As expected, 5000-meter European champion Konstanze Klosterhalfen was unable to compete for victory in a difficult race at the start of the new season of the Diamond League of track and field athletes. The 26-year-old track and field athlete clocked 4:05.63 minutes in Doha on Friday, around seven seconds above her personal best and finished ninth.
Victory in the first international outdoor event of the World Championships year went to Faith Kipyegon from Kenya in 3:58.57 minutes ahead of Ethiopia's Diribe Welteji (3:59.34) and Freweyni Hailu (4:00.29). "I think I did quite well. In any case, there is still work to be done," said Klosterhalfen after jumping into the "cold water" at an unusually early start to the season for her.
Weber has to work on his start-up
European javelin throw champion Julian Weber finished fourth in the victory of Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra. With 82.62 meters, he was just over six meters behind the winner from India. Chopra won by a razor-thin margin with 88.67 meters ahead of the Czech Jakub Vadlejch (88.63 m). Third place went to World Champion Anderson Peters (85.88 m) from Grenada. "I definitely have to work on my start-up so that I have more confidence," said the Mainz native.
Long-distance specialist Klosterhalfen hopes that the speed required over 1500 meters will also be good for her over her special course, which is more than three times as long. The 5000 World Championship bronze medallist over 2019 meters had recently surprisingly left her long-time sponsor Nike and moved to the German sporting goods manufacturer Puma. At the same time, the runner, who competes for TSV Bayer Leverkusen, is now training with Irishman Alistair Cragg, who is employed by a group of runners from her new outfitter in North Carolina/USA. Most recently, she was cared for by Pete Julian in Portland, USA.
World best performance of the year of the runner-up
The American Sha'Carri Richardson showed a strong start to the season in the 100 meters. The 23-year-old crossed the finish line in a world best time of 10.76 seconds ahead of Olympic relay champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica (10.85) and former 200m world champion Dina Asher-Smith (Great Britain/10.98).
100-meter world champion Fred Kerley (USA) secured victory in the 200-meter sprint. The 27-year-old American, recently repeatedly in the headlines because of his social media feud with Olympic sprint champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs (Italy), prevailed in 19.92 seconds well ahead of his compatriot Kenneth Bednarek (20.11) and Aaron Brown from Canada (20.20).
Portuguese Olympic champion and world champion Pedro Pichardo won the triple jump competition with 17.91 meters. Hugues Fabrice Zango from Burkina Faso, however, set a world best of 17.81 meters in the still young season, although he only finished second - the tailwind was too strong for Pichardo's jump, which is why he is not included in the leaderboard, but still counted for the competition.
In the women's 3000 meter steeplechase, Winfred Mutile Yavi (Bahrain) also ran a world best time of 9:04.38 minutes. The highlight of the year for track and field athletes is the World Championships from 19 to 27 August in Budapest.