Having broken the world mile record at the last Diamond League meeting in Monaco earlier this month month, Sifan Hassan from the Netherlands revised her European 5000m record with 14:22.12 on the second day of the London Diamond League on Sunday (21).
Even though she did not win Hassan, the European champion at the distance, was still in prolific form as she finished third in 14:22.12. Hassan had led for the final three laps at the London Stadium but world champion Hellen Obiri proved too strong in the final 200 metres as she won in 14:20.36 from Kenyan teammate Agnes Jebet Tirop, second in 14:20.68.
Hassan also broke the European 3000m record at the Diamond League in Stanford at the end of June, not to mention setting a world 5km record in Monaco in February and a European half marathon record in Copenhagen in September. Her previous European 5000m record stood at 14:22.34 from the Monaco Diamond League last July.
'I went out fast but I'm still very tired from the mile in Monaco last week, both physically and emotionally. But I still ran a PB, so I'm happy,' said Hassan. 'There's a very strong level of competition today, the field was a high standard. Normally it might be slow at the beginning and then pick up, but it was particularly fast today.'
It was a memorable race for European runners behind Hassan. Norway's Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal ran a personal best of 14:51.46 as did Britain's Laura Weightman with 14:51.78 in 12th, finishing one place ahead of teammate Eilish McColgan in 14:51.89. Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter also broke the 15 minute-mark for the first time in 14th in 14:59.02.
World leaders Stahl and Mihambo in command on the in-field
Daniel Stahl's authority this summer over the men's discus is growing event by event as he showed by securing another fine with a meeting record.
Sweden star Stahl might have finished second to Lithuanian Andrius Gudzius at the World Championships in this stadium in 2017 but he is heading to Doha showing who is in command.
For the second meeting in a row, Stahl beat Gudzius, winning with a third round 68.56m to break the meeting mark of 67.82m which Estonian Gerd Kanter had set in 2010.
Jamaican Fedrick Dacres was second with 67.09m and Gudzius was in third with 65.40m.
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Malaika Mihambo achieved another notable victory on the road to Doha as she beat the four-time and defending world long jump champion Brittney Reese.
European champion Mihambo took the lead with a second round 6.96m and secured victory with a fourth round 7.02m as she broke the meeting record of 7.01m. “I'm back to training straight away in preparation for the national championships and then onto competing in the 100m which will be interesting,” said Mihambo.
US athlete Reese saved her best for her last two efforts but 6.75m and 6.82m with Ukraine's Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk third with 6.78m.
Filip Ingebrigtsen breaks 3:50-barrier for the mile
A day after his younger brother Jakob broke the national and European U20 5000m record, Filip Ingebrigtsen achieved his own piece of history in the mile.
As Ethiopian Samuel Tefera won the Emsley Carr Mile in 3:49.45, Filip was second in a Norwegian record of 3:49.60 with Britain's Jake Wightman third in a personal best of 3:52.02.
'Two national records for the Ingebrigtsens is how we like it,' said Filip, 26, who began with a lifetime best of 3:51.28.
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'It is what we do in training and try to push each other. You don't want to be beaten by your younger brother. With him doing a national record, I thought at least I have to do a PB. That may be the secret behind what we are doing.'
In the women's 100m, European champion Dina Asher-Smith finished second behind Jamaica's double Olympic and triple world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
After Dafne Schippers had been disqualified, Asher-Smith made a good start but was always behind Fraser-Pryce. She won in 10.78 from Asher-Smith in 10.92 and the Ivory Coast's Marie-Josee Ta Lou in 10.98.