Dutch sprinter Femke Bol (© Jean-Pierre Durand)
Femke Bol opened her 2022 campaign with a pair of sprint victories at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlelor – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting – in Metz on Saturday (12).
The Olympic 400m hurdles bronze medallist dominated the 400m, winning in 50.72 – just 0.09 shy of the Dutch indoor record she set when winning the European indoor title last year. Poland’s Olympic mixed 4x400m champion Natalia Kaczmarek was second in a PB of 51.58.
Just 45 minutes later, Bol was back out on track for the 200m, which she won in a PB of 23.37. Training partner Lieke Klaver won the other 200m heat in 23.27, having clocked 52.49 for 400m earlier in the programme.
“I’m really happy to be back racing,” said Bol, who is targeting the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 next month.
Olympic silver medallist Chris Nilsen provided the field event highlight, winning the pole vault with 5.91m, just three centimetres shy of the meeting record.
World indoor 1500m champion Samuel Tefera stepped up in distance and made an impressive 3000m debut, winning in 7:37.45. The Ethiopian finished a stride ahead of Kenya’s Daniel Simiyu (7:37.86) with Ethiopia’s Yasin Haji taking third in 7:39.23.
Elsewhere in middle-distances, Olympic fourth-place finisher Abel Kipsang, contesting the first indoor race of his career, won the men’s 1500m in 3:36.23 from Poland’s world bronze medallist Marcin Lewandowski (3:37.17).
In the shorter events, Pascal Martinot-Lagarde won the 60m hurdles by a slender margin from French compatriot Wilhem Belocian, 7.51 to 7.52, season’s bests for both. In third, Spain’s Asier Martinez set a PB of 7.55.
Kayla White won the women’s 60m in a PB of 7.13, while Arthur Cisse equalled his own Ivorian record of 6.53 to win the men’s race from USA’s Cravont Charleston (6.54).
Streich strikes with North American indoor 1000m record in Louisville
Shane Streich surprisingly produced the headline performance of the American Track League – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze meeting – in Louisville on Saturday (12).
The 25-year-old, who in recent weeks had set PBs for 800m (1:46.07) and the mile (3:57.98), dominated the 1000m to win in 2:16.16, breaking Bryce Hoppel’s North American indoor record by 0.11.
Ireland’s Luke McCann was second in a national record of 2:17.40, with USA’s Abraham Alvarado taking third in 2:17.43.
Two other world-leading marks were set in Louisville as Josh Awotunde won the men’s shot put with 21.53m and 2016 world indoor champion Vashti Cunningham cleared 1.98m in the high jump. US compatriot Jelena Rowe was second with 1.95m.
Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn maintained her streak of setting national records in every race so far this year. Having clocked Puerto Rican records over 300m (36.63 and 36.52) and 200m (22.68) already in recent weeks, she reduced her 200m mark to 22.54 in Louisville.
It would have been a world-leading mark, were it not for Abby Steiner’s 22.37 clocking in Clemson just moments earlier.
Olympic finalist Britany Anderson of Jamaica set her third PB of the year in the 60m hurdles, clocking 7.82 to win from USA’s Alaysha Johnson (7.90).
Lightfoot dominant in Dortmund
KC Lightfoot scaled a season’s best of 5.95m to win the pole vault at the PSD Band Indoor Meeting – a World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze fixture – in Dortmund on Saturday (12).
The Olympic fourth-place finisher made easy work of his first few heights, clearing 5.50m, 5.72m and 5.81m on his first attempts. At this point he already had the competition won as Bo Kanda Lita Baehre, Oleg Zernikel and Nate Richartz all failed at 5.81m, ending with a best of 5.72m.
Lightfoot then got over 5.90m on his second try and went on to clear 5.95m on his first attempt. Feeling good, he had the bar raised to a would-be North American indoor height of 6.03m, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
On the track in Dortmund, the main highlights came from the men’s 1500m, which was won by Portugal’s Isaac Nader in 3:36.64 from Germany’s Robert Farken (3:37.22). In third, Ethiopia’s Melkeneh Azize clocked 3:37.61 to smash the world indoor U18 best that had been set just moments earlier by compatriot Ermias Girma in the B race with 3:41.95.
Elsewhere, European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic won the 400m in 52.10 and Kenya’s Eglay Nalyanya took the 800m in 2:01.89.
