Femke Bol cracks 52-second barrier in dominant 400-meter hurdles at the London Diamond League event
Two-time defending Diamond League champion Femke Bol ran 51.45 – the third-fastest 400-meter hurdles time in history - at the London Diamond League meeting on Sunday, July 23. Photo by Ed Hall for Diamond League AG
By Israel La Rue
Two-time defending Diamond League champion Femke Bol ran the third-fastest 400-meter hurdles time in history on Sunday at the London Diamond League meet.
Her time of 51.45 beat two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s Tokyo Olympics gold medal time of 51.46, which was then a world record. McLaughlin-Levrone still holds the two fastest times of 51.41 and 50.68, the latter set at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene.
“I cannot believe it yet,” Bol said. “To be honest, I felt really good at some points in the race. I tried not to think about the goal.”
Bol’s time was also a Diamond League record, meet record, a personal best and the fastest time in the world this season. She beat her previous personal best, set at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, by .58 seconds.
“I've been wanting to run a 51 ever since Tokyo,” Bol said. “I had a feeling I could do it, but I still can't believe I've done it.”
The victory was Bol’s fourth of the Diamond League season, and she has a commanding 10-point lead in the Diamond League standings, which determine the field for the Diamond League final, Sept.16-17 at the Pre Classic at Hayward Field.
Bol shot out of the blocks, taking the lead 100 meters in, and built on her lead down the backstretch. With 200 meters left, no one was near Bol, and it was clear she was on pace for a personal best. On the home stretch, she extended her lead with her top-end speed.
“I felt so strong coming over the last hurdle, so I'm really happy,” Bol said.
Runner-up Janieve Russell finished more than two seconds behind Bol in 53.75, and she just beat 2020 Tokyo silver medalist Shamier Little, who finished third in 53.76. Little sits in third place with 21 points in the Diamond League standings, and Russell is fourth with 17 points.
“I hope we can put up a great race at the world championships and put on a great show,” Bol said.
In the women’s 5,000 meters, 11 runners set personal bests in a speedy race, and defending world champion Gudaf Tsegay’s kick won her the race with a meet record and personal best of 14:12.29.
“Today it was all about my time,” said Tsegay, also the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist. “Today my coach wanted to look at my 5000m speed.”
Tsegay, who was running her first Diamond League 5,000 of the season, beat her previous personal best by 1.03 seconds. The eight points for the victory put her in 10th place in the standings with two competitions remaining in the regular season. She needs to be in the top eight to qualify for the final.
The pacesetters set the tone, running 68-second laps on second through fifth laps. At 1,000 meters, the split time was 2:51.80. The pace was so fast that only five runners were in the top pack in the final four laps, led by 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion Sifan Hassan.
Hassan held the lead until the last lap, when she was passed by Tsegay and eventual runner-up Beatrice Chebet, who improved her personal best to 14:12.92 from 14:33.55. The seven points for second place put Chebet first in the Diamond League standings with 23 points.
“I'm so happy but very confused,” Chebet said. “I didn't expect it. 14:12 from 14:34 is an amazing result. My target was to come and run my personal best.”
Hassan finished in 14:13.42, a European record.
American Alicia Monson, who finished fifth in 14:19.45, broke the American record of 14:23.92, which was set in 2020 by Shelby Houlihan, who was running at a Bowerman Track Club Intrasquad meet. Monson is seventh in the Diamond League standings with 10 points.
“I knew that the training was there,” Monson told Citius Mag. “And I’ve been training better than ever, so (my goal was) just being able to come out here and have a great result. The American record, that came with it.”
In the men’s 200 meters, defending world champion and 2020 Tokyo bronze medalist Noah Lyles’ top-end speed carried him to his first Diamond League win in the event this season with a time of 19.47. The time is a meet record and the fastest time in the world this season.
“The race was great,” Lyles told Citius Mag. “It’s been a long time since I had competition. It’s been a long time since I hadn’t been the first person off the turn.”
Lyles earned his first points in the event and is in 10th place in the Diamond League standings with eight points.
European champion Zharnel Hughes was the first person off the turn, but he couldn’t hold onto his lead after the first 100 meters.
Once Lyles hit his top-end speed, he passed Hughes, and in the final 50 meters he left the field far behind. African champion Letsile Tebogo also passed Hughes down the stretch to finish second and an African record of 19.50. Tebogo is fifth in the Diamond League standings with 15 points, and Hughes is in 13th with seven points.
Hughes finished third in 19.73, breaking the British record of 19.94 set by John Regis at the 1993 Stuttgart IAAF World Championships.
“They were ready for it,” Lyles told Citius Mag. “But at the same time, just because you’re ready for it doesn’t mean you can handle it.”
In the men’s high jump, US champion JuVaughn Harrison beat the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion and three-time world champion, Mutaz Essa Barshim, with a season-best clearance of 2.35m. It was his third Diamond League victory of the season.
Harrison and Barshim both passed on the first two heights, starting their day at 2.20m.
Harrison cleared 2.20, 2.24 and 2.27 on his first attempt. It wasn’t until 2.30m that he had his first miss. Barshim took the lead at 2.30 as he cleared on his first attempt.
At 2.30m, the two jumpers left behind Belgium national champion Thomas Carmoy and British national champion Joel Clarke-Khan, who tied for third at 2.27m. Clarke-Khan’s mark set a British national record.
At 2.33m, Barshim jumped over the mark on his second attempt putting pressure on Harrison after his first foul on the mark. Harrison fouled again on his second attempt but pulled through on his last attempt tying his season’s best.
Harrison got back the lead at 2.35 on his second attempt. Barshim passed at that height after fouling on his first two attempts, and after missing at 2.37 he was done for the day. Barshim has 21 points and is second in the Diamond League standings.
Harrison tried to jump for a personal best at 2.37m but he missed his first two attempts and retired with a win at 2.35. He now sits atop the Diamond League standings with 24 points.
In the women’s 800 meters, Olympian and British national champion Jemma Reekie won her first Diamond League race of the season with a meet record of 1:57.30.
The 2022 British national champion took the opportunity to win at her home track after 2022 Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson withdrew with a sore throat.
Reekie put herself in a good position by getting an early lead in the race, even beating the pacesetter to the front of the pack. Once the pacesetter got in front of her, Reekie held on to her lead until the 400-meter mark.
Olympian Natoya Goule-Toppin took the lead after the first lap, and 2019 world champion Halimah Nakaayi overtook Reekie as well on the backstretch. On the curve, Reekie tried to pass Goule-Toppin and Nakaayi but was boxed in.
Reekie kicked on the final 100 meters, overtaking the two runners for the win.
Goule-Toppin finished second with a season’s best of 1:57.61, just ahead of Nakaayi, who set a Ugandan national record of 1:57.62.
Goule-Toppin is atop Diamond League standings with 30 points. Nakaayi is in fourth with 16 points, and Reekie is in seventh with 12 points.