Five reigning Olympic champions showed their supremacy with victories at the 41st edition of the FBK Games in Hengelo on Monday (6), with Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis shining brightest of all, clearing 6.01m in the pole vault – the highest outdoor clearance this year.
On a cool, wet and windy afternoon at Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion, Duplantis defied the conditions to record a perfect series up to 6.01m, which he also soared over at his first attempt before calling a halt to his competition. Rutger Koppelaar of the Netherlands was runner-up with 5.70m.
Faith Kipyegon, Peruth Chemutai, Malaika Mihambo and Anderson Peters were the other Olympic champions to re-establish their dominance, putting themselves in pole position across their respective events ahead of next month’s World Championships in Oregon.
Dutch star Femke Bol brought the crowd to its feet by breaking her own meeting record in the women’s 400m hurdles, the Olympic bronze medallist clocking 53.94 on her debut at the distance this year. It came just six days after Bol opened her season with a world 300m hurdles best of 36.86. Ukraine’s Anna Ryzhykova was runner-up in 55.62.
USA’s Chase Ealey smashed her outdoor PB to win the women’s shot put with 19.98m, a world outdoor lead, while world indoor champion Auriol Dongmo of Portugal was second with a season’s best of 19.68m.
In the men’s javelin, reigning world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada smashed the meeting record to take victory with 90.75m, his fourth-round effort adding almost seven metres to the previous best mark at the FBK Games – the 83.90m by Klaus Tafelmeier in 1986. Germany’s Julian Weber was second with a PB of 89.54m, while 2012 Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago threw a season’s best of 89.07m for third.
The women’s 10,000m saw Britain’s Eilish McColgan launch a bold bid to break Paula Radcliffe’s British record of 30:01.09, but the 31-year-old had to be content with a 39-second PB after a superb solo effort, clocking 30:19.02 to move fifth on the European all-time lists.
McColgan set off on her own early in the race, passing 3000m in 8:57.86 and 5000m in 15:00.75, with her rivals happy to let her build an advantage that exceeded 45 seconds at one stage. In a race that doubled as the Ethiopian World Championships trial, the others were happy to compete for places, and it was world record holder Letesenbet Gidey who won the sprint finish for second, clocking 30:44.27 in front of fellow Ethiopian Ejgayehu Taye (30:44.68) and Kenya’s Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (30:45.00).
Faith Kipyegon of Kenya continued her superb season with a dominant victory in the women’s 800m, the two-time Olympic 1500m champion clocking 2:00.36, with reigning world 800m champion Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda second in 2:00.87.
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo maintained her dominance with victory in the women’s long jump, the reigning European, World and Olympic champion leaping 6.65m (1.6m/s) to seal victory ahead of USA’s Quanesha Burks, who jumped 6.53m.
Britain’s Daryll Neita was quickest in the women’s 100m, clocking 11.19 (0.8m/s) with Tynia Gaither of Bahamas second in 11.23. Dutch star Dafne Schippers finished fifth in 11.40. Britany Anderson of Jamaica produced a superb run to win the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.51 (0.4m/s) ahead of reigning world champion Nia Ali of USA (12.69).
In the men’s 100m Jamaica’s Yohan Blake rolled back the years with an impressive victory, the 2011 world champion getting a flying start and powering away to win in 10.11 (-0.3m/s) ahead of USA’s Kyree King (10.23).
Peruth Chemutai of Uganda took a comfortable victory in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, the Olympic champion clocking 9:14.00 ahead of Luiza Gega, who set an Albanian record of 9:15.48 in second. Kenya’s Kumari Taki kicked clear to win the men’s 1500m in 3:34.77, with Poland’s Michal Rozmys next best in 3:35.40.
Roxana Gomez of Cuba came from behind to win the women’s 400m in 51.18 ahead of Dutch athlete Lieke Klaver, who clocked 51.34. Brazil’s Eduardo Rodrigues claimed victory in the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.34 (0.6m/s) ahead of Milan Trajkovic of Cyprus (13.38) and USA’s Daniel Roberts (13.40).
The men’s 400m saw USA’s Vernon Norwood come from behind to overtake Jamaica’s Christopher Taylor in the home straight, with Norwood clocking 45.28 to Taylor’s 45.45. Belgium’s Julien Watrin set a PB of 49.47 to win the men’s 400m hurdles ahead of Dutch athlete Nick Smidt (49.66).
In the men’s 10,000m on Sunday evening, which served as the Ethiopian trial for the World Championships, Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega kicked to victory in a PB of 26:44.73, with Tadese Worku second in 26:45.91 and Berihu Aregawi third in 26:46.13. Yomif Kejelcha was fourth in 26:49.39.
For full results visit: https://www.fbkgames.nl/en/
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