STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, June 02 — The fan favorite in the pole vault at the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium, Mondo Duplantis, had all the height he needed to break his own World Record all three times he jumped at the 20-6 (6.25) bar. But it was the tiny technical details that frustrated him, each time knicking the bar with an errant knee or elbow.
The 24-year-old Swede from Louisiana made it to record heights after dispatching the rest of the field with massive clearances at 19-¼ (5.80), 19-4¼ (5.90) and 19-8¼ (6.00). Sam Kendricks ended up the best of the rest with his clearance at 19-4¼, a height that KC Lightfoot gambled on and missed after two misses and a pass at 19-2½ (5.85).
Duplantis, who has broken the WR 8 times but never in Stockholm — though he did set an outdoor best 20-2½ (6.16) here in ’22 — said, “I know I’m in a good shape at the moment and I’m feeling good. I know that there’s some more to do and I’m just trying to gather as much information as possible from my jumping. If I jump above 6-meters and I feel I have a good shot, I’ll give it a try at the World Record. I’m just trying to put together the best jump that I possibly can.”
Another meeting of the discus heavies brought a third-straight Diamond League victory to WR-holder Mykolas Alekna, though he seemed none too happy about his performance. After his first two rounds left him in 6th place, he finally got it together with a round 3 effort that landed at 225-2 (68.64) holding up for the win. Then came three fouls.
Daniel Ståhl held 2nd with his 216-10 (66.10) in round 2, followed by 4 fouls of his own. Then Australia’s Matt Denny powered a final throw 219-0 (66.75) that just missed the cage and knocked the oft-golden Swede down a peg.
Said Alekna, “I am happy with the victory but maybe not with my performance. I am probably a bit tired.”
Lamecha Girma demonstrated his fitness in his first steeple of the year, following the pacers through the first K in 2:36.44, the second in 2:41.83 and then holding on best as the contenders behind him, 20-year-old Samuel Firewu and veteran Getnet Wale, faded over the final laps. He finished in a world-leading 8:01.63, some 9.52 off the World Record he set nearly a year ago.
Firewu finished in a PR 8:05.78, and Wale (8:10.73) was caught before the line by Mohamed Amine Jihnaoui in a Tunisian Record 8:10.41.
In the 400H, Alison dos Santos put on another display of strength, fresh off his victory over Karsten Warholm in Oslo. This time the Brazilian, against a weaker field, made up the stagger on Kyron McMaster by the second turn and went on to clock 47.01 to win by more than a second over McMaster’s 48.05 and the 48.12 of American CJ Allen.
“I was trying to be aggressive and fast in the first part,” said dos Santos. “We are just proving that we are in good shape.”
In the evening’s final race, Algerian Djamel Sedjati once again displayed an otherworldly finish in the 800. Well back in the pack when the pacer led through halfway in 50.02 with Bryce Hoppel well-positioned in 3rd, the ’22 Worlds silver medalist accelerated into contention on the backstretch and then turned the blasters on coming off the final turn, leaving the American and company floundering in his wake.
The result was a second world-leading mark in a row for the 25-year-old, his 1:43.23 topping the Texan’s 1:44.29.
Said Sedjati, “I have only raced twice [at 800] this season in order to be ready for the Olympic Games in Paris in August. My goal for the next weeks is to run a new personal best and break the 1:43 barrier.”
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After Swiss Dominic Lobalu held off all challengers for much of the 3000, Narve Gilje Nordås unleashed a 54.55 to sprint to the win on the final stretch in a PR 7:33.49. Lobalu (7:33.68) and Luis Grijalva (7:33.96) followed.
In the 100, Kyree King might have been favored, but as he dipped at the line and looked left he could see Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon edging him, 10.16–10.18. In the non-DL 400, Quincy Hall beat Vernon Norwood, 44.68–44.80.
STOCKHOLM DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(-1.0): 1. Emmanuel Eseme (Cam) 10.16; 2. Kyree King (US) 10.18; 3. Chituru Ali (Ita) 10.19; 4. Ryiem Forde (Jam) 10.22; 5. Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (Jpn) 10.28.
Non-DL 400: 1. Quincy Hall (US) 44.68; 2. Vernon Norwood (US) 44.80; 3. Zakithi Nene (SA) 45.29; 4. Leungo Scotch (Bot) 45.60.
800: 1. Djamel Sedjati (Alg) 1:43.23 (WL);
2. Bryce Hoppel (US) 1:44.29; 3. Tshepiso Masalela (Bot) 1:44.44; 4. Ben Pattison (GB) 1:44.44; 5. Benjamin Robert (Fra) 1:44.73; 6. Elliot Giles (GB) 1:45.10;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (50.02).
Non-DL1500: 1. Robert Farken (Ger) 3:33.53 (2:49.99); 2. Luke McCann (Ire) 3:33.66 PR; 3. Federico Riva (Ita) 3:33.87; 4. Mael Gouyette (Fra) 3:34.12 PR; 5. Samuel Pihlström (Swe) 3:34.51 PR; 6. Ossama Meslek (Ita) 3:34.69; 7. Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (Can) 3:34.95.
3000: 1. Narve Gilje Nordås (Nor) 7:33.49 PR (out WL); 2. Dominic Lobalu (Swi) 7:33.68 NR (5:05.98); 3. Luis Grijalva (Gua) 7:33.96; 4. Andreas Almgren (Swe) 7:34.28 NR; 5. Mohamed Ismail Ibrahim (Dji) 7:36.29 NR; 6. Adrian Wildschutt (SA) 7:36.77 NR.
St: 1. Lamecha Girma (Eth) 8:01.63 (WL);
2. Samuel Firewu (Eth) 8:05.78 PR; 3. Mohamed Amine Jihnaoui (Tun) 8:10.41 NR; 4. Getnet Wale (Eth) 8:10.73; 5. Mohammed Tindoufti (Mor) 8:14.15; 6. Geordie Beamish (NZ) 8:14.71; 7. Hillary Bor (US) 8:15.53.
400H: 1. Alison dos Santos (Bra) 47.01; 2. Kyron McMaster (BVI) 48.05; 3. CJ Allen (US) 48.12; 4. Carl Bengtström (Swe) 48.72; 5. Rasmus Mägi (Est) 48.72; 6. Matic Ian Guček (Slo) 49.13; 7. Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) 49.69.
Field Events
PV: 1. Armand Duplantis (Swe) 19-8¼ (6.00) (18-4½, 19-¼, 19-4¼, 19-8¼, 20-6 [xxx]) (5.60, 5.80, 5.90, 6.00, 6.25 [xxx]); 2. Sam Kendricks (US) 19-4¼ (5.90); 3. KC Lightfoot (US) 19-¼ (5.80); 4. tie, Clayton Fritsch (US) & Thibaut Collet (Fra) 18-8¼ (5.70); 6. Ben Broeders (Bel) 18-8¼; 7. EJ Obiena (Phi) 18-8¼ (5.70); 8. Chris Nilsen (US) 17-8½ (5.40).
DT: 1. Mykolas Alekna (Lit) 225-2 (68.64) (205-9, 208-3, 225-2, f, f, f) (62.73, 63.49, 68.64, f, f, f); 2. Matt Denny (Aus) 219-0 (66.75); 3. Daniel Ståhl (Swe) 216-10 (66.10) ; 4. Henrik Janssen (Ger) 216-0 (65.85); 5. Lukas Weißhaidinger (Aut) 214-8 (65.43); 6. Fedrick Dacres (Jam) 210-8 (64.21); 7. Andrius Gudžius (Lit) 210-2 (64.07).
