Simbine takes London 100m honours

LONDON: South African Akani Simbine pulled off something of a surprise in the London Diamond League 100 metres on Saturday, holding off local hope Zharnel Hughes and former world champion Yohan Blake to come home in 9.93 seconds.

Hughes had clocked an impressive 9.96 in the heats, despite easing up and running into a slight headwind but after an early stumble he was always trailing in the final, posting 9.95.

Blake, the joint-second fastest man of all time with his 9.69 set in 2012, is getting back towards his best and continued his good season with third in 9.97 as the top five all broke 10 seconds.

Simbini has been knocking at the door for a few years, with fifth places in the Olympics and world championships and gold at the Commonwealth Games and African championships and now looks equipped to challenge the best of the United States at this year’s worlds in Doha in September.

“I’m really happy with the time. I came here to make sure I got the win to build confidence and I came away with a season’s best,” he said.

“It’s about getting through the races and winning them so by the time I get to world champs and I’m facing the rest of the world I’ll be ready and the confidence will be there and I’ll be able to believe in the work I’ve done.”

Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was a convincing winner of the women’s 200m in 22.13, holding off fast-finishing Marie-Josee Ta Lou (22.36) and Britain’s Beth Dobbin, who was delighted with a personal best of 22.50 having had to miss the race a year ago to work.

There was more to cheer for home fans as Laura Muir delivered a dominant front-running display and a blistering last lap to win the 1500m in 3:58.25. “That’s probably close to my 400m PB,” the Scot said of the 57.54 burn up.

In a thrilling men’s 5000m, Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet held off Norwegian teen sensation Jakob Ingebrigtsen during the final lap to squeeze home by just 0.17sec. European champion Ingebrigtsen’s time of 13:02:03 was a new national record.

It was Norway all the way in the 400m hurdles as Karsten Warholm destroyed the field to come home in a European record 47.12 seconds, miles ahead of Turkey’s Yasmani Copello (48.93).

There was huge disappointment for the crowd when Botswana’s Nijel Amos, who ran the fastest 800m by anyone since the London 2012 Olympics, in Monaco eight days ago (1:41.89), fell 120 metres into Saturday’s race. In his absence Kenyan Cheruiyot Rotich held off compatriot Wyclife Kinyamal in 1:43.14.

Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson won the women’s 400m in a time of 50.69sec and compatriot Danielle Williams won the women’s 100m hurdles in 12.32sec, the fastest time of the year so far.

Tatsiana Khaladovich of Belarus won the women’s javelin with a throw of 66.10 metres while Anzhelika Sidorova (4.75m), an authorised neutral athlete, won the women’s pole vault.

Portugal’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo (17.53m) beat two-time Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor into second place while South Africa’s Luvo Manyonga won the men’s long jump with a leap of 8.37m.

Kenya’s Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich won the 800m in 1:43.14 and Jamaica pipped Britain to win the women’s 4x100m relay after a stunning final leg from Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.