USA's Brittney Reese in action in the long jump (© Getty Images)
Olympic and world indoor champion Brittney Reese produced her best outdoor leap for more than three years when winning with 7.04m at the Gala dei Castelli in Bellinzona on Monday (6).
The three-time world champion twice achieved that mark, leaping 7.04m in both the second and third rounds, just missing Inessa Kravets’ stadium record by one centimetre. She ended her series with an effort of 6.91m.
Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers, competing in her first outdoor competition of the year, finished second with 6.62m.
“I am very pleased,” said Reese, who owns seven global long jump titles. “This was the first meeting where I found good weather conditions with no rain. Sometimes the smaller meetings with a great crowd involvement are the best venues. This year I want to jump 7.30m and win my second Olympic gold.”
The biggest cheers of the night, though, came in the men’s 400m hurdles as Switzerland’s Kariem Hussein won in a season’s best of 48.98. And as was the case at the 2014 European Championships, Estonia’s Rasmus Magi finished second, stopping the clock at 49.69.
“It was very nice to win for the second consecutive year in front of my home fans here in Bellinzona,” said Hussein. “This win gives me a lot of confidence ahead of Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro.”
Compatriot Lea Sprunger scored a Swiss 400m hurdles doubles by winning the women’s race in 55.83.
USA’s Mike Rodgers, fifth at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, won the men’s 100m in 10.04.
Kristi Castlin followed up her third-place finish at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Birmingham with a win in the 100m hurdles in 12.75 (-0.2m/s) ahead of Olympic long jump bronze medallist Janay De Loach (12.89).
The men’s 110m hurdles was one of the closest events of the night as just 0.07 separated the six finalists. Germany’s Alexander John came out on top, equalling his personal best of 13.35, while Milan Ristic broke his own Serbian record with 13.37 in second place.
Germany’s Julia Fischer improved the meeting record to 64.57m in the discus. Compatriot and 2012 world junior champion Anna Ruh finished runner-up with 61.97m.
The third German victory of the evening was achieved in the men’s javelin. Lars Hamann came within two metres of his recent PB to win with 83.95m. Sweden’s Kim Amb was second with 82.67m.
Bulgaria’s 2012 European champion Ivet Lalova-Collio won the women’s 100m in 11.20 ahead of Ukraine’s Natalia Pohrebnyak (11.26) and Swiss record-holder Mujinga Kambundji (11.34).
World silver medallist and European champion Adam Kszczot won the men’s 800m in 1:45.77 ahead of 2011 world youth champion Leonard Kirwa Kosencha, whose time of 1:46.24 was his best since September 2012.
Poland also won the women’s 800m with 2014 world indoor silver medallist Angelika Cichocka just finishing within two minutes, crossing the line in 1:59.97. Ukraine’s Olga Lyakhova was second in 2:00.32 with Poland’s Sofia Ennaoui taking third in 2:00.34.
Cornelius Kangogo won the men’s 5000m in 13:12.54, setting the second stadium record of the evening to hold off fellow Kenyan Victor Chumo, who clocked 13:13.07.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
