Top sprinters get into strides for world meet

EUGENE (Oregon) • Trayvon Bromell and Elaine Thompson-Herah grabbed 100m Diamond League victories on Saturday in Eugene, where eight world-leading performances highlighted the Prefontaine Classic action at Hayward Field, the venue for July's world championships.

American Bromell, who recorded the fastest time in the world last year but failed to advance to the 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics, bounced back from a false start disqualification in Birmingham last weekend to win in 9.93 seconds.

Compatriot Fred Kerley, silver medallist in Tokyo, was second in 9.98sec and reigning world champion Christian Coleman, still working his way back after an 18-month suspension for violating doping whereabouts rules, completed a United States podium sweep in 10.04sec.

Bromell said: "I was happy to come out with a win, but I felt like there was a lot of technical stuff I messed up on. I'm pretty sure I'm already getting messages from my coach."

Jamaica's Thompson-Herah, who won back-to-back Olympic 100m and 200m doubles in Rio 2016 and in Tokyo, captured the women's 100m in 10.79sec.

Both 100m times were world's bests for the year, but Thompson-Herah, who gave Birmingham a skip in order not to aggravate a shoulder injury and Achilles tendon problem, said she was just pleased to win unscathed on a rainy day in Eugene.

"I'm excited I crossed the line healthy," she said. "I don't care about the time. The rain was falling. It was a little cold. It shows I'm on a great path. I'm getting into shape, getting where I need to be."

American Sha'Carri Richardson, who was omitted from Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana, won a close battle for second place, ahead of Jamaica's Shericka Jackson, after both were credited with a time of 10.92sec.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce made it a women's sprint double for Jamaica with a victory in the 200m in 22.41sec.

Despite intermittent rain, the day also included a host of world-leading performances, starting with Brazilian Alison dos Santos' 400m hurdles victory in 47.23sec, which shaved one-hundredth of a second off the world-leading mark he posted in winning at the Doha Diamond League meet.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist said it was "amazing" to get a chance to test the world championships venue.

"It's so nice, because you can feel the energy, you can feel the track, you can feel everything before the championships," dos Santos said.

American Michael Norman shattered a 22-year-old meet record set by compatriot and track great Michael Johnson with his 400m triumph in 43.60sec.

Britain's Keely Hodgkinson backed up her Birmingham victory with a win in the women's 800m in a world-leading 1min 57.72sec.

Kazakhstan's Norah Jeruto won the women's 3,000m steeplechase in a world-leading 8:57.97 and American world record holder Ryan Crouser won the shot put with a season's best 23.02m.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Faith Kipyegon of Kenya won the women's 1,500m in 3:52.59, Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the men's mile in 3:49.76 and Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi won the men's 5,000m in 12:50.05.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE