Day One: Ja'Kobe Tharp Wins 110 Meter Hurdles; Emmanouil Karalis Wins Pole Vault After Mondo Duplantis Pulls Out; Busang Collen Kebinatshipi Breaks Diamond League 400 Record

By David Woods for DyeStat

Diamond League AG Photos

INTERVIEWS

It is a wild day in track and field when Mondo Duplantis and Valarie Sion don’t win and Cole Hocker is the fourth-best American in the 1,500 meters.

Two other Americans, Chase Jackson and Ja’Kobe Tharp, tried to restore order Friday on Day 1 of the Diamond League final at Brussels, Belgium. Rain fell during part of the action, and temperatures were in the mid-60s.

There were six Van Damme Memorial meet records.

One of them was by Jackson, who reset an American record of 69 feet, 4.25 inches (21.14m) in the women’s shot put.

Her mark was a Diamond League record, world leader and world’s longest throw since 2011. (Valerie Adams of New Zealand won the world title at 69-8.25/21.24m that year.) It was the second American record in six days for Jackson, who exceeded 21 meters for the first time Sunday at Berlin.

“Right now adrenaline is still keeping me together, but when I get to the hotel I will probably start crying,” she said. “You know it’s a good day when there are a lot of letters next to your name! I have been training really well and was determined to show that I had an even bigger throw in me than the one I did last week.”

Canada’s Sarah Mitton was second at 67-8.75 (20.64m). The Netherlands’ Jessica Schilder, the reigning world champion and previous world leader, was third at 67-6 (20.57m).

The 20-year-old Tharp has been on the spot since June 10. That's when he clocked 12.75 in NCAA semifinals of the 110-meter hurdles, breaking the world record of 12.80 set in 2012 by Aries Merritt – at Brussels, coincidentally.

Tharp won his first Diamond League trophy in 13.03 to 13.09 for Jamal Britt, who has five wins on the 2026 circuit. Trey Cunningham made it a U.S. sweep, taking third in 13.22. A fourth American, reigning world champion Cordell Tinch, fell after the last hurdle.

“It was truly a blessing to run on the track where the previous world record was set," Tharp said. "I watched this track so many times in video.”

An anticipated pole vault duel between Duplantis and Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis never materialized. Duplantis -- winner of the past five Diamond League trophies in addition to nine global golds and 15 world records -- pulled out after warming up with what he said is lingering leg pain.

Another of the sport’s biggest stars, sprinter Noah Lyles, announced Friday that injury has caused him to end his season.

Karalis set a meet record of 20-1 (6.12m). Former Princeton vaulter Sondre Guttormsen of Norway was second at 19-1.25 (5.82m).

Sion, winner of five straight trophies, was beaten by China’s Feng Bin in a reversal of their 2024 Paris Olympic results. Feng threw the discus a season best of 221-4 (67.46m) to Sion’s 219-7 (66.92m). Cierra Jackson, who set a Diamond League record of 235-4 (71.72m) at London July 18, was sixth at 203-2 (61.93m).

In the men’s 1,500, youth prevailed: Australia’s Cameron Myers, 20, was first and Kenya’s Phanuel Koech, 19, was second. Top seven were separated by just 0.66 seconds.

“The plan was to stay relaxed and use the finishing speed I knew I had,” said Myers, who said he gained confidence from a 7:27 at 3,000 meters.

He found room along the rail and ran 53.8 over the closing 400 to finish in 3:30.14. Koech clocked 3:30.18 and Ethan Strand a season best of 3:30.50 for third. Strand climbed from eighth to third with a final 100 meters timed in 12.7.

Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen was fourth in 3:30.52, tumbling across the line. Afterward, he complained about the pacing and made a veiled reference to the absence of Josh Kerr, the new world record-holder in the mile. Ingebrigtsen said he is “not a hider” and asserted he “will run circles around them in not too many months.”

Americans Yared Nuguse, Hobbs Kessler and Hocker were 5-6-7 in 3:30.56, 3:30.71 and 3:30.80, all season bests.

Hocker was coming off his first Diamond League victory Sunday at Zurich. The Olympic champion, who said he ran a bad tactical race, is 1-4 in his past five races against Strand.

“I think I just wasted one too many moves,” Hocker said. “Fully on me, despite it being physical.”

Alfred dominant in 200

In other women’s events:

>> Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia stayed unbeaten in the 200 this year, running 21.79. Kayla White was second in 22.00 and four-time European gold medalist Amy Hunt of Great Britain third in a season-best 22.16.

>> World champ Faith Cherotich of Kenya set a meet record of 8:51.61 in the 3,000 steeplechase. Former Alabama runner Doris Lemngole, also of Kenya, was second in 8:52.86 and became No. 6 on the all-time world list. Olympic gold medalist Winfred Yavi of Bahrain was third in 8:53.54. Lexy Halladay-Lowry was sixth in 9:05.36, worth No. 4 on the all-time U.S. list.

>> World leader Anna Cockrell of the United States started fast and held on to take the 400 hurdles in 53.01. Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia was second in 53.10 and Paulien Couckuyt of Belgium third in 53.20.

>> Ethiopia swept the top three in the 5,000, led by Freweyni Hailu’s 14:35.20.

>> Senegal’s Saly Sarr took the triple jump at 49-1 (14.96m).

Wanyonyi maintains mastery of 800

In other men’s events:

>> Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi earned a fourth straight trophy in the 800, winning by nearly a second in a meet record of 1:41.80. The reigning Olympic and world champion has lost to two Americans this year, Cooper Lutkenhaus and Brandon Miller, but neither was in the race. Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati was second in 1:42.71 and France’s Yanis Meziane third in 1:42.87. Canada’s Marco Arop was fourth in 1:43.50.

>> Botswana’s Busan Collen Kebinatshipi won his sixth straight 400 race, setting a Diamond League record of 43.40. (He was .02 off the world lead by Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi, who was not in the race.) Jereem Richards, the 32-year-old Trinidadian, was second in 43.68 and Jacory Patterson third in a personal best 43.78.

>> Jamaican world champ Oblique Seville overtook Christian Coleman to win the 100 in 9.90. Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon was second in 9.93, NCAA champ Kayinsola Ajayi of Nigeria third in 9.97 and Commonwealth champ Lachlan Kennedy of Australia fourth in 9.99. Coleman, ahead through 70 meters, was sixth in 10.01.

>> Slovakia’s Kristjan Ceh set a meet record of 233-10 in the discus. Defending champion Mykolas Alekna, the 23-year-old Lithuanian, finished second, as he has in six global, European or NCAA championships. Alekna threw 230-1 (70.14m).

>> Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle long jumped 27-9.25 (8.46m) to beat two-time Olympic gold medalist Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece, 27-6.75 (8.40m).

>> Poland’s Mateusz Kolodziejski, fifth at the European Championships, won the high jump at 7-5.75 (2.28m). American JuVaughn Harrison, who cleared three bars on third attempts, was second at the same height.

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com.