MONACO: Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon shattered the women’s mile world record, while compatriot Ferdinand Omanyala won the men’s 100 metres in a photo finish at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Friday.

Kipyegon controlled the field and knocked almost five seconds off the world mark as she finished nearly seven seconds ahead of second-placed Ciara Mageean from Ireland.

The 29-year-old Kenyan won in four minutes 7.64 seconds to smash Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan’s 2019 mark of 4:12.33.

Kipyegon has now broken three world records in two months, including the 1,500m and 5,000m.

“It was a blessing to do this with these ladies. I can see that they’re all happy for me and it’s so emotional,” she said.

Omanyala ran the men’s 100m in 9.92, one tenth of a second ahead of Letsile Tebogo of Botswana while Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake took third place.

American Fred Kerley, who suffered his first defeat of the season last week at the Silesia Diamond League, did not run.

Norwegian Karsten Warholm posted his second-best ever time in the 400m hurdles, clocking 46.51, a tenth of a second faster than his own Diamond League record set in Oslo last month.

Alison Dos Santos from Brazil made a valiant effort to keep pace but Warholm had a firm hold on the race from the start, sending a warning shot to his rivals ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest next month.

Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson scorched to victory in the 200m with 21.86, ahead of Julien Alfred from Saint Lucia.

“Oh, my execution, I do not think that the curve was as good as I wanted but I managed to go until the finish so it was good,” Jackson said.

Britain’s former world champion Dina Asher-Smith took third place with a time of 22.23, her season’s best.

Sweden’s world record holder, Armand Duplantis, experienced a challenging time at the pole vault competition, losing the event for the first time this year.

He failed to clear the winning height of 5.92m set by American Christopher Nilsen and finished in fourth place.

Published in Dawn, July 23th, 2023