Dutch stars Jessica Schilder, Niels Laros and Femke Boll performed at their best on a cold, rainy day at the FBK Games. World Championships Continental Tour Gold Medal The conference will take place on Sunday (7th) in Hengelo.
Schilder, who defended his European shot put title in Rome last month, has a big leg up on his way to the Paris Olympics in 2024. Despite damp and rainy conditions, Schilder produced a national record of 20.33 metres in his final effort to beat two-time world champion Chase Jackson of the United States and Olympic gold medallist Gong Lijiao of China.
Gong looked set to win with a season’s best of 20.00m in the second round, but Jackson threw 20.07m on his penultimate throw. But there was another surprise, as Schilder drew huge cheers from the crowd and jumped for joy when he heard the news. “I really wanted to make that sixth throw something special,” Schilder said.
Niels Lalos had already delighted the home crowd by winning the men’s 1000 metres in a national and U20 world record time of 2 minutes 14.37 seconds.
“I didn’t have any particular expectations today as it was my first real race of the season,” he said. “My training had been going well so I came here to win and it’s great not only to win but to set a U20 world record.”
Niels Lalos wins the 1000m at Hengelo (©Dan Vernon)
The 19-year-old, who will win the European U-18 Championships in the 1,500m and 3,000m in 2022 and the European U-20 Championships last year, finished in a time of 2 minutes 15.05 seconds, well below the target record set by Marco Kohls in 1997.
Boll also delighted the home crowd by winning the 400m flat in a new meet record of 50.02 seconds.
The world 400m hurdles champion will focus on the individual event in Paris as she aims to challenge Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, followed by Martina Weil in a Chilean record of 51.05.
On a day when Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon improved her own 1,500m world record to 3:49.04, 2019 world champion Sifan Hassan fell to fifth in the event in Hengelo.
The results could influence the 31-year-old’s sporting choices at the Paris Olympics, where he won the 5,000m and 10,000m, and may decide not to prioritise improving on his 1,500m bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Hassan, who had decided not to run the 10,000 meters the night before, was overtaken around the final corner by Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney Bryant (4:03.58 to win) and American Dani Jones (4:03.78 to take second). With 50 meters to go, Sweden’s Jolanda Ngarambe (4:04.50) and home runner Maureen Coster (4:04.59) both passed Hassan.
Hassan was as enigmatic as ever afterwards. “I think I warmed up too early and then cooled down too much before the race,” she said. “Everything was going well, but the mistake was cooling down too much.”
“I don’t think I’m saying anything about my physical condition. I still have three weeks to train hard and then I’ll decide what distances I’ll run in Paris. At the moment I don’t have any goals for Paris, but now I just want to do my best in all the distances and then I’ll decide.”
Burkina Faso’s world champion Hugues Fabrice Zango posted a season’s best and meet record of 17.57m in the triple jump with a final effort to claim his ninth victory in 10 events this year.
Up until that point, Mohamed Triki of Algeria had seemed destined to win, having taken an early lead in the second round with 17.07 metres. Max Hess of Germany came third with 17.03 metres.
Britain’s world and Olympic 800m silver medallist Keeley Hodgkinson, who defended her European title in Rome last month, won in traditional fashion, holding off a persistent challenge from South Africa’s Prudence Sekgodiso, who won Diamond League events in Marrakech and Oslo.
Hodgkinson, who set a world-leading time of 1:55.78 earlier this season in Eugene, pulled away in the final straight to finish 10 metres ahead in 1:57.36, while Sekgodiso clocked 1:58.75.
“I would have liked to have improved my time a bit but I haven’t run a proper 800m since Eugene and that race was totally different so I’m happy to be back here and do my best,” Hodgkinson said.
“I’m happy with my decision to compete at the Europeans. Now I’m fully focused on Paris. Everything is going well. Now there’s just one race left – the London Diamond League. I can’t wait. It’s an iconic race so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Asked again to comment on defending champion Assing Mu’s absence from Paris after falling in the US qualifying round, Hodgkinson replied: “It’s disappointing, to be honest, because there was so much excitement going into that race and unfortunately things happened. It’s a real shame she won’t be competing, but I’m sure there will be a lot of battles to come.”
Puerto Rico’s Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn won in a meet record of 12.39 in chilly, overcast conditions, while local runner Nadine Visser edged out Visser in a new national record of 12.46.
South Africa’s Marione Fourie came third in a new national record time of 12.49 seconds, while Poland’s Pia Skryszowska came fourth in 12.57 seconds.
In the men’s 100 metres, Commonwealth champion Ferdinand Omanyara of Kenya won in 10.01 seconds, with Ronnie Baker of the United States second in 10.03 seconds and Olympic 200 metres champion Andre de Grasse of Canada third in 10.07 seconds.
Local attention was focused on 40-year-old Churandi Martina, competing in his 17th and final race in Hengelo and hoping to qualify for his sixth Olympic Games, who finished ninth and last in 10.47 seconds.
Mykolas Alekna throws the discus in Hengelo (© Dan Vernon)
In the discus, 21-year-old world record holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania won with a first-round personal best of 69.07m, Australian Matthew Denny came second with 68.17m, and Lukas Weisheidinger, who won the silver medal following Alekna’s bronze medal at last month’s European Championships, came third with 66.82m.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Terahun Bekele won the men’s 5,000m tactical run in 13:01.12, beating Kenya’s Nicholas Kipkorir (13:02.25).
Mike Rowbottom of World Athletics