by Alfonz Juck
Gong Lijao, photo by PhotoRun.net
Gong and Tsegay World leads
NANJING (CHN, May 21): After finishing second in Shanghai on Saturday, Gong Lijiao returned to winning form at the debut of IAAF World Challenge meeting in Nanjing with a world-leading mark of 19.84m to defeat Jamaica’s Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Shanghai winner Chase Ealey from the United States who both threw 19.21m. Other home wins came from Wang Yu who cleared 2.31m (equalled World lead) in the high jump while Wang Zheng won a competitive hammer with 75.27m ahead of USA’s DeAnna Price (74.21m) with world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk third on her season’s debut after surgery (73.64m). There was also a world lead in the 1500m as Gudaf Tsegay clocked 3:59.57 – the first sub-four minute clocking outdoors in 2019 – ahead of Ethiopian teammate Axumawit Embaye (4:00.17) with Sifan Hassan improving to third in 4:00.53. After winning the 1500m in Shanghai, Morocco’s Rababe Arafi was second over 800m behind Kenya’s Nelly Jepkosgei, 1:59.98 to 2:00.02. Botswana’s Nijel Amos made it two wins from two this month in the 800m, winning in 1:44.38 from Kenya’s Cornelius Tuwei (1:44.91) while Ben Kigen won the 3000m steeplechase in 8:08.94. In the sprints, Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson won the 200m – her first race at the distance since April 2018 – in 22.40 ahead of Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser in a 22.56 NR and US veteran Mike Rodgers won the 100m ahead of Andre de Grasse – both timed at 10.09. There were also close races in the sprint hurdles as Orlando Ortega pipped world and Olympic champion Omar McLeod, 13.27 to 13.28, while Brianna McNeal and Nia Ali were first and second in the 100m hurdles with both timed at 12.78. Germany’s Olympic and European champion Thomas Rohler also won the javelin in a season’s best of 86.39 over Jakub Vadlejch who improved after Shanghai 80 to 85.34 and Christian Taylor went out to 17.47m in the sixth round of the triple jump to beat teammate Omar Craddock’s 17.42m. Japan´s Takatoshi Abe won the 400 m hurdles in 49.16 and Briton Jazmin Sawyers on day of her 25th birthday the long jump 656.
