Fraser-Pryce unstoppable in Monaco

MONACO • Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Noah Lyles underlined their dominant sprint seasons with victories at the Monaco Diamond League on Wednesday, as Faith Kipyegon narrowly missed a sensational world record in the 1,500m.

Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce, fresh from a fifth world 100m title in Eugene, Oregon last month, clocked a world-leading 10.62 seconds for the win, the fourth-fastest time ever run for the blue-riband event.

Her victory at the Stade Louis II was her third sub-10.70sec run within a week and saw her become the first woman in history to break 10.70sec six times in the same season. Her time also smashed the previous meet best of 10.72sec set by American Marion Jones in 1998.

"I did what I needed to do and we had fun and let the clock do the talking," said Fraser-Pryce.

Lyles, who won the world 200m title last month in a blistering 19.31sec, also set a meet record, clocking 19.46sec - the ninth-fastest time ever run over the distance - to improve on his previous mark of 19.65sec set back in 2018.

The 25-year-old ran a powerful bend in an American clean sweep, getting the better of teenager Erriyon Knighton and world 400m champion Michael Norman.

"It's my second-best time ever tonight so I consider that a great race," said Lyles. "Every time I come here, I expect to run very fast and, if not a personal best, something close to it."

World and Olympic 1,500m champion Kipyegon arguably produced the top performance of an amazing night of track and field in balmy conditions in front of a big crowd.

The Kenyan ran the second-fastest time ever as she won in 3min 50.37sec, falling just 0.3sec short of Ethiopian Genezebe Dibaba's world record set in 2015.

"I have been chasing the time for quite some time but I am happy with the personal best," she said. "I knew this was the best place to get the world record but I am so disappointed I lost it in the last metres."

The first world champions' duel of the night saw Briton Jake Wightman obliterate the meet record to win the 1,000m in 2:13.88.

Wightman, a shock winner of the world 1,500m title in Eugene, kicked with 150m to go to reel in Canada's world 800m bronze medallist Marco Arop.

Two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas won the women's 400m in 49.28sec, while American Grant Holloway claimed victory in the men's 110m hurdles (12.99sec).

Australian Kelsey-Lee Barber threw a best of 64.50m to win the women's javelin, but Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas was made to work in the women's triple jump, eventually producing a winning effort of 15.01m after unusually opening with three no-marks.

It looked for a moment like Qatari Mutaz Barshim, whose gold in Eugene was his third world title, might have to share first place with South Korea's Woo Sang-hyeok after both cleared 2.30m but failed at 2.32m with the same jump countback. Barshim promptly won a golden jump-off at 2.30m.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS