Kenya's Faith Kipyegon destroys women's 1,500m world record at Diamond League
Fred Kerley victorious in 100 yet again; Aaron Brown earns 4th top-3 finish in 5 races
Kenya's Faith Kipyegon staked her claim as the greatest women's 1,500-metre runner of all-time on Friday in Florence, Italy.
The two-time Olympic champion and two-time world gold medallist smashed the world record in the distance, becoming the first woman to break three minutes 50 seconds with a time of 3:49.11.
Kipyegon, 29, broke away from the pack quickly and never slowed down, turning the world record into a seeming foregone conclusion over the final 100 metres.
England's Laura Muir (3:57.09) outpaced Australia's Jessica Hull (3:57.29) for second place.
WATCH | Kipyegon breaks world record:
Toronto native Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, racing in her first Diamond League event in over a year following a serious pelvis injury, was 12th of 14 finishers in 4:03.64.
The 27-year-old, who holds seven Canadian indoor and outdoor track records, is aiming to build up to race for a medal at the Aug. 19-27 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
In the men's 100, American Fred Kerley reasserted his dominance yet again.
The reigning world champion remained unbeaten on the season, taking his second consecutive title in the distance in 9.94 seconds in a race that was never truly close.
Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy, with whom Kerley has been trading online barbs, dropped out of his second straight meet with injury.
Kenya's Ferdinand Omanyala was second (10.05) and American Trayvon Bromell third (10.09).
Italy's Samuel Ceccarelli, replacing Jacobs in front of his home crowd, ran a 10.13 personal best.
WATCH | Kerley remains unbeaten:
Another top 3 for Brown
Meanwhile, Toronto's Aaron Brown placed third in the men's 200, clocking 20.31.
The 31-year-old, who owns two Olympic relay medals and a world championship relay title, earned his fourth top-three finish in five races this season in the event. His lone victory came at the Kip Keino Classic on May 13 when he posted a time of 20.12. His season best is 20 seconds flat.
But it was American Erriyon Knighton, the world bronze medallist, who stole the show in Italy. Though Brown stayed close through the first 100, Knighton's finishing kick left his opponents in the dust en route to a winning time of 19.89.
"I was running from the outside, I tried to run relaxed. I wouldn't say that I didn't try to stay safe on the home straight. Now, I am very satisfied with this time — under 20 in the first race of the season," Knighton said.
Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards outsprinted Brown in the final metres to steal second place (20.28).
WATCH | Knighton tops men's 200:
Ahmed runs out of steam in 5,000m
In the men's 5,000, an expected duel between Olympic champion Joshua Cheptegei of Ethiopia and Canadian silver medallist Moh Ahmed fizzled quickly, with the former placing fourth and the latter 10th.
Cheptegei, also the world record holder, bided his time in the back, not making a move to the front of the pack until the final lap, by which time it was too late. He crossed the line in 12:53.81.
"This race was more like a championship race. I have a lot of endurance, now I need to work more on my speed," Cheptegei said.
Thirteen men broke 13 minutes, the most ever in a single race. The previous high was 11 from 2012 Paris Diamond League.
Ahmed, the 32-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont., stayed in the middle throughout most of the race, but didn't appear to leave enough gas in his tank for a final push. He finished with a time of 12:56.46, nearly 10 seconds off his PB.
Ahmed won the Canadian 10K Championships in Ottawa last weekend.
Spain's Mohamed Katir (12:52.09) edged Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha (12:52.12) to win the Diamond League 5,000 while Guatemala's Luis Grijalva was third (12:52.97).
Regan Yee, the 27-year-old from Hazelton, B.C., placed 13th at 9:40.04 in the women's 3,000 steeplechase in her second-ever Diamond League race.
The Diamond League season resumes June 9 in Paris, with live coverage available beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
