BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, May 21 — Three big names from the ’80s were bounced from the all-time men’s discus top 10 list as Kristjan Čeh topped a strong field at the Birmingham DL meet, the Müller GP.
The 6-9 (2.06) Slovenian, perhaps channeling Superman through his Clark Kent spectacles, led from the start under a gray sky in wresting the yearly world lead from Olympic champion Daniel Ståhl.
The 23-year-old Tokyo 5th-placer opened with the second- and third-longest throws of his career, 222-4 and 226-8 (67.77 and 69.10), yet he was far from finished. In round 3 he finished his delivery with a roar and a smooth pirouette to blast the disc straight down the middle, past the 70m line and landing at 233-10 (71.27).
Already the Slovenian Record holder off a 230-9 (70.35) throw last June, Čeh’s 3-foot-plus improvement carried him up to No. 10 all-time, bouncing big names John Powell, Ricky Bruch and Imrich Bugár.
That illustrious trio — tied at No. 10 on the pre-Čeh ATL and Olympic medalists all — reached their lifetime bests within a year of each other in ’84 & ’85.
It cannot have hurt Čeh’s confidence either to have bested ’17 world champ Andrius Gudžius (217-10/66.40), reigning OG/WC gold medalist Daniel Ståhl (216-5/65.97) and the other two Tokyo medalists. Bronze man Lukas Weißhaidinger placed 4th at 213-8 (65.14) with silver medalist Simon Pettersson trailing in 8th at 186-5 (56.82).
“Well that was totally unexpected,” Čeh said. “To get a world lead, national record, meeting record and Diamond League record is amazing. In the warmup I wasn’t in great shape, I missed all my throws and they all went to the left but once the competition started it all came together. The conditions were great today.”
Kent… errr, Čeh intends to reset his sights. “This is my first goal of the season, to get a PB,” he said, “so now I need to raise the bar of my goals. I have a few more competitions, all the Diamond League plus some in Slovenia throughout the season but the World Champs is my focus.”
A meeting of the two most recent Olympic 110H gold medalists also led to a world-leading mark. Rio winner Omar McLeod got out ahead before Tokyo champ Hansle Parchment’s patience carried him ahead.
McLeod knocked over hurdle 5 with his trail leg and the pair, racing side by side, touched down even there. But Parchment got his foot down first over 6, built a lead of about 2ft by the finish and crossed ahead, 13.09–13.17.
Parchment said, “As Olympic champion, I do not feel any pressure but I just tried to execute my own race but also to feel less tense and help others to relax. I am pleased with a world lead but it is very early in the season so you can´t read too much into it at the moment.”
The women’s long jump saw a world-leading mark as well. Tokyo gold medalist Malaika Mihambo grabbed the lead from Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk with 22-3 (6.78) in round 3 and in frame 4 bounded 23-3¼ (7.09) for the win and global lead.
The 28-year-old German’s comp best, on which she hit all but 1cm of the board, was the first wind-legal 7-meter outdoor leap of the young season and longer than the 23-2 (7.06) jump that won Ivana Vuleta the indoor world title. Mihambo added a windy 23-2 in round 6 to close out her win over Ukraine’s LJ/TJ talent Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk.
Three British women adored by the home crowd scored well-received victories.
In her first 100 of the year, Dina Asher-Smith, who had come 3rd to Gabby Thomas in last week’s Doha DL 200, turned the tables with a quick-starting 11.11 win from Tokyo medalist Shericka Jackson (11.12). Thomas was left in the blocks and placed 5th in 11.31. Earlier Thomas had won the century’s B section in 11.27.
Asher-Smith later dashed leg 3 for a Great Britain 4×1 squad timed in 42.29, an 0.04 improvement of the world lead.
Then there were the Tokyo 800 and 1500 silver medalists. Throughout the 800, Keely Hodgkinson — just 20 and the world leader with a 1:57.20 run indoors in Birmingham — conceded the lead only to the rabbit, though Natoya Goule challenged at the bell (59.6). Hodgkinson’s 29.0 final 200 brought her home in 1:58.63, 0.09 in front of Renelle Lamote.
Muir took the 1500 lead from the hare after 1000 and with a 64.5 last lap held off tenacious Aussie Jessica Hull 4:02.81–4:03.42.
U.S. stars Sandi Morris and Valarie Allman earned field-event victories. In the vault, Katerína Stefanídi and Tina Šutej led Morris on misses through 15-3 (4.65) before the American got over 15-6¼ (4.73) on her third try when the others could not.
Rival Sandra Perković got the best of Allman, the top woman discus thrower of the moment, in round 1 and the Croatian’s lead did not last. The American world leader reached 222-7 (67.85) in frame 2, and that held up even against Perković’s 220-8 (67.26) final throw.
BIRMINGHAM DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(-0.2): 1. Aaron Brown (Can) 10.13; 2. Yohan Blake (Jam) 10.18; 3. Jerome Blake (Can) 10.20; 4. Andre De Grasse (Can) 10.24; 5. Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (GB) 10.31; 6. Adam Gemili (GB) 10.38; 7. Reece Prescod (GB) 10.65;… fs—Trayvon Bromell (US), Zharnel Hughes (GB).
400: 1. Matthew Hudson-Smith (GB) 45.32; 2. Bryce Deadmon (US) 45.51; 3. Kahmari Montgomery (US) 45.52; 4. Vernon Norwood (US) 45.53; 5. Isaac Makwala (Bot) 45.98; 6. Liemarvin Bonevacia (Neth) 46.37; 7. Alex Haydock-Wilson (GB) 46.49; 8. Wil London (US) 46.89.
800: 1. Marco Arop (Can) 1:45.41; 2. Benjamin Robert (Fra) 1:46.22; 3. Bryce Hoppel (US) 1:46.33; 4. Jake Wightman (GB) 1:46.39; 5. Patryk Dobek (Pol) 1:46.63; 6. Wycliffe Kinyamal (Ken) 1:46.64; 7. Clayton Murphy (US) 1:47.23; 8. Daniel Rowden (GB) 1:47.29; 9. Peter Bol (Aus) 1:47.59;… rabbit—Erik Sowinski (US) (50.49).
1500: 1. Abel Kipsang (Ken) 3:35.15 (2:54.95); 2. Mohamed Katir (Spa) 3:35.62; 3. Olli Hoare (Aus) 3:35.76; 4. Michał Rozmys (Pol) 3:35.86; 5. Josh Kerr (GB) 3:35.92; 6. Adel Mechaal (Spa) 3:35.93; 7. Charles Grethen (Lux) 3:37.00; 8. Matthew Stonier (GB) 3:37.25 PR; 9. Geordie Beamish (NZ) 3:37.45; 10. Ignacio Fontes (Spa) 3:37.66; 11. Matthew Ramsden (Aus) 3:39.65; 12. Baptiste Mischler (Fra) 3:39.94; 13. George Mills (GB) 3:42.33; 14. Stewart McSweyn (Aus) 3:44.14;… rabbit—Sowinski (56.31, 58.35 [1:54.66]).
110H(0.2): 1. Hansle Parchment (Jam) 13.09 (WL);
2. Omar McLeod (Jam) 13.17; 3. Asier Martínez (Spa) 13.32; 4. Damian Czykier (Pol) 13.32; 5. Andy Pozzi (GB) 13.39; 6. Aurel Manga (Fra) 13.61; 7. David King (GB) 13.64; 8. Wellington Zaza (Lbr) 13.81.
Non-DL 4 x 100: 1. Canada 38.31 (Brown, Blake, Rodney, De Grasse); 2. France 38.41; 3. Great Britain B 38.66; 4. Netherlands 38.88; … dq—Poland;… dnf—Great Britain.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Django Lovett (Can) 7-5¾ (2.28); 2. Gianmarco Tamberi (Ita) 7-4½ (2.25); 3. Norbert Kobielski (Pol) 7-4½; 4. Shelby McEwen (US) 7-3¼ (2.22); 5. Loïc Gasch (Swi) 7-1¾ (2.18); 6. tie, Hamish Kerr (NZ) & Joel Khan (GB) 7-1¾.
DT: 1. Kristjan Čeh (Slo) 233-10 (71.27) NR (WL) (10, x W) (222-4, 226-8, 233-10, 207-0, 227-5, 214-2) (67.77, 69.10, 71.27, 63.11, 69.33, 65.28);
2. Andrius Gudžius (Lit) 217-10 (66.40); 3. Daniel Ståhl (Swe) 216-5 (65.97); 4. Lukas Weißhaidinger (Aut) 213-8 (65.14); 5. Matt Denny (Aus) 210-5 (64.15); 6. Nicholas Percy (GB) 206-9 (63.03); 7. Robert Urbanek (Pol) 200-4 (61.06); 8. Simon Pettersson (Swe) 186-5 (56.82).
BIRMINGHAM WOMEN’S RESULTS
100(-0.1): 1. Dina Asher-Smith (GB) 11.11; 2. Shericka Jackson (Jam) 11.12; 3. Daryll Neita (GB) 11.14; 4. Mikiah Brisco (US) 11.25; 5. Gabby Thomas (US) 11.31; 6. Destiny Smith-Barnett (US) 11.35; 7. Cambrea Sturgis (US) 11.35; 8. Anthonique Strachan (Bah) 11.41; 9. Ajla Del Ponte (Swi) 11.72.
800: 1. Keely Hodgkinson (GB) 1:58.63; 2. Renelle Lamote (Fra) 1:59.53; 3. Natoya Goule (Jam) 2:00.13; 4. Sage Hurta (US) 2:00.48; 5. Alexandra Bell (GB) 2:00.67; 6. Christina Hering (Ger) 2:00.82; 7. Lindsey Butterworth (Can) 2:01.20;… rabbit—Agata Kolakowska (Pol) (59.04).
1500: 1. Laura Muir (GB) 4:02.81 (3:14.12); 2. Jessica Hull (Aus) 4:03.42; 3. Winny Chebet (Ken) 4:05.56; 4. Ciara Mageean (Ire) 4:05.70; 5. Jemma Reekie (GB) 4:07.01; 6. Marta Pérez (Spa) 4:07.93; 7. Cory McGee (US) 4:08.26; 8. Katie Snowden (GB) 4:08.33;… rabbit—Ellie Sanford (Aus) (64.66, 64.98 [2:09.64]).
5000: 1. Dawit Seyaum (Eth) 14:47.55 PR (out WL);
2. Hawi Feysa (Eth) 14:48.94; 3. Fantu Worku (Eth) 14:49.64 (5:57.87, 9:02.90, 12:02.29); 4. Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (Nor) 14:51.38; 5. Hanna Klein (Ger) 14:51.71 PR; 6. Jessica Judd (GB) 14:57.19 PR; 7. Sarah Lahti (Swe) 15:04.87 PR; 8. Carla Gallardo (Spa) 15:10.62 PR;… rabbit—Sarah Billings (Aus) (2:56.85).
400H: 1. Dalilah Muhammad (US) 54.54; 2. Viktoriya Tkachuk (Ukr) 55.25; 3. Anna Ryzhykova (Ukr) 55.37; 4. Lina Nielsen (GB) 55.40; 5. Gianna Woodruff (Pan) 55.43; 6. Jessie Knight (GB) 55.50; 7. Janieve Russell (Jam) 56.21.
Non-DL 4 x 100: 1. Great Britain 42.29 (WL) (Dobbin, Lansiquot, Asher-Smith, Neita);
2. Canada 43.03; 3. Poland 43.81; 4. Great Britain 44.75; 5. Great Britain 44.85.
Field Events
PV: 1. Sandi Morris (US) 15-6¼ (4.73) (out WL, AL) (14-7¼ [2], 14-11 [2], 15-3 [2], 15-6¼ [3], 15-9¼ [xxx]) (4.45 [2], 4.55 [2], 4.65 [2], 4.73 [3], 4.81 [xxx]);
2. tie, Katerína Stefanídi (Gre) & Tina Šutej (Slo) 15-3 (4.65); 4. Sophie Cook (GB) 14-7¼ (4.45) PR; 5. Emily Grove (US) 14-7¼; 6. Nikoléta Kiriakopoúlou (Gre) 14-7¼; 7. Katie Nageotte (US) 14-1¼ (4.30);… nh—Holly Bradshaw (GB), Michaela Meijer (Swe).
LJ: 1. Malaika Mihambo (Ger) 23-3¼ (7.09) (WL) (21-6¼, f, 22-3, 23-3¼, p, 23-2w) (6.56, f, 6.78, 7.09, p, 7.06w);
2. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (Ukr) 21-10¼ (6.66); 3. Lorraine Ugen (GB) 21-10 (6.65); 4. Jazmin Sawyers (GB) 21-8 (6.60); 5. Ivana Vuleta (Ser) 21-5½ (6.54); 6. Kendell Williams (US) 21-2¾w (6.47) (20-10/6.35); 7. Khaddi Sagnia (Swe) 21-2½ (6.46); 8. Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GB) 21-½w (6.41) (20-5¾/6.24).
DT: 1. Valarie Allman (US) 222-7 (67.85) (206-2, 222-7, 217-6, f, f, 214-0) (62.84, 67.85, 66.29, f, f, 65.23); 2. Sandra Perković (Cro) 220-8 (67.26); 3. Lagi Tausaga (US) 199-6 (60.80); 4. Mélina Robert-Michon (Fra) 196-9 (59.96); 5. Marija Tolj (Cro) 195-4 (59.55); 6. Liliana Cá (Por) 191-5 (58.34); 7. Jade Lally (GB) 189-11 (57.90); 8. Kirsty Law (GB) 181-7 (55.35).
