.21.
Despite an uncertain start, Johnson-Thompson drew on her strength to take fourth place in 13.57 &ndash; inside her previous season&rsquo;s best of 13.73.
Zagre was chased home by Denmark&rsquo;s Mette Graversgaard, who clocked 13.26, and Belgian compatriot Sarah Missinne, who ran a season&rsquo;s best of 13.55. 
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 Johnson-Thompson went on to equal her season&rsquo;s best of 1.84m in a high jump won by Australia&rsquo;s Nicola McDermott with 1.91m.
Poland&rsquo;s Iga Baumgart-Witan won the women&rsquo;s 400m in 52.13, while the men&rsquo;s 200m went to Italy&rsquo;s Eseosa Desalu in 20.39.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics
 *Pending to the usual ratification process

Britain's Mo Farah and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands set respective men’s and women’s world one-hour records at the Wanda Diamond League exhibition meeting at the King Baudouin Stadium tonight.

Hassan and Farah break one-hour world records in Brussels

The King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels will be empty of spectators for Friday night&rsquo;s Wanda Diamond League exhibition meeting but brimming with ambition as the 44th edition of the AG Memorial Van Damme will see three world records being targeted.
Kenya&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon will challenge the women&rsquo;s 1000m mark while the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s one-hour records will be under threat from, in the first instance, Britain&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic champion Mo Farah, and in the second, world 1500m and 10,000m champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and Kenya&rsquo;s world marathon record-holder Brigid Kosgei.
Kipyegon will be attempting to better the mark of 2:28.98 set by Russia&rsquo;s double Olympic champion Svetlana Masterkova on the same track in 1996. And the Kenyan will approach her task with plenty of confidence given her performance in the opening Diamond League meeting of the season in Monaco last month, where she finished just 17 hundredths of a second adrift of the Russian&rsquo;s time.
Now 37, Farah &ndash; winner of the 5000m and 10,000m at the last two Olympics &ndash; is returning to the track for the first time since switching to road racing in 2017 and has prepared for his effort at the high altitude of Font Romeu in the Pyrenees.
He has been accompanied by training partner Bashir Abdi, who won European 10,000m silver for Belgium at the 2018 European Championships and who, like Farah, was born in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia. 
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Mo Farah wins the 5000m at the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich</div>
&nbsp;
The mark they are targeting was the last world record set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s multiple world and Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie, who managed to cover 21,285 metres in 2007 on the track in Ostrava.
Asked what he believed he could do in Brussels, Farah &ndash; who will act as a pacemaker at the London Marathon on October 4 &ndash; responded: &ldquo;What distance do I have in mind? I don't have to say what I think I can do, it doesn't matter. I just have to do it on September 4th.
&ldquo;I can only say that I look forward to it very hard and believe in it. I want to improve that world record.
&ldquo;The AG Memorial Van Damme will be my first race since the Chicago Marathon last October. I was struggling with an injury and then all races were cancelled due to the corona pandemic.
&ldquo;In my career I have always focused on taking titles at the big championships, but when I was asked to take a shot at the world hour record, I did not hesitate. My tactic? It will be a question of maintaining an even pace.
&ldquo;The first 10 to 15 km Bashir and I will certainly stay together. Then we will see. Bashir has his own goals. We are good friends off the track, but we each go our own way in the race.&rdquo;
If Farah succeeds in his bid to better Gebrselassie&rsquo;s 13-year-old effort, he will officially become the 12th man in history to hold the one-hour world record, reclaiming a distinction that was first achieved by a fellow Briton, Alf Shrubb, in 1904 when, despite &ldquo;a violent breeze and sodden track&rdquo; he covered 18,742m in his designated time, breaking records for six, seven, eight, nine, 10 and 11 miles en route.
Since then this blue riband achievement has passed among other legends of the sport including France&rsquo;s 1912 Olympic 5000m silver medallist Jean Bouin, the &lsquo;Flying Finn&rsquo; Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek, Ron Clarke, Gaston Roelants, Jos Hermens and of course Gebrselassie.
When Hermens improved his own world record to 20,944m at the all-weather track in Papendal in May 1976 he pioneered technological support that will be available to the runners on Friday, having police beacons placed at each 200m mark which would flash roughly twice a minute to indicate the precise world record pace.
&ldquo;This would tell me during the race without having to worry about watches and time splits whether I was on schedule,&rdquo; he told World Athletics this week. &ldquo;I guess it was the first form of Wavelight technology.&rdquo;
Hermens came up with the Wavelight concept in which flashing lights are fitted to track rail to aid athlete pacing as seen at Diamond League meets in Oslo and Monaco this year, and which will be in place on the King Baudouin Stadium track.
Hermens also arranged for a playlist of his favourite tunes to be broadcast during his effort, and Farah and Abdi have done the same thing, with the help of suggestions by fans via social media.
Meanwhile the audience simulation technology that has been used at meetings this season, artfully employing recordings of previous competitions to enliven the atmosphere, will also be in play on Friday.
&ldquo;I'm really looking forward to it!&rdquo; Farah added. &ldquo;We are going to make a great show in Brussels.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s one-hour race involves a fascinating struggle between two of the world&rsquo;s outstanding athletes as Hassan and Kosgei attack the mark of 18,517m set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dire Tune at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting in 2008.
Last year in Doha Hassan became the only athlete in history to win the 1500m and 10,000m at a single World Championships. In 2019 she also become the world record-holder for the 5km road race &ndash; running 14:44&ndash; and the mile, where she clocked 4:12.33, with both events being held in Monaco. 
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Sifan Hassan wins the 5000m at the Diamond League final in Brussels</div>
&nbsp;
Her range stretches &ndash; for the moment &ndash; to the half marathon, where she set the European record of 1:05:15 at Copenhagen in 2018.
Kosgei, 26, bettered that time on September 8 last year when she won the Great North Run in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1:04:28, although that mark could not be officially ratified by World Athletics because of the nature of the course.
There were no asterisks involved just over a month later, however, when she retained her Chicago Marathon title in a world record time of 2:14:04, a personal best of more than four minutes which bettered Paula Radcliffe&rsquo;s 2003 mark of 2:15:25.
She finished more than six minutes ahead of the nearest challenger, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ababel Yeshaneh, who in February of this year set the official world half marathon record of 1:04:31 in Ras Al Khaimah.
And she is determined to make her mark in the Belgian capital as she prepares for the defence of her London Marathon title on October 4.
Also in the field is Israel&rsquo;s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, the European 10,000m champion.
Norway&rsquo;s 19-year-old European 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, whose consolation for two narrow defeats by Kenya&rsquo;s world champion Timothy Cheruiyot this season has been a European record of 3:28.68, will return to the track once again for the metric mile.
While Cheruiyot will not be present on this occasion, the wonderboy will nevertheless face a strong field which includes Spanish duo Jesus Gomez, the European indoor bronze medallist, and world indoor 800m bronze medallist Saul Ordonez.
The field for the men&rsquo;s pole vault is due to include world record-holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden, Olympic champion Thiago Braz of Brazil and US vaulter Christopher Nilsen, who beat Duplantis to the NCAA title last year. 
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Pole vault winner Mondo Duplantis at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm</div>
&nbsp;
Duplantis will come fresh from the outdoor personal best clearance of 6.07m he required to beat Sam Kendricks in the Wanda Diamond League exhibition event in Lausanne, where the US vaulter cleared 6.02m, his second-best ever height behind the 6.06m he managed last year.
The 20-year-old phenomenon, who cleared 6.17m and 6.18m indoors earlier this season, will try to put himself in a position to have another go at beating 6.14m, the best ever outdoor mark set by Sergey Bubka in 1994.
Belgium&rsquo;s Ben Broeders will hope to improve upon his national record of 5.76m in such strong company.
The men&rsquo;s one-hour race was also to have featured Sondre Nordstad Moen, who set a European 25,000m record in June at the Oslo Diamond League &lsquo;Impossible Games&rsquo; exhibition meeting, clocking 1:12:46.5. The Norwegian withdrew from the race earlier this week, although he says he will be fit and ready for the London Marathon.
Unfortunately for home fans, achilles tendon problems have prevented Belgium&rsquo;s Olympic heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam from taking part in a planned &lsquo;triathlon&rsquo;.
While the shot put element of that event has been cancelled, the 100m hurdles and high jump remain, and both will feature the Briton who took the world title from Thiam in Doha last year, Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
With a personal best of 13.09, and a season&rsquo;s best of 13.73, Johnson-Thompson will be challenged in the high hurdles by the presence of Dutch athlete Sharona Bakker and Belgium&rsquo;s Anne Zagre, who have respective bests of 12.85 and 12.71.
In the high jump the Briton will face Australia&rsquo;s Nicola McDermott, whose personal best of 1.98m, set this season, matches hers. Sweden&rsquo;s Erica Kinsey, with a best of 1.97m, is also in the field.
In place of the cancelled shot put there is now a women&rsquo;s 100m featuring 20-year-old home sprinter Rani Rosius, who recently won the Belgian title in this stadium with a time of 11.39, the second-fastest national time behind the record of 11.04 set by 2006 European champion Kim Gevaert.
Home eyes in the men&rsquo;s 200m will be upon Jonathan Borl&eacute;e as he races against Italy&rsquo;s Eseosa Desalu, while Polish duo Iga Baumgart-Witan and Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz-Zawadzka will clash in the women's 400m.
Mike Rowbottom for World Athletics

The King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels will be empty of spectators for Friday night’s Wanda Diamond League exhibition meeting but brimming with ambition as the 44th edition of the AG Memorial Van Damme will see three world records being targeted. 

World records under threat in Brussels

World 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei announced the return of international athletics with a phenomenal world 5000m record of 12:35.36* at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday night (14).
The Ugandan, who annexed the world cross-country title as well as the 10,000m title last year, and set a world 5km record on the road in Monaco in February, extended his realm by attacking and conquering the great Kenenisa Bekele&rsquo;s 16-year-old 5000m monument of 12:37.35 in a bravura solo performance.
The pace was so fierce that Cheptegei had run out of pacemakers by half way and the only other man in sight was Kenya&rsquo;s Nicholas Kimeli. Within a lap the genial but ambitious Ugandan was alone in his quest for immortality, pressing on remorselessly with metronomic 61-second laps.
As he hit the bell in 11:35, it was apparent that the record was his for the taking and he came home in 60 seconds as the small socially-distanced crowd allowed to attend the meeting rose and applauded.
Cheptegei had made no secret of his desire to take down Bekele&rsquo;s mark and was not deterred by the seemingly unfavourably warm conditions at Stade Louis II. It was still 26 degrees and 78 percent humidity as his attempt began. 
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 &ldquo;I think Monaco is a special place and it's one of these places where I could break the world record,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;It took a lot of mind setting to keep being motivated this year because so many people are staying at home but you have to stay motivated. I pushed myself, I had the right staff with me, the right coach. I'm also usually based in Europe, but being based in Uganda with my family was actually great.&rdquo;
Kimeli was the only other man who broke 13 minutes, as he finished a distant second in a lifetime best of 12:51.78.
<h3>Kenyan trio Obiri, Cheruiyot and Kipyegon victorious</h3>
In the clash of the distance queens, a race featuring the reigning women&rsquo;s world champions over every distance from 1500m to 10,000m, 5000m title holder Hellen Obiri reigned supreme over her preferred distance.
Obiri, who is also the world cross-country champion, was the aggressor early in the race, keen to stamp her authority on the star-studded field.
With five laps to go it was a race in four with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Letesenbet Gidey leading from Obiri, Laura Weightman and Sifan Hassan as they gapped the rest of the field.
World 1500m and 10,000m champion Hassan, who had been doubtful about her form coming into the event due to a long lockdown in Ethiopia, found the pace too punishing and stepped off the track at 4000m, leaving Gidey and Obiri to duel for the honours. 
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Hellen Obiri on her way to winning the 5000m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco</div>
&nbsp;
Obiri put on the after-burners 250m from the finish line and sprinted away to win in 14:22.12, setting a meeting record and the world lead. She was delighted to be less than four seconds from her personal best in such a disrupted year.
Gidey clocked 14:26.57 in second as third-placed Weightman set a personal best of 14:35.44 ahead of Jessica Hull, who set an outdoor Oceanian record of 14:43.80, the first time she has dipped under 15 minutes. She was one of seven women in that realm in tonight&rsquo;s race.
For the moment, world 1500m champion Timothy Cheruiyot remains the main man in that classic distance but the ghost of the future shadowed him throughout the race in Monaco in the shape of 19-year-old European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
The pacemakers went out hard, covering 400m in 52 seconds and 800m in 1:51.24. Although Cheruiyot went with them, he was also well aware of the young man who is destined to haunt middle distance runners the world over, and showed him utmost respect as they came off the final bend.
He expected the Norwegian prodigy to charge at him and kept something in reserve to shake off the threat, pumping his fist in delight as he stopped the clock in 3:28.45, just 0.04 outside his best time, set in the same stadium two years ago. 
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Timothy Cheruiyot wins the 1500m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco</div>
&nbsp;
Ingebrigtsen burst through the 3:30 barrier for the first time, setting a European record of 3:28.68, which lifted him to eighth on the world all-time list. Third-placed Briton Jake Wightman also set a personal best time of 3:29.47.
Kenya&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon went very close to setting the second world record of the night, surprising herself over the less familiar 1000m distance.
Kipyegon, who had her first child after her 2017 World Championships triumph, has clearly returned to her very best. She spread-eagled a world-class field to win in 2:29.15, just 0.17 short of the world record of 2:28.98.
European 1500m champion Laura Muir led at the bell but Kipyegon put in an irresistible surge with 250m to go and won by almost two seconds from Muir who set a British record of 2:30.82. 
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Faith Kipyegon wins the 1000m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco</div>
&nbsp;
<h3> Warholm close to 47-second barrier</h3>
Norwegian world champion Karsten Warholm, running his first race over 400m hurdles since his World Championships triumph almost 10 months ago, was equally superior, winning by more than two seconds in 47.10, the second-fastest time of his career and his seventh time under 47.50.
He achieved another of his career ambitions by maintaining 13 strides between all 10 hurdles for the first time, a step that will bring the world record of 46.78 into sharper focus for him.
&ldquo;This was a very, very good season opener,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;I felt very strong, things I've been working on actually work. I had a very good finish today and I'm really happy. It's great seeing some audience, hearing the sound of the audience, and having some competitors by my side felt great.
&ldquo;I did 13 strides all the way but it's not really about the strides, it's about how to keep the pace going and I felt like I did this so I'm very happy about how I completed the race today.&rdquo; 
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Karsten Warholm on his way to winning the 400m hurdles at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco</div>
&nbsp;
The men&rsquo;s 800m became an all-American affair as world champion Donavan Brazier hung tough down the straight to hold off the late challenge of his US compatriot Bryce Hoppel, with Canadian Marco Arop in third.
Brazier, who said he felt like he was running with &ldquo;a target on my back&rdquo;, set the fastest time of this blighted year, 1:43.15, after running a tactically astute race. He took command as they entered the bottom bend and relied on his strength to see off all challenges. Hoppel (1:43.23) and Arop (1:44.14) both set personal best times as they tried valiantly to run him down.
<h3>Lyles happy to be back doing what he loves most</h3>
In the sprints, world 200m champion Noah Lyles continued to set the pace, making best use of the newly resurfaced track to set a world-leading time of 19.76.
Lyles, who revealed recently that he struggled with his mental health during lockdown in April and was prescribed anti-depressant medication, has been outspoken about the Black Lives Matter movement in recent months and emulated the famous 1968 Olympic podium salute, thrusting one black-gloved fist to the sky when he was introduced before the race.
He made another strong statement with his feet, but if anything he was more delighted for his younger brother Josephus, who finished second (20.30) in his Diamond League debut. 
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Noah Lyles in action in the 200m at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I got high expectations for myself so I'd say the race got the Noah stamp of approval but I wouldn't say it got the Noah satisfaction stamp,&rdquo; he said.
&ldquo;For me, being on the circuit is very good, I'm a very social person and when I can't get that, it takes away from my needs and my normal behaviour and that's where I start to feel stressed and trying to cope with that over quarantine has been very hard.&rdquo;
Switzerland&rsquo;s Ajla del Ponte was the surprise winner of the 100m (11.16), while USA&rsquo;s Lynna Irby was untroubled to win the 400m in 50.50.
In the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, Spain&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega upset the world champion Grant Holloway to win in 13.11, the fastest time of the year. British world indoor 60m hurdles champion Andrew Pozzi came through for second, equalling his personal best of 13.14, as early leader Holloway faded to fourth (13.19) over the last three hurdles.
In the field, world pole vault record-holder Armand Duplantis achieved his first six-metre jump outdoors this year but was denied his anticipated meeting with world champion Sam Kendricks, who was a late withdrawal after his poles did not arrive from the United States in time. 
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Mondo Duplantis, winner of the pole vault at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco</div>
&nbsp;
Duplantis&rsquo; mother and coach Helena took a 25-hour road trip from Sweden with his poles because they could not find an airline that could transport them to Nice Airport in time for the meeting.
Her son made her efforts worthwhile with a typically outstanding performance to win at 6.00m and raise the bar to 6.15m, which would have been an outdoor world best if he had made it.
&ldquo;That (performance) was pretty important for me,&rdquo; Duplantis said. &ldquo;I wanted to get over six metres, I wanted to show everybody and myself that I am in six-metre shape.&rdquo;
Belgium&rsquo;s Ben Broeders took second with a clearance of 5.70m on a countback from Ernest Obiena of the Philippines.
Last year&rsquo;s Rising Star award-winner and world silver medallist Yaroslava Mahuchik of Ukraine took a narrow victory over her compatriot Yuliya Levchenko after both cleared 1.98m in the high jump, and a slightly out-of-sorts world triple jump champion Yulimar Rojas maintained her winning record with a best of 14.27m, despite fouling four of her six jumps.
Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali won the final event of the night, setting the 11th world-leading performance in two hours of thrilling athletics, by winning the 3000m steeplechase in 8:08.04, from Kenya&rsquo;s Leonard Bett (8:08.78).
Nicole Jeffery for World Athletics
 * Subject to the usual ratification procedure

World 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei broke the world 5000m record at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday night (14), clocking a stunning 12:35.36.

Cheptegei breaks world 5000m record in Monaco as Diamond League action returns

With just 100 days to go to the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow, organisers announced that Laura Muir will attempt to break the world indoor 1000m record at the World Indoor Tour meeting on Saturday 15 February 2020.
The double European indoor champion and outdoor European 1500m champion will aim to start 2020 in electric style as she targets a record -breaking performance in front of a home crowd.
Muir is already the European record-holder over 1000m, having clocked 2:31.93 back in 2017 to go second on the world indoor all-time list behind Maria Mutola, and now she will aim to break Mutola&rsquo;s world indoor record of 2:30.94, set back in 1999, when she races at the Emirates Arena in February.
Not only does the venue serve as Muir&rsquo;s indoor training base, but the 26-year-old also won 1500m and 3000m gold there at this year&rsquo;s European Indoor Championships, so she is relishing the opportunity to compete in front of packed home crowd as part of her Olympic Games preparations.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t think of a better way to begin 2020 and Olympic year than with a world record attempt in my home city and in front of a home crowd at the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow,&rdquo; said Muir.
&ldquo;Through the hard sessions this winter, knowing that I&rsquo;ll be stepping back out on to the track in Glasgow will be absolutely huge motivation, as will the opportunity to attack what is a really tough and long-standing world record.
&ldquo;With that said, I feel that going quicker than 2:30.94 is a real possibility, and I can&rsquo;t think of a better place to go for the record than in Glasgow and at such a world-class event.&rdquo;
Muir&rsquo;s presence in Glasgow sees her join the previously-announced Katarina Johnson-Thompson in competing at the M&uuml;ller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow.
Organisers for the IAAF

With just 100 days to go to the Müller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow, organisers announced that Laura Muir will attempt to break the world indoor 1000m record at the World Indoor Tour meeting on Saturday 15 February 2020.

Muir targets world indoor 1000m record in Glasgow

He settled into his blocks wearing black socks emblazoned with flames, and moments later we found out why: at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm on Sunday afternoon (10), the sixth meeting of the 2018 IAAF Diamond League, 22-year-old Abderrahman Samba unleashed another scorching, stunning display to win the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 47.41.
It was an Asian record, a Diamond League record and the fifth sub-48-second clocking in a row by Samba, the first time that feat has been accomplished since Derrick Adkins managed it back in 1995.
As it was in both Rome and Oslo, world champion Karsten Warholm could do nothing to halt the Qatari&rsquo;s dominance, even if the Norwegian produced the performance of his life in second with a national record of 47.81, carving 0.01 off his previous mark.
&ldquo;I was looking for something big and I got that today,&rdquo; said Samba. &ldquo;It was windy on the back straight so that made us push too hard but it was amazing to get the Diamond League record and a PB today. Now I&rsquo;ll get back training then I might compete in Paris.&rdquo;
Warholm was far from disappointed in second.
&ldquo;The perfect race will come sometime, I am pushing the limits all the time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Today I was pushing Samba. He was the better man, of course, but I felt like I did my job.&rdquo;
<h3>12.38 world lead -and a diamond- for McNeal</h3>
Brianna McNeal was highly impressive in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles, the 2016 Olympic champion swift and precise over the barriers to come home in a world-leading 12.38 (+1.3m/s), with 2015 world champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica setting a PB in second (12.48) and Alina Talay of Belarus third in 12.55. It also netted McNeal a diamond for breaking Gail Devers&rsquo; meeting record of 12.42.
&nbsp;
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Brianna McNeal impresses in Stockholm</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I knew that once I put the race together then I would get a great time,&rdquo; said McNeal, who will next compete in Budapest before returning to the IAAF Diamond League circuit in Rabat.
Dina Asher-Smith capped a fine week by reversing placings with Murielle Ahoure from their clash on Thursday night in Oslo, where the Briton set a national record of 10.92 to finish second to the Ivorian. Here, Ahoure led through the opening 60 metres once again &ndash; no surprise there from the world indoor champion &ndash; but then Asher-Smith&rsquo;s 200m ability began to tell and she came through strongly to take victory in 10.93 (-0.1m/s) ahead of Ahoure (11.03) and Michelle Lee-Ahye (11.11).
&nbsp;
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Dina Asher-Smith (r), victorious in Stockholm</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was especially happy with the second half of the race,&rdquo; said Asher-Smith. &ldquo;This is what my coach and my team have been working on. I was really happy I was able to reproduce that time (from Oslo) because I am an excitable person so when I do something good, I normally take a bit of time to come down.&rdquo;
<h3>Tsegay mines a diamond, too</h3>
Gudaf Tsegay will leave Stockholm with a valuable piece of excess baggage &ndash; a diamond &ndash; after setting a meeting record to win the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 3:57.64 after a run where the Ethiopian threw caution to the considerable wind blowing in the Olympic stadium. She blasted through 800m behind the pacemakers, who covered the first two laps in a vicious 2:03.93.
&nbsp;
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Tsegay Gudaf takes the Stockholm 1500m</div>
&nbsp;
Tsegay seized command on the third lap and hit 1200m all alone in 3:09.82, at which point Laura Muir was her closest pursuer, the Briton sling-shotting out of the pack and giving chase over the final lap. But for all that Tsegay was fading, it wasn&rsquo;t enough, the Ethiopian hitting the line with seven metres to spare over Muir, who was second in 3:58.53. Rababe Arafi edged Jenny Simpson to take third in 4:00.28.
&ldquo;I was confident,&rdquo; said Tsegay. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy I ran well and I felt strong.&rdquo;
<h3>Barega summons unbeatable kick</h3>
The men&rsquo;s 5000m boiled down to a two-way duel between Selemon Barega of Ethiopia and Birhanu Balew of Bahrain, and anyone who witnessed Barega&rsquo;s finishing burst a fortnight earlier in Eugene knew how that one would end.
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Selemon Barega kicks to a 5000m victory in Stockholm</div>
&nbsp;
Barega kicked off the front with 100 metres to run and came home in a world-leading 13:04.05, with Balew second in 13:04.25 and Abadi Hadis third in 13:06.76.
&ldquo;It was a not a good time,&rdquo; said Barega, a man not easily pleased. &ldquo;I wanted under 13 minutes but I hope to do it next time.&rdquo;
In the men&rsquo;s 1000m, an event that counts towards the 800m for the Diamond League standings, Kenya&rsquo;s Ferguson Rotich took maximum points and routed the field, powering away from his rivals over the final 200 metres to win in 2:14.88, well clear of Bahrain&rsquo;s Sadik Mikhou (2:16.09) and Britain&rsquo;s Jake Wightman (2:16.27).
&nbsp;
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Ferguson Rotich takes the Stockholm 1000m</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;It was hard work,&rdquo; said Rotich. &ldquo;It was very hot but it was hot for everyone so it is important to deliver.&rdquo;
<h3>Guliyev prevails in 200m, Gardiner unjured</h3>
The men&rsquo;s 200m was marred by the injury picked up by Steven Gardiner, who was quickest in the field this year after his Bahamian record of 19.75. He pulled up sharply while in contention with 100 metres to run, leaving the path clear for world champion Ramil Guliyev, who again powered clear of Aaron Brown to take maximum points in 19.92 (+0.9m/s) to the Canadian&rsquo;s 20.07.
&nbsp;
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Ramil Guliyev after his 200m in Stockholm</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I wanted a better time but it was okay,&rdquo; said Guliyev. &ldquo;I think I can go better at the European Championships.&rdquo;
Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain set a national record of 49.84 to take victory in the women&rsquo;s 400m, the world silver medallist coming home strongest after a dour home-straight duel with world champion Phyllis Francis, who was second in a big season&rsquo;s best of 50.07. Jessica Beard was third in 50.55.
&nbsp;
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Salwa Eid Naser adds Stockholm victory to her 2018 collection</div>
&nbsp;
&ldquo;I do not check who is coming for me. I just go,&rdquo; said Naser. &ldquo;I am exhausted in the heat but I&rsquo;m very pleased with the personal best.&rdquo;
In the national 1500m, Jakob Ingebrigtsen continued his stellar season with a comfortable win in 3:37.42, the 17-year-old Norwegian never looking troubled as he outkicked Australia&rsquo;s Jordan Williamsz (3:38.30) just three days after winning over the same distance in Oslo.
&ldquo;I still had my Bislett race in my legs but I am happy with another good race,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I now need to rest and do a bit more training before the world juniors next month.&rdquo;
Australians Peter Bol and Joseph Deng fought out a tit-for-tat home-straight battle in the men&rsquo;s national 800m, with Bol edging the verdict in a photo finish, 1:44.56 to 1:44.61, both setting lifetime bests.
Ivet Lalova was a clear winner of the women&rsquo;s national 200m in 22.63 (-0.2m/s) from Britain&rsquo;s Beth Dobbin (22.83).
Cathal Dennehy for the IAAF

He settled into his blocks wearing black socks emblazoned with flames, and moments later we found out why: at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm on Sunday afternoon (10), the sixth meeting of the 2018 IAAF Diamond League, 22-year-old Abderrahman Samba unleashed another scorching, stunning display to win the men’s 400m hurdles in 47.41.

Samba blazes 47.41 Asian record in Stockholm - IAAF Diamond League

Organisers of the Golden Spike have announced that two-time Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha will make his 1000m debut at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on 28 June.
"I'm really looking forward to my race in Ostrava," Rudisha said. "It will be my third race of the season but most interestingly for me it's my first time to run 1000 metres!"
Testing himself in off distances isn't anything new for Rudisha who last season in his run-up to a successful Olympic 800m title defence, broke the African record over 600m at the Birmingham leg of the IAAF Diamond League, clocking 1:13.10.
But going up in distance is uncharted territory for the 28-year-old, who famously broke his own 800m world record in the 2012 Olympic final.
"I'm excited to try this race. People are always asking me how would I run at 1500. I always say that's too far to run against the miler guys! But 1000m is of course shorter and closer to my racing distance.
"I've got no time or plan in mind but I'm excited to test myself and see what I can do," added Rudisha, who will be competing in the Czech city for the fifth time.
One publicly unstated goal could be the meeting record of 2:15.08 set by Ilham Tanui Ozbilen of Turkey in 2014, the fastest time that year over the rarely-run distance.
Rudisha is the latest Olympic champion announced for the meeting's 56th edition. Previously announced were 400m world record holder and Rio winner Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa who'll contest the 300m, double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah of Great Britain, who'll compete in the 10,000m, Thomas Rohler of Germany, who'll contest the javelin, and Christian Taylor of the US in the triple jump.
Bob Ramsak and organisers for the IAAF

Organisers of the Golden Spike have announced that two-time Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha will make his 1000m debut at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on 28 June.

Rudisha to make 1000m debut in Ostrava

The following world records have recently been ratified...
&nbsp;
<h3>World records</h3>
<div>Women</div>
<div>20km: 1:01:40* mx, Peres Jepchirchir (KEN), Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, 10 Feb 2017</div>
<div>Previous: 1:01:54 mx, Florence Kiplagat (KEN), Barcelona, ESP, 15 Feb 2015</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Half marathon: 1:05:06 mx, Peres Jepchirchir, (KEN) Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, 10 Feb 2017</div>
<div>Previous: 1:05:09 mx, Florence Kiplagat (KEN), Barcelona, ESP, 15 Feb 2015</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>*en route to half marathon</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>World indoor records</h3>
<div>Men</div>
<div>1000m: 2:14.20, Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI), Stockholm, SWE, 17 Feb 2016</div>
<div>Previous: 2:14.96, Wilson Kipketer (DEN), Birmingham, GBR, 20 Feb 2000</div>
&nbsp;
<div>Women</div>
<div>Mile: 4:13.31, Genzebe Dibaba (ETH), Stockholm, SWE, 17 Feb 2016</div>
<div>Previous: 4:17.14, Doina Melinte (ROU), East Rutherford, USA, 09 Feb 1990</div>
&nbsp;
IAAF
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>

The following world records have recently been ratified…

World records ratified

World 1500m champion Genzebe Dibaba set an outright 1000m PB at the &lsquo;Villa de Madrid&rsquo; international meeting, but fell a couple of seconds shy of her world record target on Friday (24).
Paced by Viktoria Kushnir of Belarus, Dibaba&rsquo;s early splits proved to be too fast as the pacesetter went through the opening 200m in 28:80 to reach the 400m point in 58:47, more than a second inside the pace required to break Maria Mutola&rsquo;s 2:30.94 world indoor record.
Shortly after the 500m mark, the 26-year-old Ethiopian overtook the pacemaker and passed 600m in 1:29:36, her 30.89 lap split confirming her rhythm had slightly fallen.
Even being roared on by the capacity crowd over the closing two laps, Dibaba reached 800m in 2:00.62 and it became clear by then that Mutola&rsquo;s record would be safe. At the tape, the three-time world indoor champion clocked a national indoor record of 2:33.06 to finish head and shoulders clear of her fellow Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay, runner-up in 2:38:05.
Already holder of six world indoor records or bests &ndash; 1500m, mile, 2000m, 3000m, two miles and 5000m &ndash; Dibaba, who could not stop coughing after the race maybe because of the Madrid altitude effect, commented: &ldquo;I had serious hopes of breaking the record. Honestly, the first 400m was a bit quick; in addition, I had to run on my own from the 500m point but anyway I&rsquo;m satisfied with my try. I&rsquo;ll now return to Addis Ababa to build up for the outdoor season when I would like to make the 5000m/10,000m double at the World Championships in London.&rdquo;
Grenada&rsquo;s Bralon Taplin was an overwhelming victor in the 400m. The Olympic finalist shaved 0.01 from his indoor PB to win in 45.19, the second-fastest time in the world this season. 2012 Olympic silver medallist Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic finished second in a national indoor record of 45.80.
Congo&rsquo;s Franck Elemba, who made a major breakthrough last year when he placed fourth in the shot put at the Rio Olympics with a massive PB of 21.20m, confirmed today that progression was no fluke by unleashing a huge indoor PB of 20.86m in round four. He backed up his win with a 20.85m final effort while the Spanish pair of Borja Vivas and Carlos Tobalina were the other putters surpassing the 20-metre barrier, 20.05m and 20.01m their respective heaves.&nbsp;
<h3>Beitia and Ortega shine in front of their home crowd</h3>
Olympic high jump champion Ruth Beitia had a clean card up to and including 1.92m. The local star needed two attempts to get over 1.95m but bounced back to surpass a season&rsquo;s best of 1.98m at the first time of asking before failing three times at 2.01m. The last time she jumped higher than 1.98m was at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015.
The 37-year-old Spaniard now has her eyes on defending her title at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade. Ukraine&rsquo;s Iryna Herashchenko came second with a 1.89m clearance.
Spain&rsquo;s Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega gave the local supporters something to cheer about when he dominated the men&rsquo;s 60m hurdles in 7.51, three hundredths of a second off his Spanish record set this season. Javier Colomo was a distant runner-up in 7.80.
The men&rsquo;s triple jump went to Cuba&rsquo;s Alexis Copello thanks to a 17.10m final-round leap for a massive season&rsquo;s best while Portugal&rsquo;s 2008 Olympic champion Nelson Evora had to settle for fourth with a season&rsquo;s best of 16.75m. France&rsquo;s Harold Correa equalled his indoor PB of 16.94m in second, while Latvia&rsquo;s Elvijs Misans managed a career best of 16.77m in third.
After covering the first two laps within 52 seconds, multiple European champion Adam Kszczot of Poland secured a fine 800m win in 1:46:38, just 0.21 short of his season&rsquo;s best. He overtook Denmark&rsquo;s Andreas Bube just before the bell to win without any opposition from Morocco&rsquo;s Mostafa Smaili, who pipped Bube on the home straight, 1:47.13 and 1:47:30 their respective times.
Ukraine&rsquo;s Hanna Plotisyna took the women&rsquo;s 60m hurdles in style in 7.98, Morocco&rsquo;s Rababe Arafi won the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 4:14.55 and Yunier Perez was successful in the shortest distance of the programme to clock 6.60 in the men&rsquo;s 60m.
Emeterio Valiente for the IAAF

World 1500m champion Genzebe Dibaba set an outright 1000m PB at the ‘Villa de Madrid’ international meeting, but fell a couple of seconds shy of her world record target on Friday (24).

Dibaba, Elemba, Taplin and Beitia excel in Madrid

Laura Muir would be the first to agree that two out of three ain&rsquo;t bad. The Briton achieved two of her three record targets at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday (18), providing the highlight of the season-capping IAAF World Indoor Tour meeting with a European indoor 1000m record.
Muir hadn&rsquo;t shied away from the pre-race talk of breaking the world indoor best of 2:30.94 set by Maria Mutola in 1999. She also had two other targets: Kelly Holmes&rsquo; British indoor best of 2:32.96 and the European indoor record of 2:32.16.
Jenny Meadows set the early pace, going through 400m in 59.65 and 600m in 1:29.71. Muir maintained the pace with a fourth lap of 30.85, passing 800m in an indoor PB of 2:00.56. Roared on by the crowd, a final lap of 31.37 brought her home in 2:31.93.
Her performance puts her at second on the world indoor all-time list and within one second of Mutola&rsquo;s mark. It was Muir&rsquo;s third record-breaking performance of 2017, having set a British indoor 5000m record of 14:49.12 and a European indoor 3000m record of 8:26.41 over the past six weeks.
&ldquo;I am delighted,&rdquo; said Muir. &ldquo;I really wanted to get the win; that was really important. To beat Kelly&rsquo;s (Holmes) record is amazing and to be so close to the world record is also very encouraging for me. It is every athlete&rsquo;s dream to be running well every time you come out on the track and being injury free. Hopefully I can carry this sort of form into the summer.&rdquo;
<h3>For Farah, an indoor farewell to remember</h3>
Just 15 minutes after Muir crossed the finish line, multiple world and Olympic champion Mo Farah headed out on to the track for the 5000m.
With a European record as his goal, Farah sat behind the early pacemakers, going through 1000m in 2:36.80 and 2000m in 5:15.90. The field broke up after the 3000m checkpoint, leaving a four-man group out in front with Farah running alongside Bahrain&rsquo;s Albert Rop, France&rsquo;s Morhad Amdouni and Morocco&rsquo;s Soufiane El Bakkali.
The crowd roared as Farah took the lead with two laps to go, but the race was far from over as Rop fought back. Farah kicked again with 200 metres remaining and held on to his lead until the finish, crossing the line in a European indoor record of 13:09.16.
Rop set an Asian indoor record of 13:09.43 in second with Amdouni and El Bakkali setting national records of 13:10.60 and 13:11.18 in third and fourth respectively.
Farah confirmed afterwards that it was most likely his last ever indoor race.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t quite believe it is my last race but I have had a great indoor career,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It is something that must come to an end. It is weird thinking about it and saying goodbye because I have had great support from everyone and in particular this track where I have broken so many records. It has been amazing over the years.&rdquo;
<h3>Thompson speeds to sub-seven 60m</h3>
It was just the third indoor competition of her life, but Elaine Thompson looked like a seasoned 60m performer when she sped to victory in a world-leading 6.98.
Having won her heat in a cautious but comfortable 7.22, the double Olympic champion looked much sharper in the final and strode clear of the rest of the field en route to her first sub-seven second performance. It took 0.01 off the stadium record set four years ago by Muriel Ahoure and moves her to second on the Jamaican all-time list behind Merlene Ottey and tied with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
&ldquo;I enjoyed going through the heats, to get the rhythm and feel for the track and then come back for the final,&rdquo; said Thompson, who finished third in the 60m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016. &ldquo;I wanted to go below my PB and I got that so I&rsquo;m really happy.&rdquo;
Thompson led a Jamaican 1-2-3 as compatriots Gayon Evans and Christania Williams finished second and third in 7.17 and 7.18 respectively. World indoor champion Barbara Pierre was fourth in 7.20 and in the process surrendered her lead in the World Indoor Tour standings to Evans.
<h3>World leads from Pozzi, Loxsom and Blankenship</h3>
Britain&rsquo;s Andrew Pozzi set his fifth world-leading mark of the year in the 60m hurdles. The 24-year-old &ndash; whose last indoor defeat was at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships &ndash; finished two metres clear of the field to win in 7.43, shaving 0.01 from the PB he set in Karlsruhe and equalled in Sheffield. David King set a PB of 7.63 to finish 0.07 ahead of 2012 Olympic champion Aries Merritt.
Having already set a world indoor 600m best and an indoor 1000m PB this year, Casimir Loxsom&rsquo;s confidence was high heading into the 800m in Birmingham. The US middle-distance runner stuck close to pacemaker Bram Som through 200m in 24.08 and 400m in 50.28, both splits ahead of the scheduled pace.
After passing 600m in 1:17.50, world bronze medallist Amel Tuka appeared to be closing slightly on Loxsom, but the 25-year-old managed to hold on to his lead and crossed the line in a world-leading PB of 1:46.13.
Loxsom&rsquo;s mark was one of two world-leading performances set by US middle-distance runners in Birmingham.
In the 1500m, Ben Blankenship took the lead with 300 metres to go. World Indoor Tour leader Bethwel Birgen momentarily edged back into the front but Blankenship kicked again with 150 metres to go, taking Australia&rsquo;s Ryan Gregson with him. Blankenship won in a world-leading 3:36.42 as Gregson set an Australian record of 3:36.50 in second. Birgen was third, but it was enough to hold on to the World Indoor Tour win.
<h3>Obiri bounces back</h3>
Following her defeat in Karlsruhe, Hellen Obiri returned to winning ways in the 3000m. The Kenyan tracked the pacemaker through the first kilometre in 2:51.92 and then took up the running about 300 metres later. World indoor 1500m champion Sifan Hassan was tucked closely behind Obiri and the pair gradually distanced themselves from the rest of the pack during the second half of the race.
Having passed through 2000m in 5:42.27, Obiri continued to lead until Hassan charged to the front going into the final lap. Hassan&rsquo;s lead only lasted about 100 metres, though, as Obiri kicked back and sprinted to the finish line in 8:29.41, breaking the national record she set in Karlsruhe and securing the World Indoor Tour win.
Hassan could find some consolation in a Dutch record of 8:30.76. Ethiopia&rsquo;s Dawit Seyaum was third in 8:37.65 in a race where 12 of the 14 women set personal bests.
While Obiri&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour win was comfortable, several other events went right to the wire.
Two-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak was tied with Bralon Taplin in the 400m standings before Birmingham, but the Czech sprinter ultimately won comfortably in 45.89. Taplin had difficulty in working his way through the field and finished fourth in 46.38.
Another pre-Birmingham tie was settled in the long jump with Godfrey Mokoena out-jumping Fabrice Lapierre. The South African landed at 7.99m to secure the tour win while Pierre finished third with 7.76m, seven centimetres behind Tyrone Smith.
The women&rsquo;s event, a non-scoring discipline in this year&rsquo;s World Indoor Tour, was won by Britain&rsquo;s world indoor bronze medallist Lorraine Ugen with a season&rsquo;s best of 6.76m.
After a minor thigh strain forced World Indoor Tour leader Nichole Buchler to withdraw from the pole vault in the latter stages of the competition, it looked as though the Swiss pole vaulter would be forced to surrender a potential series win. But her 4.53m clearance was eventually good enough for second place and was beaten only by Olympic champion Ekaterini Stefanidi&rsquo;s 4.63m.
<h3>Manning, Hejnova and Baker impress in sprints</h3>
USA&rsquo;s Christina Manning came within 0.01 of her recent PB to win the 60m hurdles in 7.83. Compatriot Sharika Nelvis was second in 7.94 with Australia&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic champion Sally Pearson taking third in 7.96.
For about 50 seconds of the women&rsquo;s 400m, it looked as though European junior champion Laviai Nielsen was set to take a shock victory. Having passed through 200m in 24.14, the Briton was caught just before the line by two-time world 400m hurdles champion Zuzana Hejnova with the Czech clocking 51.77, but 20-year-old Nielsen held on to finish second in an outright PB of 51.90.
World leader Ronnie Baker overcame a poor start in the men&rsquo;s 60m final to take victory in 6.55. Just one hundredth separated the next four finishers with Kim Collins taking second in 6.58. Richard Kilty and Everton Clarke in third and fourth respectively were given the same time.
<h3>Jozwik, Thomas and Marton take tour titles</h3>
Joanna Jozwik already had an unassailable lead in the 800m standings in the World Indoor Tour, but the Pole didn&rsquo;t rest on her laurels in Birmingham.
World silver medallist Melissa Bishop was closest to the pacemaker as the first two laps were covered in 58.29. The field bunched as the bell sounded with 1:30.86 on the clock and Jozwik moved up on to Bishop&rsquo;s shoulder. She edged into the lead 50 metres later and was unchallenged as she strode to victory in 2:01.12. Sweden&rsquo;s Lovisa Lindh came through for second in 2:01.69 and Britain&rsquo;s Shelayna Oskan-Clarke was third in 2:01.71, PBs for both.
Erik Kynard continued his history of performing well in Birmingham as the 2012 Olympic silver medallist won the high jump with a season&rsquo;s best of 2.31m. 2007 world champion Donald Thomas finished down in sixth with 2.20m, but the Bahamian had already done enough to win the World Indoor Tour.
Shot putters Anita Marton and Christina Schwanitz shared the lead in the World Indoor Tour standings ahead of this weekend, but with the world champion focusing on the German Indoor Championships instead, it left Hungary&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Marton to win comfortably with 18.97m.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Laura Muir would be the first to agree that two out of three ain’t bad. The Briton achieved two of her three record targets at the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham on Saturday (18), providing the highlight of the meeting with a European indoor 1000m record.

Muir and Farah break European records as IAAF World Indoor Tour climaxes in Birmingham

The five-meeting IAAF World Indoor Tour culminates on Saturday (18) with the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham, where athletes will be battling for a wildcard to enable them to return to the British city for next year&rsquo;s IAAF World Indoor Championships.
As well as the wildcard, the winners of each of the 11 scoring disciplines in this year&rsquo;s IAAF World Indoor Tour will also land a US$20,000 bonus. Only one discipline &ndash; the women&rsquo;s triple jump &ndash; has already had its winner confirmed. The other 10 will be contested in Birmingham, and aside from a few disciplines where athletes have unassailable leads, there is still much to play for.
Some of the highlights of the meeting, though, could come from Britain&rsquo;s top stars.
Organisers will be hoping that multiple world and Olympic champion Mo Farah will send the fans home happy when he competes in the final event of the afternoon, the 5000m, where he might target his own European indoor record of 13:10.60. Farah has set numerous national and European records &ndash; and even a world best &ndash; in Birmingham, but in his most recent race he finished a well-beaten seventh at the Great Edinburgh X-Country.
Farah, however, has always been more comfortable on the track than on mud and will be buoyed by the memories of his victories at the 2016, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2009 and 2007 editions of this meeting.
His toughest opposition in this year&rsquo;s race could come from Asian record-holder Albert Rop of Bahrain and Morocco&rsquo;s Olympic steeplechase fourth-place finisher Soufiane El Bakkali.
Just 20 minutes before Farah takes to the track, another Briton will be in action and aiming to break records.
Laura Muir, who last summer broke the British 1500m record with a world-leading 3:55.22, has been in the form of her life this indoor season. The world and Olympic finalist smashed the British indoor 5000m record with 14:49.12 in early January and then broke the European indoor 3000m record with 8:26.41 in Karlsruhe.
She will step down in distance in Birmingham to contest the 1000m, where she has three potential targets: Kelly Holmes&rsquo; British indoor record of 2:32.96, the European indoor record of 2:32.16, or the world indoor record of 2:30.94, set by Maria Mutola in 1999.
Muir&rsquo;s stiffest competition could come from USA&rsquo;s Olympic 800m finalist Kate Grace, who this year has set indoor PBs for the 800m, 1500m, mile and 3000m.
<h3>Thompson takes on tour contenders</h3>
In the women&rsquo;s 60m, there are three women with realistic ambitions of taking the World Indoor Tour title and one or two others with outside chances. But all of them will have to be at their absolute best to beat double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson.
The Jamaican, who will be making her seasonal indoor debut in Birmingham, ran 7.02 outdoors at the end of January. For context, she ran 7.17 at the same competition last year before going on to clock indoor PBs of 7.14 in Glasgow and 7.04 in the semifinals at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016.
Olympic finalist Christania Williams &ndash; who finished just 0.03 behind Thompson in Kingston last month &ndash; will also be in Birmingham, along with the three women at the top of the World Indoor Tour standings: world indoor champion Barbara Pierre, Jamaica&rsquo;s Gayon Evans and Norway&rsquo;s Ezinne Okparaebo.
Similarly close tussles for World Indoor Tour points can be expected in several other events.
Two-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak and Grenada&rsquo;s Bralon Taplin are currently tied on points in the 400m standings after exchanging victories in Dusseldorf and Torun. Whoever finishes ahead of the other in Birmingham will, in theory, take the series win.
The situation in the men&rsquo;s 1500m is similarly close as Kenyan duo Bethwell Birgen and Vincent Kibet are both within touching distance of the series victory. On Saturday they will line up alongside Australia's Ryan Gregson and USA's Ben Blankenship and Garrett Heath.
Jeff Henderson isn&rsquo;t in contention to win the World Indoor Tour, but all eyes will be on the Olympic champion as he lines up for his first long jump competition of 2017. World silver medallist Fabrice Lapierre and 2008 Olympic silver medallist Godfrey Mokoena are currently tied at the top of the World Indoor Tour standings and so their primary concern in Birmingham won&rsquo;t be on Henderson but on one another&rsquo;s performance.
Another Olympic champion will be in action in the women&rsquo;s pole vault. Ekaterini Stefanidi produced the best mark of 2017 so far with her 4.82m victory at the recent Millrose Games. Currently third in the World Indoor Tour standings, she will need to win in Birmingham and hope that event leader Nicole Buchler finishes outside the top three to land the US$20,000 series bonus.
<h3>Focus on Baker and Manning</h3>
It&rsquo;s not just the World Indoor Tour disciplines that will provide the excitement in Birmingham.
Following his world-leading 6.46 triumph in Torun, USA&rsquo;s Ronnie Baker will face a 60m field that includes veteran Kim Collins, 2014 world indoor champion Richard Kilty, Torun runner-up Chijindu Ujah and Olympic long jump champion Jeff Henderson.
Sprint hurdler Christina Manning has also put herself in the spotlight recently after speeding to a 7.82 win in Athlone on Wednesday. She will be joined in the 60m hurdles by US compatriots Sharika Nelvis, Jasmin Stowers and Jacquelin Coward, as well as Australia&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic champion Sally Pearson, world bronze medallist Alina Talay and Sweden&rsquo;s world indoor record-holder Susanna Kallur.
World bronze medallist Amel Tuka will be looking to upset the all USA-Britain party in the men&rsquo;s 800m. USA&rsquo;s Casimir Loxsom, who recently set a world indoor 600m best, and British indoor 800m champion Guy Learmonth will be tough to beat.
Three of the world&rsquo;s best 400m hurdlers will face each other over two laps of the Barclaycard Arena&rsquo;s track. Two-time world champion Zuzana Hejnova takes on world silver medallist Shamier Little and 2014 European champion Eilidh Doyle.
Two British major championship medallists will clash in the long jump in Birmingham as world indoor bronze medallist Lorraine Ugen and European silver medallist Jazmin Sawyers take to the runway.
<h3>Tour victories a formality</h3>
While some disciplines in Birmingham have a guaranteed &ndash; or close to it &ndash; World Indoor Tour winner, that won&rsquo;t detract from the expected excitement.
Olympic 5000m silver medallist Hellen Obiri has been in outstanding form recently, both on the track and on cross country. Her only loss of the winter came in Karlsruhe where Muir beat her over 3000m, but she still has a healthy lead in the points standings. With Muir contesting the 1000m in Birmingham, Obiri&rsquo;s toughest challenge will come from world indoor 1500m champion Sifan Hassan, world indoor 3000m bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury and world indoor 1500m silver medallist Dawit Seyaum.
World leader Andrew Pozzi faces world record-holder and 2012 Olympic champion Aries Merritt in the 60m hurdles. World Indoor Tour leader Orlando Ortega won&rsquo;t be in Birmingham but already has an unassailable lead in the standings.
Joanna Jozwik also had an unbeatable lead in her event, the 800m, but the Pole will still be in action in Birmingham and will take on a field that includes world bronze medallist Melissa Bishop and British indoor champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke.
USA&rsquo;s Erik Kynard returns to the scene of his 2.34m indoor high jump PB from 2014. The 2012 Olympic silver medallist faces world indoor silver medallist Robbie Grabarz and Donald Thomas, who is all but guaranteed the World Indoor Tour win.
Hungary&rsquo;s Olympic bronze medallist Anita Marton goes into the shot put with a healthy lead in the points standings, but USA&rsquo;s Jeneva Stevens should challenge her on the day.
Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

The five-meeting IAAF World Indoor Tour culminates on Saturday (18) with the Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham, where athletes will be battling for a wildcard to enable them to return to the British city for next year’s IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Farah and Muir aim to bring down the house in Birmingham

Ayanleh Souleiman became the fifth-fastest 1000m performer of all time to highlight the middle distance action at Lausanne&rsquo;s Athletissima meeting, the 11th stop in the 2016 IAAF Diamond League, on Thursday (25).
The event, valid for the 800m Diamond Race, was billed as a duel between Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz and Asbel Kiprop, Kenya&rsquo;s three-time world 1500m champion. But the 2014 world indoor 1500m champion, who broke the world indoor record over the non-championship distance last winter, had his own plans.
With Centrowitz lingering in the middle of the leading pack and Kiprop running third from last at the halfway point of the race, Souleiman made his move for the front, trailing the second pacemaker through the bell.
He powered down the back straight and off the final turn, easily fending off the late challenge by quick-closing Kenyans Robert Biwott and Jonathan Kitilit.
Souleiman clocked an IAAF Diamond League record of 2:13.49, trailing just Noah Ngeny, Sebastian Coe, Steve Cram and Taoufik Makhloufi on the world all-time list.
He would have gone even faster had he not looked at the crowd and celebrated his run over the final 30 metres.
"I had a really bad Olympics and today finally I was strong, ready and had a great mindset," said Souleiman, who was actually fourth in the Olympic 1500m final.
Biwott was next in 2:13.89, just ahead of Kitilit who clocked 2:13.95. Kiprop made up ground over the final 300 metres and finished fourth in 2:14.23 but Centrowitz was never really in the hunt and finished well back in sixth place, another two seconds behind.
<h3>Dibaba back to winning ways</h3>
Conversely, the women&rsquo;s 3000m did go according to the pre-meeting script, with Genzebe Dibaba collecting a convincing victory.
However, post-Rio fatigue was a common and expected theme on the evening and that meant that an assault on Almaz Ayana&rsquo;s 8:23.11 world-leading time from the opening IAAF Diamond League meeting Doha in early May never materialised.
Hellen Obiri, Dibaba and Mercy Cherono led a six-woman pack with three laps to go, one that didn&rsquo;t really break until Dibaba made her move for the front as she approached the bell.
Unleashing her superior closing sprint, the Ethiopian covered the final lap in an unofficial 57 seconds to win unchallenged in 8:31.84, knocking nearly three seconds from Vivian Cheruiyot&rsquo;s meeting record set in 2010.
&ldquo;This race and particularly my kick over the last 400 metres gives me confidence for the rest of the season," said the Olympic 1500m silver medallist Dibaba, who'll end her injury-shortened 2016 campaign in Brussels.
Another Olympic silver medallist, this time in the 5000m, Obiri held on for second in 8:33.96 with Cherono third in 8:34.49.
Olympic 800m silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba was the emphatic winner in the 800m, clocking 1:57.71 to solidify her number two spot in the Diamond Race. Kenya&rsquo;s 2013 world champion Eunice Sum held off the fast-closing Lynsey Sharp to take second, 1:58.41 to 1:58.82, while Canada&rsquo;s Melissa Bishop, who was second at the bell, faded to fourth.
In the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase, Abraham Kibiwott led a Kenyan top-five sweep in 8:09.58 to notch his first career IAAF Diamond League victory.
Battling Nicholas Kiptanui Bett &ndash; not to be confused with the world 400m hurdles champion who was also running in Lausanne on Thursday &ndash; over the waning stages, the 20-year-old took the lead for good over the final barrier with Bett second in 8:10.07.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Ayanleh Souleiman became the fifth-fastest 1000m performer of all time to highlight the middle distance action at Lausanne’s Athletissima meeting, the 11th stop in the 2016 IAAF Diamond League, on Thursday (25).