Winfred Yavi Nearly Breaks Women's 3,000-Meter Steeplechase World Record; Olympic Champions Ryan Crouser, Tara Davis-Woodhall Add Diamond League Wins In Rome

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photo by Diamond League

In a Diamond League stop featuring Olympic gold medalists, it was a resurgent hurdler who became a world-beater.

Ackera Nugent won the 100-meter hurdles in a world-leading time of 12.24 seconds, climbing to No. 4 on the all-time world list on Friday in Rome. The 22-year-old Jamaican beat Olympic champion Masai Russell, who was second in 12.31.

Nugent led Russell by .10 by the fourth hurdle, and the 24-year-old American could not close the gap.

“This victory is not like a revenge for the Olympics for me,” said Nugent, who failed to finish at Paris. “I am just in really good shape. I was injured before, and this is a new experience for me.”

The race reprised the 2023 NCAA Championships. Nugent (Arkansas) beat Russell (Kentucky) with respective wind-aided times of 12.25 and 12.32 (+3.8) at Austin, Texas.

It was the second straight win on the circuit for Nugent, who won last week in 12.29 into a 0.5 mps headwind at Chorzow, Poland.

Updated all-time top six:

12.12 Tobi Amusan, Nigeria, 2022

12.20 Keni Harrison, USA, 2016

12.21 Yordanka Donkova, Bulgaria, 1988

12.24 Ackera Nugent, Jamaica, 2024

12.25 Masai Russell, USA, 2024

12.25 Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgaria, 1987

Alaysha Johnson and Keni Harrison were fifth and sixth in 12.66 and 12.70. The Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton, world indoor record-holder at 60 hurdles, did not finish.

“My life has not changed that much since winning the Olympics, since I am still in season,” said Russell, who has never won in the Diamond League. “I think it might change after the season is over. I went home for 1.5 weeks after Paris, just to reset, but I am ready for more races."

In the women’s steeplechase, Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi was less than a tenth of a second off the world record.

The Olympic champion, realizing late she had a shot, accelerated over the last water jump and barrier to finish in 8:44.39. The record of 8:44.32 by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech from 2018 survived by .07.

Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai became the third woman ever to run sub-8:50, finishing second in 8:48.03. Kenya’s Faith Cherotich was third in 8:57.65 and Val Constien fourth in 9:04.92.

A world record attempt in the women’s 1,500 meters never evolved.

Three-time Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon finished first in 3:52.89 but did not challenge her 2023 meet record of 3:49.11, then a world record.

Ethiopians Freweyni Hailu and Birke Haylom, neither of whom ran in the Paris final, were second and third in 3:54.16 and 3:54.69. Olympic silver medalist Jessica Hull of Australia was fourth in 3:54.98.

Men’s events featured Ryan Crouser’s bounce-back in the shot put and Letsile Tebogo’s emphatic victory in the 100 meters.

Crouser exceeded 22 meters on all six attempts, topped by 73-9.50 (22.49m) in the second round.

Italy’s Leonard Fabri was second at 71-2.50 (21.70m) and Payton Otterdahl third at 70-11.75 (21.63m). Joe Kovacs, the three-time Olympic silver medalist who beat Crouser in Poland last week, was fourth at 70-11.25 (21.62m).

“Not that today's mark is not big, but I believe I can still get into world record territory,” Crouser said. “I am trending in the right direction. Mentally and physically, you reach your peak at the Olympics, but you can compensate for not being there with being more relaxed. I feel more mentally engaged than normally at this stage of the season.”

Tebogo clocked 9.87. He decelerated over the closing 10 meters or would have bettered his PB of 9.86 in finishing sixth at the Paris Olympics.

He looked to his left to see he had beaten Americans Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley, who were second and third in 9.92 and 9.95.

“This was one of my best 100-meter races,” said Tebogo, who won the Olympic 200 meters. “Before this, I imagined what the perfect race over 100 would look like. You have to lock it into your mind, and then it can happen. Today I had a great start, and it made me think, ‘Why did I not have one like this in the Olympic final?’ “

Last two meets of the Diamond League are Thursday at Zurich and Sept. 13-14 at Brussels.

Davis-Woodhall leads USA 1-2-3-4

In other women’s highlights:

>> Olympic champion Tara Davis-Woodhall remained unbeaten this year in the long jump, then headed back to Paris to watch husband Hunter Woodhall race at the Paralympics. Her distance was 23-0.50 (7.02m), leading an American sweep of the top four.

“It is almost surreal. I mean no one has jumped 7 meters so many times this year like me.” Davis-Woodhall said. “I am tired."

Monae Nichols jumped 22-4.50 (6.82m), Quanesha Burks 21-10.25 (6.66m) and Jasmine Moore 21-8.75 (6.62m).

>> Olympic champion Nina Kennedy of Australia won the pole vault with a second-try clearance of 15-10 (4.83m). Sandy Morris, seeking her first Diamond League victory since June 2022 at Rome, also vaulted 15-10 and finished second. It was her best since a 15-11 (4.85m) secured silver at the 2022 World Championships.

“Today was everything I could have hoped for,” Morris said. “I have had a lot of changes in my life in the last two years, changing houses, changing coaches. And with so many changes, it is hard to keep your consistency. Missing the Olympics was heartbreaking, but I went back into training with my coach for four weeks and I found the form.”

>> Brittany Brown, the Olympic bronze medalist, won the 200 in 22.00 over Anavia Battle, 22.27.

>> Anna Cockrell, the Olympic silver medalist, came within .16 of Femke Bol’s meet record with a time of 52.59 n the 400 hurdles.

Heat scuttles WR run in 5,000

In other men’s highlights:

>> A world record attempt in the 5,000 meters wilted under conditions of 83 degrees and 55 percent humidity. Ethiopians swept the top three and five of the top six. Finishing 1-2-3 were Hagos Gebrihiwet, 12:51.07; Yomif Kejelcha, 12:51.25; Selemon Barega, 12:51.39.

>> Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga, the Olympic bronze medalist, took the 400 in 43.99. Grenada’s Kirani James, fifth at Paris after medaling at three previous Olympics, was second in 44.30. U.S. relay gold medalists Vernon Norwood and Bryce Deadmon were fifth and seventh in 44.71 and 44.77.

>> Croatia’s Kristjan Ceh snatched victory in the final round, throwing the discus 225-1 (68.61m) to overtake Olympic champion Roje Stona of Jamaica. Stona was second at 222-7 (67.85m) and world record-holder Mykolas Alenka of Lithuania third at 222 feet (67.68m).

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.