Zane Weir in Rovereto (© Valeria Biasioni)
Zane Weir threw a meeting record of 21.88m in the shot put at the Palio della Quercia, a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meeting, in Rovereto on Wednesday (6).
The European indoor champion – who smashed his PB in Padua last weekend with 22.44m, the best throw by a European since the 1980s – produced his winning mark in the fourth round in Rovereto, backing it up with three more efforts beyond 21 metres (21.34m, 21.35m and 21.45m).
World silver medallist Leonardo Fabbri, who trains with Weir under the guidance of Paolo Dal Soglio, took second place with 21.35m. Two-time world champion Joe Kovacs was third with 21.34m, three days after throwing 22.40m in Padua.
“I am happy with this win and my season, but my goal is to throw consistently beyond 22 metres,” said Weir.
Jamaica’s two-time world silver medallist Shanieka Ricketts won the women’s triple jump with a second-round leap of 14.92m (2.0m/s), just one centimetre shy of the season’s best she set when finishing fourth at the World Championships in Budapest. Here in Rovereto, she backed up her winning jump with leaps of 14.67m and 14.74m. Thea Lafond from Dominica, who finished fifth in Budapest, took second place with 14.67m.
“It was my first time in Rovereto,” said Ricketts, who came within six centimetres of the meeting record. “There was an excellent atmosphere. I wasn’t expecting this result today. I want to finish healthy. My goal is to end it on a high note.”
Oblique Seville, the fourth-place finisher in the 100m at the 2023 and 2022 World Championships, took his second consecutive win on European soil, winning the men’s short sprint in 10.00 ahead of African record-holder Ferdinand Omanyala (10.15).
Meeting records for Morrison, Lavin and Fisher
Natasha Morrison made it a Jamaican 100m double, winning the women’s race in a meeting record of 11.00. Twanisha Terry, who won in Rovereto last year, placed second in 11.06 ahead of Gina Bass (11.08).
Ireland’s Sarah Lavin won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.76, taking 0.04 off a meeting record that had stood for a decade. Jamaica’s Amoi Brown was second in 12.85, beating US heptathlete Taliyah Brooks (12.91).
There was also a meeting record for Grant Fisher, who won the men’s 3000m in 7:33.32. Ireland’s Brian Fay was second in 7:36.89.
Andy Diaz, the 2022 Diamond League champion, won the men’s triple jump with a first-round leap of 17.03m, beating European silver medallist Andrea Dallavalle (16.61m).
“It was very nice to take this win in front of Italian fans,” said Diaz. “I enjoyed the support from the crowd. My aim is to win my second Diamond League title in Eugene.”
World finalist Molly Caudery from Great Britain cleared 4.58m on her first attempt to win the women’s pole vault from World University Games champion Angelica Moser (4.52m).
Vivian Chebet Kiprotich won the women’s 800m in 1:59.80 from Italian champion Eloisa Coiro (1:59.90). Italy’s Catalin Tecuceanu took the men’s event in 1:45.25, holding off Spain’s Javier Miron by 0.04.
Ethiopian teenager Wubrist Ashal won a hard-fought women’s race in 8:44.13. European U23 1500m champion Sophie O’Sullivan finished second with 8:44.72, moving her to second on the Irish all-time list behind her mother, Sonia O’Sullivan.
Rusheen McDonald from Jamaica came through in the final straight to win the men’s 400m in 45.46 ahead of Germany’s Manuel Sanders (45.53). Laviai Nielsen from Great Britain took first place in the women’s 400m in 51.51, beating Amandine Brossier of France (51.76).
Senegal’s Louis Francois Mendy, who crashed out in the semifinals of the World Championships, rebounded here to win the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.40 from Cuba’s Roger Iribarne (13.49).
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics
