Is Matthew Denny now Australia’s best male athlete?
Undeniably so, I’d say, a judgement that was true even before he burnished already considerable laurels by winning the discus at last weekend’s (16-17 September) Diamond League final. Victory merely confirmed his status.
Well, there you go. Just a couple of days before the Diamond League final in Eugene this weekend DL organisers announced a new system of wildcard entries.Seemingly moments later again, out come the entries. Guess what? A number of US athletes who have shown scant interest in the diamond league all year long are suddenly in the fields for the final, that’s what. The most notable? Athing Mu in the 800 metres.
Sometimes it is only in defeat that you realise how good an athlete is. In the case of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, that should be how great.
More colloquially, Zurich’s meeting has been dubbed “the Olympics in one day.” A touch pretentious, yes, but when you’re there, the description so often seems apt. Like the night three world records went in 45 minutes, for example, just one of many such nights in the fabled history of the Zurich Weltklasse.
When Victor Kiplangat drew clear of Leul Gebrsilase in the closing stages of Sunday’s men’s world championships marathon, it seemed the championships were bookended by Uganda distance runners.
There they all were – 10,000 metres champion and defending 5000 metres champion Gudaf Tsegay, the woman who runs every event, and medals in most, Sifan Hassan, Kenyan teammates Beatrice Chebet, this year’s world cross-country champion, and Margaret Kipkemboi – lined up to thwart Faith Kipyegon’s hopes of completing an unprecedented 1500 and 5000 metres double.
On day seven, Budapest’s national athletics centre turned into the house of stoush. Over at the triple jump, Yulimar Rojas got off the canvas to win her fourth straight title by knock-out.
Everything is déjà vu for Jakob Ingebrigsten at the moment. He’s been to the dark room before, probably found the seat quite comfortable this time. On day six he emerged to run the heats of the 5000 metres.
Josh Kerr eclipsed Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win the 1500 metres with a stunning run on day five in Budapest.
By Len Johnson
The drama continued at Budapest’s national athletics centre on day five of the world championships as Australia’s Nina Kennedy went clearance for clearance with world and Olympic champion Katie Moon in the pole vault, sharing the gold medal, and in an even bigger sensation Josh Kerr eclipsed...
