Rogers throws beyond 80 metres in Turku

Olympic champion Camryn Rogers produced one of eight meeting records at the Paavo Nurmi Games, launching her hammer out to 80.09m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Turku on Wednesday (3).

The two-time world champion, already the second-best thrower in history, opened with 73.43m before taking the lead in round two with a meeting record of 77.87m. She backed that up with 76.76m in round three, then saved her best for last, sending the hammer out to 80.09m with her final throw of the competition.

It was her third competition this year beyond 80 metres, having started her season with 81.13m – a mark that puts her second on the world all-time list.

Finnish duo Silja Kosonen and Krista Tervo finished second and third with 76.41m and 75.55m respectively.

Jackson and Karalis among other meeting record-breakers

USA’s Chase Jackson also produced a meeting record in the women’s shot put, winning with 20.66m.

The world indoor champion opened with 20.19m and then improved to her winning mark in the third round. World champion Jessica Schilder, who recently set a Diamond League record of 21.09m in Shanghai, finished second with 20.18m, while two-time world indoor champion Sarah Mitton was third with 19.47m. All three women threw beyond the previous meeting record.

Emmanouil Karalis became the first man to clear six metres at the Paavo Nurmi Games, winning the pole vault with 6.00m. The Greek vaulter had first-time clearances up to and including his winning height, before ending his competition with three unsuccessful attempts at 6.10m. KC Lightfoot was second with 5.72m.

There was also a meeting record in the women’s pole vault, where New Zealand’s Imogen Ayris cleared a PB of 4.81m. Ayris needed third-time clearances at both 4.71m and 4.81m, but emerged a comfortable winner from USA’s Gabriela Leon (4.56m).

Monae’ Nichols took the women’s long jump victory with a meeting record of 6.88m, moving into the lead in the fifth round after Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers had set the standard. Sawyers finished second with a season’s best of 6.62m.

The meeting records also fell in both steeplechase races. Morocco’s Mohammed Tindoufti won the men’s race in 8:11.52. Abraham Sime, who had set the previous record in 2022, also dipped inside that mark with 8:14.09 for second place.

The women’s race was much closer. Ethiopia’s Alemnet Wale won in 9:16.18, getting the better of USA’s Gracie Hyde, who clocked a PB of 9:16.61. Finland’s Ilona Mononen was third in a national record of 9:18.50.

The men’s 1500m produced exceptional depth as the top 12 men all finished inside the previous meeting record. Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui won in 3:31.82 ahead of Belgium’s Ruben Verheyden (3:32.71) and USA’s Sam Prakel (3:32.76).

Bremm and Ceh take distance and discus wins

Florian Bremm led a German 1-2 in the men’s 5000m. He took the lead in the closing stages and went on to win in 12:56.80, finishing ahead of steeplechase specialist Frederik Ruppert, who clocked 12:57.61.

Ruppert’s run made him just the fifth man in history to have broken both eight minutes for the 3000m steeplechase and 13 minutes for the 5000m.

Slovenia’s 2022 world champion Kristjan Ceh continued his strong season in the men’s discus, winning with 69.13m in a series that contained four throws that would have been good enough to win the competition.

Behind him, just 25cm separated the next three athletes. World champion Daniel Stahl was second with 67.40m, Matthew Denny third with 67.26m and Britain’s Lawrence Okoye fourth with 67.15m.

In-form Ukrainian Yuliia Levchenko won the women’s high jump with a third-time clearance at 1.97m, snatching victory from Jamaica’s Lamara Distin, who had led up to that height.

Elsewhere, Britain’s Romell Glave won the men’s 100m in 10.16, while Gabriela DeBues-Stafford took the women’s 1500m in 4:04.40, winning by a second. Rayniah Jones won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.60.