David Rudisha steals the show at the Rieti IAAF Grand Prix - African 800m record (© Giancarlo Colombo)
MonteCarloThe 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour – ÅF Golden League, Super Grand Prix and Grand Prix - offered an entertaining season which climaxed at the IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, Thessaloniki, Greece (12 – 13 Sep).
Specific websites:
- 2009 World Athletics Final
- 2009 ÅF Golden League
- 2009 World Athletics Tour
The 2009 World Athletics Tour which took us through 21 countries and five continents was highlighted by two World records set by Yelena Isinbayeva in Zurich and a Kenyan men's quartet in the 4x1500m Relay in Brussels.
In the second part of his review of the Super Grand Prix and Grand Prix meetings of 2009, David Powell reminds us of some of the highlights of the events which took place from July to September 2009...
4 July
Madrid, Spain
The 28th Meeting de Madrid witnessed an epic men’s Long Jump in which South Africa’s Godfrey Mokoena’s set an African record 8.50m (+1.3) but found it insufficient to win. Victory went to Australia’s Fabrice Lapierre, who took advantage of the changing wind to produce a heavily assisted (+3.7) 8.57m leap. Olympic and World champion Irving Saladino, of Panama, had to settle for third with a windy 8.43m.
Mokoena’s record surpassed the 8.46m leap by Cheikh Toure, of Senegal, from 1997. David Gillick won the men’s 400m in an Irish record 44.77. The women’s events included a thrilling highlight for the home crowd as Natalia Rodriguez and Marta Dominguez battled a close race (4:04.82 to 4:4:04.84) in the women’s 1500m.
7 July
Lausanne, Switzerland
Pouring rain threatened to sink Athletissima 2009 but Usain Bolt defied the cold and wet - and a -0.9 m/s headwind - to clock a sensational 19.59 in the men’s 200m. The Jamaican thus broke the meeting record he shared with Xavier Carter, of the United States, at 19.63. It was another landmark performance by Bolt between his three Olympic gold medals in 2008 and his three victories at the Berlin World Championships.
It was a successful night for Jamaican athletics as Asafa Powell (10.07) and Shelly Ann Fraser (11.03) won their respective 100m races, and Kerron Stewart impressed in the 200m (22.73), all against strong headwinds. For Carmelita Jeter, of the United States, it was her first defeat of the year at 100m.
13 July
Athens, Greece
Maryam Jamal dominated the Tsiklitiria Grand Prix 1500m in 3:58.72, becoming the woman with the most outdoor sub four-minute clockings in history. Strong performances by Olympic champions LaShawn Merritt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Gulnara Galkina, and Brimin Kipruto, and a World-leading Triple Jump by Yargelis Savigne, were the other highlights in the Olympic Stadium.
Savigne, from Cuba, warmed up for a successful defence of her World title in Berlin five weeks later, with 15.00m. Merritt, from the United States, was unpressed over 400m in 44.54 and Jamaica’s Campbell-Brown, the Olympic 200m champion, took the 100m in 10.96. Galkina, from Russia, was a runaway winner of the women’s 3000m Steeplechase in 9:17.86 and Kipruto won the men’s in 8:03.17. Kazakhstan’s Marina Aitova won the women’s High Jump, setting an Asian record 1.99m.
24/25 July
London, Great Britain
London buses are famous for making passengers wait for ages only for two to arrive in quick succession. Similarly, you wait for ages for Yelena Isinbayeva to lose in the Pole Vault and what happens? She loses in the Aviva London Grand Prix then, in the World Championships, in Berlin, exits without recording a height.
Suffering her first defeat outdoors since 2006, Isinbayeva was eliminated at 4.78m while Poland’s Anna Rogowska, who would win in Berlin also, triumphed on countback at 4.68m. Usain Bolt won the 100m (9.91), Tyson Gay the 200m (20.00) and Tirunesh Dibaba ran the year’s fastest women’s 5000m in 14:33.65, as did Lashinda Demus, of the US, in the 400m Hurdles (53.66). Christian Cantwell, of the US, won a high class men’s Shot Put with 21.82m.
28 July
Monaco
Lashinda Demus, of the United States, demolished a world-class women’s 400m Hurdles field to record 52.63, the fourth fastest of all time, in the Herculis meeting. Competing in front of 15,000 spectators in Monaco’s Stade Louis II, Demus defeated, among others, Olympic champion Melaine Walker who, at 53.65, was a long way back in second place (54.20).
LJ Van Zyl, of South Africa, won a classy men’s 400m Hurdles in 47.94 and the women’s 100m Hurdles was also fast, won by Australia’s Sally McLellan in an Oceania record 12.50. Maggie Vessey, of the US, was a surprise winner of the women’s 800m in 1:57.84 and there were French winners in the men’s 1500m (Mehdi Baala, 3:30.96) and Pole Vault (Renaud Lavillenie, 5.88m).
30/31 July
Stockholm, Sweden
Allyson Felix was the only winner of a one-carat diamond for breaking a stadium record in the DN Galan meeting as she clocked 21.88 for 200m. The second gem of the meeting was metaphorical as a gust of 2.6 mps assisted Tyson Gay, Felix’s US compatriot, when he sped to a 9.79 triumph in the men’s 100m, denying him the stadium record.
A World leading men’s Shot Put mark, and Polish record, was recorded by Tomasz Majewski (21.95m) in the Royal Garden Kungstradgarden, in the heart of the Swedish capital, the day before the main grand prix. Jeremy Wariner returned to sub-45sec 400m territory for the first time since mid-May, taking his fifth consecutive win in Stockholm (44.83).
31 August
Gateshead, Great Britain
Adverse weather threatened to turn the Aviva British Grand Prix into a damp squib but a flurry of British victories in the final hour, from Christine Ohuruogu (400m), Lisa Dobriskey (1500m) and Phillips Idowu (Triple Jump), cheered up the crowd. Ohuruogu clocked 50.94, Dobriskey 4:13.60 and Idowu jumped 17.32m. On the whole, though, United States athletes coped best, winning 12 of the 20 international events.
Among the 12 was performer-of-the-meeting Dwight Phillips, whose 8.39m Long Jump was a stadium record. There was a stadium record, too, for Barbora Spotakova as the Czech javelin thrower broke the nine-year-old mark with 65.5m7. Andra Manson, of the US, leapt 2.33m to beat Russia’s World champion, Yaroslav Rybakov, in the men’s High Jump.
31 August
Zagreb, Croatia
For Blanka Vlasic, there’s no place like home. The double World champion in the women’s High Jump capped the finest series of her career with a sensational 2.08m leap to become the second highest jumper of all-time at the Zagreb Grand Prix. Only World record holder Stefka Kostadinova (2.09m) has jumped higher.
The Croatian’s leap capped a thoroughly entertaining edition of the annual Zagreb meeting, perhaps the finest in its 59 years. Other highlights included meeting records by World champions Primoz Kozmus, from Slovenia, in the men’s Hammer Throw (81.77m) and Christian Cantwell, of the US, in the men’s Shot Put (22.16m)
6 September
Rieti, Italy
An 800m victory by 20-year-old Kenyan David Rudisha in 1:42.01 headlined Rieti 2009. It was an African record, improving the 1:42.28 held by Sammy Koskei since 1984, and the fastest in the World for 12 years. Rudisha became the fourth fastest 800m runner in history behind Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11), Sebastian Coe (1:41.73) and Joachim Cruz (1:41.77).
Three men dipped under 1:43: 2007 World champion and 2009 world silver medallist Alfred Kirwa Yego was runner-up in 1:42.67, ahead of Berlin World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, third in 1:42.86. Despite headwinds the Jamaican sprinters produced a great show, thanks to Asafa Powell (100m, 9.99) Shelly Ann Fraser (100m, 11.18), Kerron Stewart (200m, 22.62) and sprint hurdlers Brigitte Foster Hylton (12.78) and Dwight Thomas (13.36).
David Powell for the IAAF
Specific websites:
- 2009 World Athletics Final
- 2009 ÅF Golden League
- 2009 World Athletics Tour
The 2009 World Athletics Tour which took us through 21 countries and five continents was highlighted by two World records set by Yelena Isinbayeva in Zurich and a Kenyan men's quartet in the 4x1500m Relay in Brussels.
In the second part of his review of the Super Grand Prix and Grand Prix meetings of 2009, David Powell reminds us of some of the highlights of the events which took place from July to September 2009...
4 July
Madrid, Spain
The 28th Meeting de Madrid witnessed an epic men’s Long Jump in which South Africa’s Godfrey Mokoena’s set an African record 8.50m (+1.3) but found it insufficient to win. Victory went to Australia’s Fabrice Lapierre, who took advantage of the changing wind to produce a heavily assisted (+3.7) 8.57m leap. Olympic and World champion Irving Saladino, of Panama, had to settle for third with a windy 8.43m.
Mokoena’s record surpassed the 8.46m leap by Cheikh Toure, of Senegal, from 1997. David Gillick won the men’s 400m in an Irish record 44.77. The women’s events included a thrilling highlight for the home crowd as Natalia Rodriguez and Marta Dominguez battled a close race (4:04.82 to 4:4:04.84) in the women’s 1500m.
7 July
Lausanne, Switzerland
Pouring rain threatened to sink Athletissima 2009 but Usain Bolt defied the cold and wet - and a -0.9 m/s headwind - to clock a sensational 19.59 in the men’s 200m. The Jamaican thus broke the meeting record he shared with Xavier Carter, of the United States, at 19.63. It was another landmark performance by Bolt between his three Olympic gold medals in 2008 and his three victories at the Berlin World Championships.
It was a successful night for Jamaican athletics as Asafa Powell (10.07) and Shelly Ann Fraser (11.03) won their respective 100m races, and Kerron Stewart impressed in the 200m (22.73), all against strong headwinds. For Carmelita Jeter, of the United States, it was her first defeat of the year at 100m.
13 July
Athens, Greece
Maryam Jamal dominated the Tsiklitiria Grand Prix 1500m in 3:58.72, becoming the woman with the most outdoor sub four-minute clockings in history. Strong performances by Olympic champions LaShawn Merritt, Veronica Campbell-Brown, Gulnara Galkina, and Brimin Kipruto, and a World-leading Triple Jump by Yargelis Savigne, were the other highlights in the Olympic Stadium.
Savigne, from Cuba, warmed up for a successful defence of her World title in Berlin five weeks later, with 15.00m. Merritt, from the United States, was unpressed over 400m in 44.54 and Jamaica’s Campbell-Brown, the Olympic 200m champion, took the 100m in 10.96. Galkina, from Russia, was a runaway winner of the women’s 3000m Steeplechase in 9:17.86 and Kipruto won the men’s in 8:03.17. Kazakhstan’s Marina Aitova won the women’s High Jump, setting an Asian record 1.99m.
24/25 July
London, Great Britain
London buses are famous for making passengers wait for ages only for two to arrive in quick succession. Similarly, you wait for ages for Yelena Isinbayeva to lose in the Pole Vault and what happens? She loses in the Aviva London Grand Prix then, in the World Championships, in Berlin, exits without recording a height.
Suffering her first defeat outdoors since 2006, Isinbayeva was eliminated at 4.78m while Poland’s Anna Rogowska, who would win in Berlin also, triumphed on countback at 4.68m. Usain Bolt won the 100m (9.91), Tyson Gay the 200m (20.00) and Tirunesh Dibaba ran the year’s fastest women’s 5000m in 14:33.65, as did Lashinda Demus, of the US, in the 400m Hurdles (53.66). Christian Cantwell, of the US, won a high class men’s Shot Put with 21.82m.
28 July
Monaco
Lashinda Demus, of the United States, demolished a world-class women’s 400m Hurdles field to record 52.63, the fourth fastest of all time, in the Herculis meeting. Competing in front of 15,000 spectators in Monaco’s Stade Louis II, Demus defeated, among others, Olympic champion Melaine Walker who, at 53.65, was a long way back in second place (54.20).
LJ Van Zyl, of South Africa, won a classy men’s 400m Hurdles in 47.94 and the women’s 100m Hurdles was also fast, won by Australia’s Sally McLellan in an Oceania record 12.50. Maggie Vessey, of the US, was a surprise winner of the women’s 800m in 1:57.84 and there were French winners in the men’s 1500m (Mehdi Baala, 3:30.96) and Pole Vault (Renaud Lavillenie, 5.88m).
30/31 July
Stockholm, Sweden
Allyson Felix was the only winner of a one-carat diamond for breaking a stadium record in the DN Galan meeting as she clocked 21.88 for 200m. The second gem of the meeting was metaphorical as a gust of 2.6 mps assisted Tyson Gay, Felix’s US compatriot, when he sped to a 9.79 triumph in the men’s 100m, denying him the stadium record.
A World leading men’s Shot Put mark, and Polish record, was recorded by Tomasz Majewski (21.95m) in the Royal Garden Kungstradgarden, in the heart of the Swedish capital, the day before the main grand prix. Jeremy Wariner returned to sub-45sec 400m territory for the first time since mid-May, taking his fifth consecutive win in Stockholm (44.83).
31 August
Gateshead, Great Britain
Adverse weather threatened to turn the Aviva British Grand Prix into a damp squib but a flurry of British victories in the final hour, from Christine Ohuruogu (400m), Lisa Dobriskey (1500m) and Phillips Idowu (Triple Jump), cheered up the crowd. Ohuruogu clocked 50.94, Dobriskey 4:13.60 and Idowu jumped 17.32m. On the whole, though, United States athletes coped best, winning 12 of the 20 international events.
Among the 12 was performer-of-the-meeting Dwight Phillips, whose 8.39m Long Jump was a stadium record. There was a stadium record, too, for Barbora Spotakova as the Czech javelin thrower broke the nine-year-old mark with 65.5m7. Andra Manson, of the US, leapt 2.33m to beat Russia’s World champion, Yaroslav Rybakov, in the men’s High Jump.
31 August
Zagreb, Croatia
For Blanka Vlasic, there’s no place like home. The double World champion in the women’s High Jump capped the finest series of her career with a sensational 2.08m leap to become the second highest jumper of all-time at the Zagreb Grand Prix. Only World record holder Stefka Kostadinova (2.09m) has jumped higher.
The Croatian’s leap capped a thoroughly entertaining edition of the annual Zagreb meeting, perhaps the finest in its 59 years. Other highlights included meeting records by World champions Primoz Kozmus, from Slovenia, in the men’s Hammer Throw (81.77m) and Christian Cantwell, of the US, in the men’s Shot Put (22.16m)
6 September
Rieti, Italy
An 800m victory by 20-year-old Kenyan David Rudisha in 1:42.01 headlined Rieti 2009. It was an African record, improving the 1:42.28 held by Sammy Koskei since 1984, and the fastest in the World for 12 years. Rudisha became the fourth fastest 800m runner in history behind Wilson Kipketer (1:41.11), Sebastian Coe (1:41.73) and Joachim Cruz (1:41.77).
Three men dipped under 1:43: 2007 World champion and 2009 world silver medallist Alfred Kirwa Yego was runner-up in 1:42.67, ahead of Berlin World champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, third in 1:42.86. Despite headwinds the Jamaican sprinters produced a great show, thanks to Asafa Powell (100m, 9.99) Shelly Ann Fraser (100m, 11.18), Kerron Stewart (200m, 22.62) and sprint hurdlers Brigitte Foster Hylton (12.78) and Dwight Thomas (13.36).
David Powell for the IAAF
