PARIS, FRANCE, June 28 — The police — worried about potential heat wave casualties — had wanted to shut the Meeting de Paris down. Good thing for Jamal Britt they didn’t.
With a sweltering heatwave hitting France, meet organizers had adjusted their program to placate the authorities. Temperatures hit the mid-80s (29C) for the early evening affair, though high humidity made it worse.
Britt didn’t mind at all. The heats had been led by Texas alum Kendrick Smallwood at 13.09 and fellow American Trey Cunningham at 13.06. Britt ran only 13.14. In the final, the 27-year-old Iowa alum lined up in lane 5 next to Cunningham.
Cunningham nailed the start and led through the first 6 hurdles, looking unbeatable. Then Britt came to life, showing impressive strength over the final barriers, building a huge lead as he flew across in the line in 12.89. He narrowly missed the MR and tied David Oliver for the No. 8 spot on the world all-time list.
Behind him, Cunningham faded in the late stages, Japan’s Shunsuke Izumiya coming on to grab 2nd in 13.01. Cunningham took 3rd in 13.07; Smallwood had trouble early and finished 8th (13.46).
“I was not expecting to run that today,” said a shocked Britt. “Just coming out here not feeling 100%, running that time and winning is a great feeling. I didn’t have the best start but I am best at the middle and the end.”
The men’s action on the track started with the 400 and Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana running like an unstoppable force. It was Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith who led most of the way, with South African Zakithi Nene chasing hard. But then on the final straight Kebinatshipi went into flight mode and sped past the others as if he were fulfilling a prophecy.
The world champion crossed the line in 43.54, a DL record and the No. 2 time in the world this season. Nene ran 43.89, and American Chris Bailey earned a PR 44.06 in nabbing Hudson-Smith (44.09) before the line.
“Actually yesterday I looked up the meeting record which was my goal and now I even went faster,” said Kebinatshipi. “I always say that this is my season so I enjoy every race. Today it went cloudy a bit so the heat didn’t challenge me that much.”
Trayvon Bromell, who hadn’t broken 10 with a legal wind this year (he had a 9.85w at the Lone Star GP), found himself relegated to lane 8 in the dash. That suited him just fine, as he led from the start in an effort to build as big of a safety cushion as he could against Noah Lyles (lane 6) and company.
As expected, the strongest charge in the final meters came from Lyles, but it was still Bromell who crossed the line first, 9.91–9.92, with Lamont Marcell Jacobs 3rd in 9.96 and Akani Simbine next at 9.97.
“I really liked my start; I pushed the wheel,” said Bromell. “I didn’t let the race get in my head. I know that I have so much more in my tank, the times and data from my biomechanics make me excited for the season. In Eugene, I will go nuts.”
Next came the 800, a race that on paper featured a well-matched field. In reality, Marco Arop proved himself to be a big step above the crowd.
The rabbit went through halfway in 49.68. Arop seemed quite comfortable at 50.0. Around the curve, he started gapping the field, and when the pacer dropped at 500, the Canadian simply left the others to scramble in his wake. He hit 600 in 1:14.9 and strode powerfully through the final turn. It wasn’t till near the end that he showed signs of fatigue, winning by nearly 2 seconds over Niels Laros (1:43.60 PR).
Of his 1:41.84, Arop said, “It was incredible, we were able to execute it almost perfectly: world lead, the pacer was amazing, the crowd showed up and the atmosphere was amazing. I just wanted to do my part and run the race well.”
For the ’23 world champion, it is the No. 3 time of his career. “I know I am in really good shape now, but if I can fine tune for the rest for the season I might be able to break the World Record this year. Where doesn’t matter, wherever I am healthy and 100%, I would love to do it.”
Though not a DL event, the 1500 provided another amazing show of dominance in a loaded field. Australia’s Cam Myers, who turned 20 just a few weeks ago, stuck close to the pacer through laps of 55.6 and 56.9. By the time the pacer dropped at 1000, Myers was itching to get going. With only Azeddine Habz and Jake Wightman in close pursuit, he finished off his third lap in 54.9.
Over the final turn, he turned on a sprint that Habz and Wightman could not answer, striding to the line in an Australian Record 3:28.00, improving his own yearly world leader. Habz (3:29.80) and Wightman (3:29.95) also broke 3:30.
“I wasn’t too sure if I had it today,” said Myers. “I was expecting it to be very hard, but given the atmosphere, including the weather and other factors, I just think it is amazing. It was great that everything came together.”
Mondo Duplantis had lost his win streak at Stockholm. The three weeks of stewing since then only made him a fiercer competitor. It took him only three attempts to vanquish his rivals. He did that at 19-9½ (6.03), a height that the two other survivors — France’s Baptiste Thiery and Greece’s Emmanouíl Karalís could not handle. Then the Swede topped 20-1¼ (6.13) and thrilled the crowd with three valiant attempts at a WR 20-8¾ (6.32). Thiery impressed with his PR 19-5½ (5.93) in 2nd.
German steepler Karl Bebendorf produced a masterful race over the barriers to top a trio of tough East Africans in the absence of world leader Soufiane El Bakkali.
Staying in 4th most of the way, Bebendorf shadowed Ethiopia’s Gemechu Godana and Samuel Firewu, along with Kenya’s Edmund Serem. He attacked on the final backstretch, passing Firewu first, then Serem at the water jump. Godana put up a fight after the last hurdle, but the momentum belonged to the 30-year-old German, who clocked a PR 8:05.55 to Godana’s 8:05.86. Serem (8:08.54) and Firewu (8:09.13) held on for the next spots. American Matthew Wilkinson ran 6th in 8:11.35.
Admitted Bebendorf, “I mentally prepared for a victory here because I knew that the best in the world were not racing. It was like that luckily. I was very nervous today, so it was difficult to put myself in the mindset of dominating this race because it was such a crowded field… I am definitely hungry.”
The meet’s final race couldn’t have worked out better for Grant Fisher. The American, always a master at positioning himself throughout the race, here did just that. The difference came on the final circuit, where every time in the past he has faced traffic issues or better kickers.
After a swift tempo that had the leader go through 3000 in 7:46.27, Burundi’s Egide Ntakarutimana led a tight pack of 10 at the bell, with Fisher poised in 3rd. The American guarded his position on the backstretch as Sweden’s Andreas Almgren and Kenyan Jacob Krop kicked their way to the lead. Then, coming off the final turn, Fisher came at them with a powerful kick — his last 200 was 26.3.
He took the win, his first at a DL, in 12:54.80, with Krop at 12:55.22 and Almgren 12:55.38. Graham Blanks finished 6th in 12:57.12 as 10 broke 13:00.
Fisher called the race “as good as it gets.” He added, “I have never won a Diamond League before. They’re very difficult so I’m very happy. It was a strange race with a lot of fighting. But that’s how it is sometimes.
“I knew this race would be pretty fast. Everyone was concerned with how hot it was going to be, but it was really nice, the sun was away, the clouds were out and the atmosphere was fantastic.”
All the same, Fisher was prepared for extreme temperatures. “I started to train for the heat maybe 2 weeks ago, I went to the sauna and have been running in the heat with a lot of layers and it paid off.”
PARIS DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(0.1): 1. Trayvon Bromell (US) 9.91; 2. Noah Lyles (US) 9.92; 3. Lamont Marcell Jacobs (Ita) 9.96; 4. Akani Simbine (SA) 9.97; 5. Jordan Anthony (US) 9.99; 6. Ferdinand Omanyala (Ken) 10.02; 7. Andre De Grasse (Can) 10.02.
400: 1. Collen Kebinatshipi (Bot) 43.54; 2. Zakithi Nene (SA) 43.89; 3. Chris Bailey (US) 44.06 PR; 4. Matthew Hudson-Smith (GB) 44.09; 5. Muzala Samukonga (Zam) 44.29; 6. Jereem Richards (Tri) 44.53.
800: 1. Marco Arop (Can) 1:41.84 (WL);
2. Niels Laros (Neth) 1:43.60 PR; 3. Tobias Grønstad (Nor) 1:43.63; 4. Ben Pattison (GB) 1:43.71; 5. Eliott Crestan (Bel) 1:44.23; 6. Louey Ouerrat (Fra) 1:44.40; 7. Yanis Meziane (Fra) 1:44.40; 8. Gabriel Tual (Fra) 1:44.92.
1500: 1. Cam Myers (Aus) 3:28.00 NR (WL) (2:47.35);
2. Azeddine Habz (Fra) 3:29.80; 3. Jake Wightman (GB) 3:29.95; 4. Anass Essayi (Mor) 3:30.17 PR; 5. Reynold Kipkorir (Ken) 3:30.28; 6. Anas Lagtiy (Fra) 3:30.31 PR;…14. Vincent Ciattei (US) 3:36.47;… rabbits—Mounir Akbache (Fra) (55.14), Zan Rudolf (Slo) (1:52.12).
St: 1. Karl Bebendorf (Ger) 8:05.55 PR; 2. Gemechu Godana (Eth) 8:05.86 PR; 3. Edmund Serem (Ken) 8:08.54; 4. Samuel Firewu (Eth) 8:09.13; 5. Ryuji Miura (Jpn) 8:10.70; 6. Matthew Wilkinson (US) 8:11.35.
5000: 1. Grant Fisher (US) 12:54.80; 2. Jacob Krop (Ken) 12:55.22; 3. Andreas Almgren (Swe) 12:55.38; 4. Egide Ntakarutimana (Bur) 12:56.06 NR (10:26.34); 5. Birhanu Balew (Bhr) 12:56.66; 6. Graham Blanks (US) 12:57.12; 7. Jimmy Gressier (Fra) 12:57.79.
110H(0.8): 1. Jamal Britt (US) 12.89 PR (=8, =10 W; =6, =7 A);
2. Shunsuke Izumiya (Jpn) 13.01; 3. Trey Cunningham (US) 13.07; 4. Michael Obasuyi (Bel) 13.10 NR; 5. Rachid Muratake (Jpn) 13.21; 6. Kendry Menéndez (Cub) 13.24; 7. Thomas Wilkes (Fra) 13.32; 8. Kendrick Smallwood (US) 13.46.
Field Event
PV: 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 20-1¼ (6.13) (18-5½, 19-5½, 19-9¼, 20-1¼, 20-8¾ [xxx]) (5.63, 5.93, 6.03, 6.13, 6.32 [xxx]); 2. Baptiste Thiery (Fra) 19-5½ (5.93) PR; 3. Manolo Karalís (Gre) 19-1½ (5.83); 4. Chris Nilsen (US) 19-1½; 5. Sondre Guttormsen (Nor) 19-1½; 6. Zach Bradford (US) 19-1½; 7. Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 19-1½; 8. Sam Kendricks (US) 18-9½ (5.73).
