Keni Harrison on Saturday equaled the second-fastest 100m hurdles ever run, while fellow American Justin Gatlin breezed to a sparkling, but wind-assisted, 100m victory at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting.
Harrison, who has never made a global podium, stormed to victory in a US record 12.24 seconds. Only retired Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova has run faster, clocking a world record 12.21 seconds in 1988 and later running 12.24 seconds.
“She stole my thunder and rightfully so,” said world silver medalist Gatlin, who won the 100m in a wind-assisted 9.88 seconds to defeat Jamaican former world record holder Asafa Powell (9.94 seconds) and former world champion Tyson Gay (9.98 seconds).
Photo: EPA
The wind was an over-the-allowable 2.6m per second.
The 23-year-old Harrison took 0.12 seconds off her personal best with the sterling run, the fastest in the world in 28 years. The wind was an allowable 0.7m per second.
“I am still in shock right now,” Harrison said. “That was just amazing.”
While Harrison and Gatlin looked ready for August’s Rio Olympics, two-time Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce showed there is work to be done.
The Jamaican, hampered by a toe injury, finished dead last in a 100m won by local favorite English Gardner in 10.81 seconds.
“I did not have any expectations,” said Fraser-Pryce, who ran 11.18 seconds. “I will just have to go back and assess the race. I prefer not to comment on the toe.”
Rio 200m favorite Dafne Schipper was also upset. American Tori Bowie edged the Dutch woman to win in the fastest time of this year, 21.99 seconds. Schippers clocked 22.11 seconds.
“My main focus was attack the bend, do not give them anything,” said Bowie, who also has the year’s fastest 100m time.
There was no doubt about Jamaican hurdler Omar McLeod’s fitness.
The world indoor champion remained undefeated outdoors, clocking 13.06 seconds in the 110m hurdles to defeat former outdoor world champion David Oliver (13.38 seconds). World record holder Aries Merritt was fourth in 13.51 seconds.
“It is definitely a confidence booster going into the Olympics,” said McLeod, who said he would not run again before next month’s Jamaican Olympic trials.
Five other year-leading marks were set on the sun-splashed afternoon at the site of July’s US Olympic trials.
American triple jumper Christian Taylor showed he was ready to defend his Olympic title, bounding 17.76m, while Kenyan three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop won the mile race (1.6km) in 3 minutes, 51.54 seconds.
Ethiopian Muktar Edris posted the year’s best 5,000m time of 12 minutes, 59.43 seconds, while Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet ran the second fastest women’s 3,000m steeplechase of all-time in 8 minutes, 59.97 seconds, narrowly defeating Kenyan world champion Hyvin Kiyeng (9 minutes, 00.01 seconds).
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon added the year’s top women’s 1,500m, a national record 3 minutes, 56.41 seconds, while Egypt’s Ihab Abdelrahman claimed the javelin with a throw of 87.37m.
French pole vault world record holder Renaud Lavillenie was also a winner, defeating Canadian world champion Shawn Barber, winning on fewer misses, as both cleared 5.81m.
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