Dutch sprinter Dafne Schippers on her way to victory (© Getty Images)
World 200m champion Dafne Schippers opened up her 2016 outdoor season with a world-leading 200m run of 22.25 at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in Gainesville, USA on Friday night (22).
Running into a gentle breeze of 0.2m/s, the Dutch sprinter quickly put distance between herself and her nearest rival, world indoor 400m bronze medallist Quanera Hayes, who ran a personal best of 22.89 despite trailing a long way in her wake.
Schippers, the 2015 European athlete of the year, has never run a 200m so fast so early in the season.
Another world-leading run in Florida at this early stage in the season came from Qatar’s Femi Ogunode, who equalled his Asian 100m record of 9.91 (0.6m/s) with USA’s Isiah Young second in 10.03.
Jamaica’s Simone Facey, now 30, ran the second fastest 100m of her career when she won the international women’s race in 11.00 (0.4m/s), with Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahoure second in 11.06. Trinidad and Tobago’s world junior champion Machel Cedenio won over one lap of the track in 44.79.
Other good results posted in Gainesville included Great Britain’s Tiffany Porter winning a good quality women’s 100m hurdles in 12.72 (1.0m/s), her first race since taking the world indoor 60m hurdles bronze medal in Portland last month.
Another British success over the barriers came when Meghan Beesley won the 400m hurdles in 55.72. Italy’s Libania Gernot won the 400m in 51.63 while Chantel Malone took the long jump with 6.41m.
At the 89th Kansas Relays in Lawrence, Mason Finley won men's discus with a meeting record 64.07m while Canada's IAAF World Indoor Tour winner Tim Nedow took the shot put, held downtown, with 20.70m in the final round.
There was some good discus throwing as well at the Triton Invitational in San Diego, with the women's competition won by Great Britain's Jade Lally with 63.60m.
.Phil Minshull for the IAAF
