MONACO: World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce scorched the track with the fastest time over 100 metres this year at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Wednesday, winning the race in 10.62 seconds to comfortably beat Shericka Jackson and Marie-Josee Ta Lou.

Fresh from a fifth world title in Eugene, Oregon last month, Fraser-Pryce had produced blistering performances to clock 10.66 at the Silesia Diamond League event on Saturday and 10.67 at the Hungarian Grand Prix two days later.

She went even quicker in ideal conditions at Monaco’s Stade Louis II to easily break the 10.70 barrier for the sixth time in a stellar season, while Jackson (10.71) and Ta Lou (10.72) also ran personal bests in an absorbing race.

“I did what I needed to and we had fun and let the clock do the talking... to be able to run 10.60 consistently means a lot. It’s remarkable. It’s hard to keep up the speed at this high level,” the 35-year-old Fraser-Pryce said.

“I’m in my late thirties and I feel I have more to give. I look forward to do my personal best (10.60) during the rest of the season and run fast.... Now, we break and then we come again. I’m not sure about Lausanne [on Aug. 26] yet.”

Noah Lyles won his second 200m race of the Diamond League season and broke his own meeting record from 2018 with a superb effort of 19.48. Erriyon Knighton (19.84) and Michael Norman (19.95) ensured a podium sweep for the United States.

KIPYEGON JUST MISSES WORLD RECORD

Double Olympic and world 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon came agonisingly close to shattering Genzebe Dibaba’s world record of 3:50.07 set in 2015, as she crossed the finish line in 3:50.37 to settle for a Kenyan national record.

Briton Jake Wightman, who had stunned Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the men’s 1,500m at the worlds last month, continued his winning form in the 1,000m event in 2:13.88 minutes — the fastest time by anyone over the distance in six years.

The five other world gold medallists on show all produced the goods.

Two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas won the women’s 400m in 49.28sec while American Grant Holloway claimed victory in 12.99sec in the men’s 110m hurdles despite arriving in Monaco with no luggage, lost en route from a meet in Hungary.

Australian Kelsey-Lee Barber threw a best of 64.50m to win the women’s javelin, but Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas made hard work for the triumph in the women’s triple jump, eventually producing a winning effort of 15.01m.

Qatari Mutaz Barshim, whose gold in Eugene was his third world title, won the high jump.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2022