OSAKA, JAPAN, May 19—Just before Michael Norman opened his 400 season with a blazing PR at the Mt. SAC Relays, he told T&FN, “I think it’s essential to get those shorter, more fast races in—especially earlier in the season.” His reference was to the 200. The Seiko Golden GP meet, part of the IAAF’s World Challenge series, provided a timely opportunity, as he raced an unpressed equal-PR half-lap in 19.84.
With his Japanese-born mother, Nobue, looking on, Norman rushed to a formidable lead in the bend and extended it down the straight to finish more than 6m ahead of Taiwan’s Chun-Han Yang (20.50) and Christopher Belcher (20.57). The time clipped 0.03 from Frank Fredericks’ 20-year-old meet record.
“I just didn’t feel as though the intensity that I usually have during a 200m was there,” the 21-year-old USC alum said in allowing, “I’m pretty happy with the performance, time-wise. I feel as though there are multiple areas that I can improve on so I’ll go home and work on those ahead of my next race.” On June 6 at the Rome Diamond League stop Norman is slated to face defending DL 200 champion Noah Lyles in a matchup fraught with all the intensity a 400-focused sprinter could ask for.
Elsewhere, Justin Gatlin won a tight 100 battle in 10.00 from Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu (10.01) and Indonesian 18-year-old Lalu Muhammad Zohri (10.03 NR). It was the 37-year-old Gatlin’s fastest clocking since his triumph at the ’17 World Championships. Japan’s sprinters struck back with a world-leading 4×1 clocking, 38.00, ahead of the 38.73 by a U.S. squad comprised of Belcher, Gatlin, Kendal Williams and Cameron Burrell.
Sharika Nelvis and Dalilah Muhammad shone in the women’s hurdles races. Nelvis’s 12.70 pipped comebacking world champ Sally Pearson with the same time. Olympic gold medalist Muhammad’s dominant 53.88 circuit marked the American’s second trip in a row under 54-flat, which barrier no other hurdler has crossed this year so far.
OSAKA IWC MEN’S RESULTS
Osaka, Japan, May 19—
100(1.7): 1. Justin Gatlin (US) 10.00; 2. Yoshihide Kiryu (Jpn) 10.01;
3. Lalu Muhammad Zohri (Ina) 10.03 NR, NJR (=6, =8 WJ);
4. Yuki Koike (Jpn) 10.04 PR; 5. Ryota Yamagata (Jpn) 10.11; 6. Shuhei Tada (Jpn) 10.12; 7. Cameron Burrell (US) 10.12; 8. Kendal Williams (US) 10.20; 9. Aska Cambridge (Jpn) 10.30.
200(-0.4): 1. Michael Norman (US) 19.84 =PR (lo-alt AL);
2. Chun-Han Yang (Tai) 20.50; 3. Christopher Belcher (US) 20.57; 4. Anaso Jobodwana (SA) 20.69; 5. Jun Yamashita (Jpn) 20.756.
400: 1. Vernon Norwood (US) 45.79; 2. Julian Jrummi Walsh (Jpn) 46.29; 3. Mitsuki Kawauchi (Jpn) 46.69 PR; 4. Kentaro Sato (Jpn) 46.92; 5. Steven Solomon (Aus) 47.16;… 8. Brycen Spratling (US) 47.37.
800: 1. Jonathan Kitilit (Ken) 1:46.37; 2. Guy Learmonth (GB) 1:46.81; 3. Alfred Kipketer (Ken) 1:46.88; 4. Mostafa Smaili (Mor) 1:46.95.
St: 1. Philemon Ruto (Ken) 8:22.65; 2. Getnet Wale (Eth) 8:23.01; 3. Abraham Kibiwot (Ken) 8:28.27; 4. Nicholas Bett (Ken) 8:29.23; 5. Barnabas Kipyego (Ken) 8:29.70; 6. John Koech (Bhr) 8:30.04;… 11. Donn Cabral (US) 8:41.52.
110H(2.9): 1. Shunsuke Izumiya (Jpn) 13.26w (a-c: 3, 4 WJ);
2. Greggmar Swift (Bar) 13.45w; 3. Taio Kanai (Jpn) 13.47w; 4. Shun-ya Takayama (Jpn) 13.51w; 5. Shuhei Ishikawa (Jpn) 13.63w; 6. Ryan Fontenot (US) 13.70w; 7. Johnathan Cabral (Can) 13.74w; 8. Hideki Omuro (Jpn) 13.76w; 9. Ruebin Walters (Tri) 13.84w.
400H: 1. Masaki Toyoda (Jpn) 50.38; 2. Keisuke Nozawa (Jpn) 50.65; 3. Mahau Suguimati (Bra) 50.87; 4. Kakeru Inoue (Jpn) 50.97.
4 x 100: 1. Japan 38.00 (WL) (Shuhei Tada, Ryota Yamagata, Yuki Koike, Yoshihide Kiryu);
2. United States 38.73 (Christopher Belcher, Justin Gatlin, Kendal Williams, Cameron Burrell); 3. Taipei 39.12; 4. Australia 39.17; 5. Indonesia 39.76.
Field Events
HJ: 1. Naoto Tobe (Jpn) 7-5¼ (2.27); 2. Takashi Eto (Jpn) 7-4¼ (2.24); 3. Tihomir Ivanov (Bul) 7-2½ (2.20); 4. Tomohiro Shinno (Jpn) 7-2½; 5. JaCorian Duffield (US) 7-½ (2.15).
PV: 1. Bokai Huang (Chn) 18-4¾ (5.61); 2. Jie Yao (Chn) 18-1 (5.51); 3. Seito Yamamoto (Jpn) 18-1; 4. Daichi Sawano (Jpn) 17-9 (5.41).
LJ: 1. Natsuki Yamakawa (Jpn) 25-10 (7.87); 2. Hibiki Tsuha (Jpn) 25-7½ (7.81); 3. Yuki Hashioka (Jpn) 25-7¼ (7.80);
4. Shontaro Shiroyama (Jpn) 25-6 (7.77); 5. Chia-Hsing Lin (Tai) 25-4¾ (7.74); 6. Dan Bramble (GB) 25-¾ (7.64); 7. Will Williams (US) 24-9 (7.54).
TJ: 1. Omar Craddock (US) 56-3¾ (17.16); 2. Yaming Zhu (Chn) 54-2 (16.51); 3. Nazim Babayev (Aze) 54-1 (16.48); 4. Yuki Yamashita (Jpn) 53-11 (16.43) PR.
JT: 1. Edis Matusevičius (Lit) 277-4 (84.55); 2. Shih-Feng Huang (Tai) 259-4 (79.05); 3. Ryohei Arai (Jpn) 257-0 (78.34); 4. Kenji Ogura (Jpn) 254-10 (77.67); 5. Kohei Hasegawa (Jpn) 254-4 (77.53).
OSAKA WOMEN’S RESULTS
100(-2.2): 1. Mikiah Brisco (US) 11.33; 2. Olga Safronova (Kaz) 11.39; 3. Dezerea Bryant (US) 11.44.
200(0.5): 1. Ivet Lalova-Collio (Bul) 22.55; 2. Kyra Jefferson (US) 23.00; 3. Olga Safronova (Kaz) 23.08
800: 1. Noélie Yarigo (Ben) 2:03.18; 2. Emily Jerotich (Ken) 2:03.80; 3. Angie Petty (NZ) 2:03.81; 4. Eunice Sum (Ken) 2:04.79.
St: 1. Yukari Ishizawa (Jpn) 10:12.12.
100H(0.4): 1. Sharika Nelvis (US) 12.70; 2. Sally Pearson (Aus) 12.70; 3. Pedrya Seymour (Bah) 12.90; 4. Queen Harrison (US) 12.92; 5. Kristi Castlin (US) 13.01.
400H: 1. Dalilah Muhammad (US) 53.88; 2. Tia Adana Belle (Bar) 55.42; 3. Cassandra Tate (US) 55.45; 4. Joanna Linkiewicz (Pol) 56.35.
Field Events
LJ: 1. Brooke Stratton (Aus) 21-10¼ (6.66); 2. Alina Rotaru (Rom) 21-2¾ (6.47); 3. Sumire Hata (Jpn) 21-½ (6.41) PR; 4. Shara Proctor (GB) 20-7¾ (6.29).
HT: 1. Zheng Wang (Chn) 246-11 (75.27); 2. Gwen Berry (US) 243-1 (74.09); 3. DeAnna Price (US) 239-3 (72.92); 4. Na Luo (Chn) 238-1 (72.57); 5. Joanna Fiodorow (Pol) 234-3 (71.41); 6. Hanna Skydan (Aze) 233-10 (71.29); 7. Jillian Weir (Can) 222-4 (67.77); 8. Malwina Kopron (Pol) 222-4 (67.77).
JT: 1. Yuzhen Yu (Chn) 199-9 (60.88); 2. Haruka Kitaguchi (Jpn) 196-10 (60.00); 3. Liveta Jasiūnaitė (Lit) 196-0 (59.74). ◻︎
