RABAT, MOROCCO, May 28 — If grudge matches and rivalries are the key to marketing the sport, the latest episode of this season’s men’s 100 proved to be right on track in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex. A day after Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala boasted, “I don’t care about competitors, there’s no pressure, I’m waiting for victory,” and 3 days after Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs withdrew, claiming a “nerve block” in his back, Fred Kerley crushed the field with a 9.94 meet record, saying, “This is the result I was expecting.”
Undefeated at any distance this season, world champ Kerley also has not lost a 100 since the Eugene DL exactly a year ago.
Of the Italian’s absence, Kerley said, “At the end of the day, I can’t actually worry about the next person, but I hope he is healthy and getting ready for the next competition if he’s available.”
Behind Kerley, South African Akani Simbine also got ahead of Omanyala, 9.99–10.05. Letsile Tebogo of Botswana was 4th in 10.09, just ahead of Trayvon Bromell at 10.10.
In the 1500, his outdoor opener, Jakob Ingebrigtsen stayed off the rabbits’ pace on lap 1 but put himself into position on the second. Shadowing him were On AC teammates Olli Hoare and indoor AR-setter Yared Nuguse. Little changed until the final turn, when the Norwegian started moving away. On the straight, the best wheels belonged to DL debutant Nuguse, but he started moving too late to threaten Ingebrigtsen, who crossed in 3:32.59 to Nuguse’s 3:33.02, with Hoare 3rd in 3:33.39.
“I felt good,” said the Olympic champion. “I could run faster but it was a bit difficult in the last turn because of the wind.”
The women’s 1500 produced a world leader from Ethiopia’s 5000m world champion Gudaf Tsegay. She followed rabbits through 2:03.63 at 800, then took over, with only teenager Birke Haylom following closely. She passed 1200 in 3:06.09, her margin growing to 10 meters by the bell. She made it to the finish in 3:54.03. Freweyni Hailu mounted a strong kick to catch Haylom at the line, 3:57.65–3:57.66. For the 17-year-old Haylom it was an improvement of her own World Youth Record from 4:01.86.
World champion Grant Holloway got a bit of a surprise in the hurdles from Rasheed Broadbell — who didn’t make the Worlds final last year but gave Holloway a challenge placing 2nd in the ’22 DL Final.
This time Commonwealth champion Broadbell ran Holloway down, 13.08–13.12 into a 1.3 headwind. Holloway got his usual powerful start and had what looked like a safe lead at halfway. But the 22-year-old Jamaican started edging closer over the last four hurdles; still behind at hurdle 10, he closed fast to catch Holloway just before the line. Tokyo gold medalist Hansle Parchment came next in 13.24, with Devon Allen 4th in 13.25.
Said Broadbell, “I managed to get this victory by being focused during the race.”
In contrast, Holloway admitted, “The crowd was very loud and they got me distracted.” Noisy spectators in the stands contributed to two unpenalized false starts before the eventual clean getaway.
Shamier Little won the women’s 400H in 53.95 over a crew of top Jamaicans: Rushell Clayton (54.15), Shiann Salmon (54.42) and Janieve Russell (55.41).
“It’s not my personal best, but I’m glad about breaking my seasonal best,” Little said.
At 27, Moroccan steepler Soufiane El Bakkali has won the Olympics and Worlds but still is hoping to add the WR. He set out for it in the final event of the night, following a rabbit through the first K in 2:37.51 and then leading at 2K in 5:20.25. But the pace left him too much in the hole when the bell rang.
“My aim was to break the World Record but I got tired in the last lap,” he said. Instead, he had to settle for a Moroccan Record 7:56.68 to take over the world lead and move to No. 8 on the all-time list. Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale ran 2nd in 8:05.15, ahead of Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot’s 8:05.51. Hillary Bor produced a U.S. leader 8:11.28 in 4th.
Shericka Jackson won the 200 in 21.98 over Bahamian Anthonique Strachan (22.15) and Tamari Davis (22.30 PR). Kenya’s Mary Moraa took the 2-lapper in 1:58.72, with Sage Hurta-Klecker 3rd in 2:00.62. In the men’s 400, Steven Gardiner led convincingly to win in 44.70, with Vernon Norwood closing fast in 45.11. Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi (1:44.36) and Wycliffe Kinyamal went 1-2 in the 800.
In the discus, world champ Kristjan Čeh produced three tosses good enough to beat Olympic titlist Daniel Ståhl, topped by a 230-8 (70.32). Ståhl threw 227-0 (69.21), with Lithuanian vet Andrius Gudžius 3rd at 216-8 (66.04).
Outdoor world leaders on the field went to Yaroslava Mahuchikh with her 6-7 (2.01) high jump and Cuban Leyanis Pérez at 48-8¼ (14.84) in the triple.
RABAT DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(0.1): 1. Fred Kerley (US) 9.94; 2. Akani Simbine (SA) 9.99; 3. Ferdinand Omanyala (Ken) 10.05; 4. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 10.09; 5. Trayvon Bromell (US) 10.10; 6. Yohan Blake (Jam) 10.18.
400: 1. Steven Gardiner (Bah) 44.70; 2. Vernon Norwood (US) 45.11; 3. Rusheen McDonald (Jam) 45.55; 4. Zakithi Nene (SA) 45.58; 5. Bayapo Ndori (Bot) 45.62;… dnf—Matthew Hudson-Smith (GB).
800: 1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Ken) 1:44.36; 2. Wycliffe Kinyamal (Ken) 1:44.73; 3. Benjamin Robert (Fra) 1:45.04; 4. Eliott Crestan (Bel) 1:45.37; 5. Marco Arop (Can) 1:46.34;… rabbit—Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (50.73).
1500: 1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Nor) 3:32.59 (2:52.26); 2. Yared Nuguse (US) 3:33.02 PR; 3. Olli Hoare (Aus) 3:33.39; 4. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 3:33.90; 5. Abel Kipsang (Ken) 3:34.46; 6. Mario García (Spa) 3:34.69; 7. Hicham Akankam (Mor) 3:36.75; 8. Michał Rozmys (Pol) 3:37.22;… rabbits— Patryk Sieradzki (Pol) (55.56), Julian Ranc (Fra) (1:55.13).
St: 1. Soufiane El Bakkali (Mor) 7:56.68 PR (WL) (8, 14 W; non-Kenyan: 2, 2 W) (5:20.25);
2. Getnet Wale (Eth) 8:05.15 PR; 3. Abraham Kibiwot (Ken) 8:05.51 PR; 4. Hillary Bor (US) 8:11.28; 5. Leonard Bett (Ken) 8:14.42; 6. Osama Zoghlami (Ita) 8:14.58; 7. Benjamin Kigen (Ken) 8:15.58; 8. Mohammed M Saad (Mor) 8:16.18 PR; 9. Mohamed Amine Jihnaoui (Tun) 8:16.49;… dnf—Conseslus Kipruto (Ken)… rabbit—Abderrafia Bouassel (Mor) 2:37.51.
110H(-1.3): 1. Rasheed Broadbell (Jam) 13.08; 2. Grant Holloway (US) 13.12; 3. Hansle Parchment (Jam) 13.24; 4. Devon Allen (US) 13.25; 5. Freddie Crittenden (US) 13.43; 6. Rafael Henrique Pereira (Bra) 13.68; 7. Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (Fra) 13.69.
DT: 1. Kristjan Čeh (Slo) 230-8 (70.32) (229-10, 227-7, 223-11, 226-8, 230-8, 227-0) (70.07, 69.38, 68.26, 69.10, 70.32, 69.20); 2. Daniel Ståhl (Swe) 227-0 (69.21); 3. Andrius Gudžius (Lit) 216-8 (66.04); 4. Lawrence Okoye (GB) 215-3 (65.62); 5. Sam Mattis (US) 209-8 (63.91); 6. Alin Alexandru Firfirica (Rom) 208-1 (63.43); 7. Simon Pettersson (Swe) 204-2 (62.25).
RABAT DL WOMEN’S RESULTS
200(0.8): 1. Shericka Jackson (Jam) 21.98; 2. Anthonique Strachan (Bah) 22.15 PR; 3. Tamari Davis (US) 22.30 PR; 4. Kayla White (US) 22.52; 5. Bassant Hemida (Egy) 22.67; 6. Anna Kiełbasińska (Pol) 22.98.
800: 1. Mary Moraa (Ken) 1:58.72; 2. Catriona Bisset (Aus) 2:00.11; 3. Sage Hurta-Klecker (US) 2:00.62; 4. Natoya Goule (Jam) 2:00.91; 5. Anita Horvat (Slo) 2:01.30;… rabbit—Patrycja Wyciszkiewicz-Zawadzka (Pol) (56.45).
1500: 1. Gudaf Tsegay (Eth) 3:54.03 (WL) (3:06.09);
2. Freweyni Hailu (Eth) 3:57.65;
3. Birke Haylom (Eth) 3:57.66 WYR (old WYR 4:01.86 Haylom ’23) (2, 2 WJ);
4. Worknesh Melese (Eth) 4:01.81 PR; 5. Cory McGee (US) 4:03.09; 6. Linden Hall (Aus) 4:03.56; 7. Sarah Healy (Ire) 4:03.57; 8. Ludovica Cavalli (Ita) 4:04.82 PR;… rabbits—Charlotte Mouchet (Fra) (60.61), Zoya Naumov (Spa) (2:03.63).
400H: 1. Shamier Little (US) 53.95; 2. Rushell Clayton (Jam) 54.15; 3. Shiann Salmon (Jam) 54.42; 4. Janieve Russell (Jam) 55.41; 5. Dalilah Muhammad (US) 55.72; 6. Gianna Woodruff (Pan) 55.74.
HJ: 1. Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Ukr) 6-7 (2.01) (out WL) (6-3¼, 6-4¾ [2], 6-7) (1.91, 1.95 [2], 2.01);
2. Iryna Herashchenko (Ukr) 6-3¼ (1.91); 3. tie, Angelina Topić (Ser) & Nadezhda Dubovitskaya (Kaz) 6-1½ (1.87); 5. Morgan Lake (GB) 6-1½; 6. tie, Yuliya Levchenko (Ukr) & Elena Vallortigara (Ita) 5-11¼ (1.81).
TJ: 1. Leyanis Pérez (Cub) 48-8¼ (14.84) PR (out WL) (46-2½, 48-8¼, 48-1¼, 45-11¾, f, f) (14.08, 14.84, 14.66, 14.01, f, f);
2. Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (Ukr) 48-¾ (14.65); 3. Shanieka Ricketts (Jam) 47-8 (14.53); 4. Liadagmis Povea (Cub) 46-10 (14.27); 5. Tori Franklin (US) 46-8 (14.22); 6. Thea LaFond (Dom) 46-6¼ (14.18); 7. Keturah Orji (US) 45-7¼ (13.90).
SP: 1. Auriol Dongmo (Por) 63-3¼ (19.28); 2. Jessica Schilder (Neth) 61-10¼ (18.85); 3. Jessica Woodard (US) 61-2¼ (18.65); 4. Sara Gambetta (Ger) 61-1½ (18.63); 5. Sarah Mitton (Can) 60-10¾ (18.56); 6. Fanny Roos (Swe) 60-8¾ (18.51).