Usain Bolt, 2010 Lausanne, photo by PhotoRun.net

Welcome to Runblogrun‘s coverage of the 2011 AREVA Paris Meeting! Three hours of tremendous track and field. For US fans, note that Shalane Flanagan will be running for the U.S. record for 5,000 meters, now held by Molly Huddle. The women’s 5,000 meters should be a screamer, with the field trying to run 14:30 or better.

Usain Bolt and Christophe Lemaitre will be running the last event of the night, the 200 meters. Good shot for Lemaitre to break the French national record for 200 meters of 20.16. He discounted that in the press conference, but there is a real shot. 

The men’s pole vault with Renaud Lavillenie should be very good as well. And of course, the men’s 1,500 meters is stacked, with Bernard Lagat, Mekkonen Gebremedhin, Asbel Kiprop, Nick Willis, Andrew Wheating, Leonel Manzano and Matt Centrowitz, Jr, are all in the field!

Here is the schedule, we will update after each event, as well as twitter info out on twitter.com/runblogrun:

2011 Events

Greetings!

Greetings from the Stade de France in St. Denis! This is the first time that I have back here since the 2003 World Championships. A good healthy crowd of 35-40,000 are filling up the stands, as we start to get into the AREVA Paris Meeting.

We took the bus in from the Pullman de Tour Eiffel, the headquarters hotel.

Meet Yvonne Hak

Met Yvonne Hak of the Netherlands on the bus to the meet. Yvonne is the silver medalist from the 2010 European Championships, and she was quite patient with my questions. With a personal best of 1:58.85, Yvonne has run 2:00.30 this season, so she has made her standard for Daegu.

She trains with a local club in Amsterdam, and also, does workouts with a group of men who has personal bests near her. Training on the track twice a week, Yvonne does her fartlek work on trails and long runs on the roads in Amsterdam.

Yvonne is hoping for a fast time tonight, so we will wish her luck!

Women’s Shot Put

In an epic shot put battle, Valerie Adams of New Zealand, in her second throw, broke the meet record with a fine 20.78m put. The 2009 World Champ looks ready to defend her title in Daegu, Korea in 50 days!

In second, Nadezha Ostapchuk threw 20.49m, also in her second throw, and came back in her sixth and threw 20.48m. 

Jill Camerena-Williams finished second in the recent USA Outdoor champs to Michelle Carter, by less than one inch! Her 20.18 meter throw just equaled the U.S. record!

Jill Camerena-Williams, 2011 USA Outdoor Champs, photo by PhotoRun.net

 
For complete shot put results, please click on http://www.diamondleague-paris.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/Shot-Put-Women/

Women’s Javelin Throw

Christine Obergfoll of Germany, dropped the big javelin bomb, a 68.01m world leader in the first throw and that party was over! She had one other throw, a 61.28m throw in round 3.

Mariya Abikamova of Russia was second. She threw 60.73m, 67.57m, foul, 64.04, 62.02, and then did not take last throw.

Goldie Sayers of Great Britain was third, using her sixth throw to reach out to 62.14m and take third place.

Kara Patterson, who is working on her run, had a difficult day. Foul, foul, 49.55m, 56.98, 55.57, 58.21m. Not a good day for a women who set AR last year , but hopefully she will get her run worked out.

http://www.diamondleague-paris.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/Javelin-Women/

Women’s 400m hurdles

In a particularly close and competitive race, Zuzana Henjova of the Czech Republic and Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica came off the last hurdle tied. Henjova astounded even herself with her victory, national record and world leader all in one race, running 53.29. Spencer did not give up, running 53.45.

Natalya Antyukh was third in 54.41, her seasonal best. Perri Shaykes-Drayton of Great Britain ran 54.79 for fourth and Melanie Walker, the 2008 Olympic champ and 2009 World Champ, finished fifth in 55.01.

Men’s steeplechase

Running an insane race, Mahiedene Mekhissi Benabbad, who has run 8:02.05, just stayed out of trouble, let the Kenyans kill themselves and charged into lead with a lap to go! The crowd in Stade de France was loud! Mekhissi came down the final straightaway, running a new World Leader, and just missing the French record, running 8:02.10. 

Men’s 400 meters

Christopher Brown won this one, in 44.94, running a great straightaway, with Jeremy Wariner finishing either third or fourth. Wariner came off the term and did not have any gas left in the tank!

Women’s 800 meters

The rabbit took the field through 57.17, although the field was close, and at 200 meters, one runner down, another dropped out. Caster Semenya took the lead just after six hundred meters and Jenny Meadows could not catch her, with Semenya winning in 2:00.19.