Sha’Carri Richardson upset by Aussie teen in 200m at Xiamen Diamond League

XIAMEN – Australian teenager Torrie Lewis produced a devastating finish to upset 100m world champion Sha’Carri Richardson in the 200m at the Xiamen Diamond League meet on April 20.

American Richardson, who also won world championship bronze in the 200m in Budapest in 2023, looked to have victory sewn up but had not counted on 19-year-old Lewis way out in lane nine, who won in 22.96sec.

“It’s kind of late for me in the season to open up,” said Richardson. “I was a little nervous but once I was on the track it felt like home.

“I felt really good with this first performance. I know what I’ve got to work on.”

Lewis said she was shocked, not having expected to win against a high-calibre field. “No, not at all. My goal was honestly just to hold on as long as I could. I was in lane nine, so I knew they’d all be chasing me,” she said.

“I just did nationals on Sunday so came straight here from that. And this is most of their season openers, so I knew I had an edge coming in but I wasn’t sure because I’ve never raced them.

“I honestly didn’t notice I’d beaten them until I saw the replay and it was like ‘Holy crap!’ It was so surreal beating Sha’Carri.”

There was no such drama for Christian Coleman in the men’s 100m, the American holding his composure after his trademark fast start misfired for the win in 10.13sec with teammate Fred Kerley in second 0.04 back.

“I’ll put that in the bank and keep getting better,” said Coleman. “Usually I’m out 20-30 metres in a race but today I felt I was a step behind.

“I feel really good about the fact that I was able to stay composed, stay in my lane and put together a good race.”

Gudaf Tsegay, a multi world medallist from 1,500m to 10,000m, led home a quintet of Ethiopians as she set a meet record and world leading time of 3min 50.30sec to win the women’s 1,500m. It was the third-fastest time ever.

“I’m surprised because it’s my first race outdoors,” she said. “Competition is easy, training is hard for me.”

A loaded 100m hurdles saw Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn come from behind to take the win in a meet record of 12.45sec.

Two other reigning world champions secured victories – Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic winning the women’s 400m in 50.08sec while Canada’s Marco Arop claimed the men’s 800m in a rapid 1:43.61.

In the field, American Shelby McEwen won the high jump with a meet best of 2.27m ahead of Qatar’s current Olympic champion Mutaz Essa Barshim and Cuban-born Portuguese Pedro Pichardo won the men’s triple jump with 17.51m.

Earlier in the day, Armand Duplantis put down a marker ahead of the Paris Olympics, breaking his own pole vault world record with a 6.24m effort.

China had one winner in the shape of Olympic champion Gong Lijiao in the women’s shot put (19.72m), with local athletes having another chance to shine as the Diamond League moves on to Suzhou next weekend.

Meanwhile, Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdles Olympic silver medallist, delivered a convincing 400m win in 44.42sec on April 20 at the Mt SAC relays.

Benjamin, who is also an Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion in the 4x400m relay, easily won the 400m as he ramps up preparations for Paris, where he will be targeting the 400m hurdles gold after being edged out by Norway’s Karsten Warholm in a scintillating final in Tokyo.

At the meet, American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the world-record holder and Tokyo Olympic champion in the women’s 400m hurdles, made a low-key return to the track for the first time since last July, after a knee injury saw her withdraw from the world championships in August.

The 24-year-old lined up for the 4x100m relay at the meet featuring school, college and elite athletes at Mt San Antonio College, east of Los Angeles.

Her Team Kersee, led by influential US coach Bob Kersee, finished runners-up in 42.92sec to an international quartet led by Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (42.03).

Also, American teenager Christian Miller sprinted to the quickest 100m in the world in 2024 at a high school athletics meeting on April 20.

The 17-year-old Georgia recruit pulled away from the field to blaze to a time of 9.93sec in Clermont, Florida, breaking Trayvon Bromell’s US under-20 100m record of 9.97 set in 2014. AFP, REUTERS