There were stand-out performances from both British and international stars, including a world-leading time from the British women’s 4x100m team, a brilliant 400m win by Charlie Dobson, superb 800m victory for Georgia Hunter Bell and a stand-out showing from sprint sensation Julian Alfred, at the sold-out Novuna London Athletics Meet.
In early relay action, the British women’s quartet of Dina Asher-Smith (Edrick Floreal, Blackheath & Bromley), Amy Hunt (Marco Airale, Charnwood), Desiree Henry (Steve Fudge, Enfield & Haringey) and Darryl Neita (Lance Braumann, Cambridge Harriers) flew round to a world leading 4x100m time of 41.69 to take a commanding victory in front of a raucous home crowd.
Hard out from the gun through Asher-Smith’s strong start, a fluid change from Hunt to Henry saw the team well out in front, before ever-reliable anchor leg Neita brought the team home, the time the third fastest ever produced by a British women’s quartet to lay down a huge marker for the season.
Bringing the curtain down on proceedings, the men’s 1500m went the way of Phanuel Koech (KEN) after a chaotic finale to the race. George Mills (Thomas Dreissigacker, Brighton Phoenix) took the race by the scruff of the neck and trailed the pacemakers closely through 800m. Josh Kerr (Danny Mackey, Edinburgh) looked to make his move on the outside with 200m to run, as Koech opted to inside at the same point, with Mills sadly then taking a heavy fall.
Leaving it as a straight shoot out, and with Koech stealing a march on Kerr, the Kenyan showed no sign relenting his lead as he stretched away to take the win in 3:28.82, Kerr clocking 3:29.37.
The hotly anticipated men’s 100m went the way of the brilliant Oblique Seville, a tremendous start and scorching first 60m seeing the Jamaican put clear daylight between him and the stacked field behind to clock 9.86 (-0.6) ahead of Noah Lyles (USA) in 10.00, and Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet) with 10.02.
Shortly after, the women’s 200m took centre-stage with an equally loaded field. Out like a bullet from lane seven, Olympic 100m champion Julian Alfred (LCA) was in a league of her own from the gun as she scorched home in 21.71, a monstrous personal best and a new national record. After their relay exploits earlier in the afternoon, Alfred was followed in by British duo Asher-Smith and Hunt, their times 22.25 and 22.31 – the latter a personal best.
In middle distance action, and having been pushed back out after previous attempts to move through on the inside, Georgia Hunter-Bell (Trevor Painter, Belgrave) waited for her moment as the field swung onto the home straight with 100m to run, moving through and away for a brilliant win in the women’s 800m, her time 1:56.74.
Judging his race brilliantly in the men’s Diamond League 400m, Charlie Dobson (Leon Baptiste, Colchester Harriers) came from nowhere in lane seven to run down the trio of Matt Hudson-Smith (Birchfield Harriers), Zakithi Nene (SRA) and Vernon Norwood (USA), the statement win coming with a personal best time of 44.14 to Hudson-Smith’s 44.27 in second.
There was more British joy to come in the field, with Morgan Lake (Yannick Tregaro, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) taking victory with a best of 1.96m in the women’s high jump. Three strong attempts at 2.00m followed, including an incredibly tight failure on her third jump, but it wasn’t to be on the day.
There were records and personal bests aplenty in the women’s 5000m, though not before a tight sprint finish saw Medina Eisa beat out fellow Ethiopian Fantaye Belayneh 14:30.57 to 14:30.90.
With seven personal bests following down the field, the British trio of Hannah Nuttall (Helen Clithoroe, Charnwood), Innes Fitzgerald (Gavin Pavey, Exeter) and Megan Keith (Ross Cairns, Inverness) all went under the world qualifying mark of 14:50.00. Nuttall’s time of 14:39.48 was a personal best of over ten seconds, while Fitzgerald’s time of 14:39.56 saw her smash the British junior record set by Zola Budd just shy of thirty years ago.
The women’s mile was mercilessly led out by the Ethiopian pairing of Gudaf Tsegay and Birke Haylom, a huge gap opening back to the field. Almost reeled in by Jessica Hull (AUS) at half-way, Tsegay managed to rally again and hang on for the win through gritted teeth, her national record and world lead time of 4:11.89 edging out Hull’s area record of 4:13.68.
In the first Diamond League track event of the day, Olympic relay champion Femke Bol took the win in the women’s 400m hurdles as she surged away over the final 100m, looking supremely composed before dipping for the line in 51.20.
With pre-race suggestions of a world record attempt in the men’s 800m, Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) looked strong through 600m before beginning to show signs of tiring. Relinquishing his lead to Arop (CAN) with 150m to go, Wanyonyi came again to then move back into the lead, the Kenyan taking the win in 1:42:00 to Arop’s 1:42.22. Brave and bold running throughout saw Max Burgin (Ian Burgin, Halifax) do his best to hang with the leaders, his showing rewarded with a huge personal best time of 1:42.36 and third place.
In horizontal jumps action, there were victories for Malaika Mihambo (GER) and Wayne Pinnock (JAM) in the women’s and men’s long jumps, both athletes winning by a margin of 1cm, their best marks 6.93m and 8.20m respectively.
In the men’s 4x100m, Kishane Thompson anchored a dominant Jamaica home to the win in 37.80 despite the damp conditions. One of two British teams lined up, the quartet of Jeremiah Azu (Helen Patricia James, Cardiff) Louie Hinchliffe (Richard Kilty, Sheffield & Dearne), Romell Glave (Michael Afilaka, Croydon) and Zharnel Hughes were second in a time of 38.08, the Netherlands taking third in 38.17).
Ben Sandilands (Steven Doig, Fife) was a dominant victor in the men’s ambulant 1500m, streaking away in the rain to cross over in a season’s best of 3:49.95. Luke Nuttall (Sonia McGeorge, Charnwood) secured second with a time of 3:59.59, a season’s best, with Steven Bryce (Steven Doig, Fife) third in 4:00,13, also a season’s best.
Warming up through the opening rounds, Mykolas Alekna (LTU) produced a monster round three throw of 71.70M to win’s the men’s discus, while he women’s pole vault went the way of Olivia McTaggert (NZL), one of four athletes to clear 4.73m, who won the competition due to a cleaner scorecard at earlier heights.
In a mixed category women’s para-athletics 100m, Sophie Hahn (Joe McDonnell, Charnwood) lived up to her billing as event favourite, getting out well to clock 12.89 (no wind) ahead of the fast-finishing Olivia Breen (Aston Moore, City of Portsmouth) in 13.05, and Maddie Down (Mike Bennett, Halesowen) in 13.06.
There was a photo-finish in the men’s para 100m, Zak Skinner (Aston Moore, Birchfield Harriers) edging out Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell, Loughborough) 11.01 to 11.02 (+0.5), Kevin Santos (Michael Utting, City of Norwich) following the duo in with 11.07 for third.
In two domestic 400m races earlier on in the programme, a superb personal best performance of 44.91 saw Lewis Davey (Trevor Painter, Newham & Essex Beagles) take the win in the men’s event, while Victoria Ohuruogu (Newham & Essex Beagles) ran 51.22, just shy of her season’s best, to win the women’s equivalent.
An all-British affair, the men’s national 400m hurdles equivalent saw victor Tyri Donovan (Marina Armstrong, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow) equal his lifetime best with a statement win, his time of 48.46 edging out Seamus Derbyshire’s (Alex O’Gorman, City of Stoke) 48.82.