SHANGHAI: Armand “Mondo” Duplantis cruised to pole vault win in the opening Diamond League meeting of the season on Saturday, but failed to improve his own world record.

There was a surprise in the men’s 100m as Gift Leotlela of South Africa pipped Ferdinand Omanyala and Kenneth Bednarek in a photo finish to win a Diamond League event for the first time.

High-quality women’s 200m and 100m hurdles were won by Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson and Olympic champion Masai Russell, respectively, but Karsten Warholm was shocked in the 300m hurdles.

Duplantis already had victory sewn up in the pole vault after just two jumps before he eased to a new Shanghai meeting record in 6.12m.

The Swede, who has not lost a competition since 2023, then raised the bar to a world record 6.32m but failed with all three attempts to beat his old mark.

Duplantis told AFP he felt the record had been possible.

“I feel really good jumping right now,” said Duplantis, who has lengthened his run-up by two paces this season. “I would say body-wise I was a little bit too busy the past few weeks.”

Norway’s Warholm clocked two world bests in the little-raced 300m hurdles last season but was stunned by 0.04sec by Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos (33.01).

“I’m a little mad that I didn’t win,” said Warholm. “I think he was starting to get tired and I thought maybe I had him. This is how competing should be, you should never know the outcome.”

Leotlela said his men’s 100m victory in 9.97sec had been the perfect start to his outdoor year.

American Bednarek was just 100th of a second behind Leotlela in third, given the same 9.98sec time as Kenya’s Omanyala.

Jamaica’s Jackson crossed the line in the 200m in 22.07 to beat Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas (22.26), who was running her first Diamond League race for three years, with American Anavia Battle third in 22.40.

Jessica Schilder recorded the performance of the night as she propelled the shot to a Diamond League record and became the first woman to exceed 21 metres since 1999.

The Dutchwoman launched her huge 21.09m effort in the fifth round to relegate two-time world champion Chase Jackson (20.46) to second place.

In the women’s 100m hurdles, the American Russell’s superb 12.25 was good enough to beat Bahamian world indoor champion Devynne Charlton (12.38), with world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria third in 12.41.

Mark English’s late burst snatched a dramatic men’s 800m with a meeting record of 1:43.85.

The Irishman dipped past Botswana’s Kethobogile Haingura on the line, having come from six runners back in the final 30 metres.

In the men’s 110m hurdles, Jamal Britt upset world champion Cordell Tinch to win with a personal best-equalling 13.07sec.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2026