Rudisha stunned in Zurich meet as Bolt, Blake triumph
ZURICH, Aug 31: Olympic 800 metres champion David Rudisha suffered a shock defeat at the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting on Thursday but Usain Bolt braved the cold to win the 200 metres in a meeting record time.
Kenyan Rudisha, who set a world record to win gold in London, lost out to Ethiopian teenager Mohammed Aman on a chilly wet evening at Zurich’s Letzigrund.
Double Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake refused to be daunted by the conditions as he ran another fast time to win the 100 metres in 9.76 seconds, while Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Felix Sanchez said he just wanted to lie on the beach after finishing fourth on his 35th birthday.
Rudisha, assisted by a pacemaker, sped away on the first lap but clearly went too early as the pack caught up with him around 200 metres from the end and Aman passed him on the curve to win in one minute 42.53 seconds.
Double Olympic champion Bolt had no such problems as he won the 200 metres in a very respectable 19.66 seconds, again making it look easy as he powered ahead of fellow Jamaicans Nickel Ashmeade and Jason Young.
Former world champion Tyson Gay was disqualified for a false start as Blake, who ran the joint third-fastest time in history in Lausanne last week, won the 100 metres in another impressive time.
His fellow Jamaican Nesta Carter was second in 9.95 and American Ryan Bailey third in 9.97.
Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce easily won women’s 100 metres, beating Carmelita Jeter into second place after losing out to the American silver medallist in Lausanne and Birmingham.
Sanchez was beaten into fourth place despite a late charge in the 400 metres hurdles, won by American Angelo Taylor in 48.29 seconds.
Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross won the women’s 400 metres in 50.21 seconds ahead of Botswana’s Amantle Montsho.
Croatia’s Olympic gold medallist Sandra Perkovic won the women’s discus but Olympic long jump champion Brittney Reese retired injured In her event, saying she had aggravated a tress fracture in her left ankle.
Leading results:
Men’s:
100 metres: 1. Yohan Blake (Jamaica) 9.76 seconds; 2. Nesta Carter (Jamaica) 9.95; 3. Ryan Bailey (US) 9.97.
200 metres: 1. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) 19.66 seconds; 2. Nickel Ashmeade (Jamaica) 19.85; 3. Jason Young (Jamaica) 20.08.
800 metres: 1. Mohammed Aman (Ethiopia) 1:42.53; 2. David Lekuta Rudisha (Kenya) 1:42.81; 3. Leonard Kirwa Kosencha (Kenya) 1:44.29.
5,000 metres: 1. Isiah Kiplangat Koech (Kenya) 12:58.98; 2. Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa (Kenya) 12:59.24; 3. Bernard Lagat (US) 12:59.92.
400-metre hurdles: 1. Angelo Taylor (US) 48.29 seconds; 2. Omar Cisneros (Cuba) 48.34; 3. Jehue Gordon (Trinidad and Tobago) 48.40.
4×100-metre relay: 1. US 38.02 seconds; 2. Jamaica 38.19; 3. Britain 38.30; 4. Poland 38.86; 5. Germany 38.87; 6. Switzerland 38.95; 7. Italy 39.56; 8. Netherlands 39.77.
High jump: 1. Ivan Ukhov (Russia) 2.31 metres; 2. Robert Grabarz (Britain) 2.28; 3. Andrey Silnov (Russia) 2.25.
Pole vault: 1. Renaud Lavillenie (France) 5.70 metres; 2.
Bjoern Otto (Germany) 5.55; 3. Jan Kudlicka (Czech Republic) 5.55, 3 equal. Steven Lewis (Britain) 5.55.
Triple jump: 1. Fabrizio Donato (Italy) 17.29 metres; 2. Christian Taylor (US) 17.16; 3. Benjamin Compaore (France) 16.96.
Javelin throw: 1. Tero Pitkaemaeki (Finland) 85.27 metres; 2. Antti Ruuskanen (Finland) 83.36; 3. Oleksandr Pyatnytsya (Ukraine) 82.95.
Women’s:
100 metres: 1. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (Jamaica) 10.83 seconds; 2. Carmelita Jeter (US) 10.97; 3. Allyson Felix (US) 11.02.
400 metres: 1. Sanya Richards-Ross (US) 50.21 seconds; 2. Amantle Montsho (Botswana) 50.33; 3. Rosemarie Whyte (Jamaica) 50.41.
1,500 metres: 1. Abeba Aregawi (Ethiopia) 4:05.29; 2. Mercy Cherono (Kenya) 4:06.42; 3. Shannon Rowbury (US) 4:07.14.
100-metre hurdles: 1. Dawn Harper (US) 12.59 seconds; 2. Queen Harrison (US) 12.68; 3. Kellie Wells (US) 12.69.
3,000-metre steeplechase: 1. Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia) 9:21.32; 2. Etenesh Diro Neda (Ethiopia) 9:24.97; 3. Hiwot Ayalew (Ethiopia) 9:26.99.
Long jump: 1. Elena Sokolova (Russia) 6.92 metres; 2. Blessing Okagbare (Nigeria) 6.85; 3. Shara Proctor (Britain) 6.80.
Discus throw: 1. Sandra Perkovic (Croatia) 63.97 metres; 2. Yarelys Barrios (Cuba) 61.73; 3. Zaneta Glanc (Poland) 61.31.
—Reuters









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