Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and LaShawn Merritt continued early season struggles relative to their top rivals in a Diamond League meet in Shanghai on Sunday.
Fraser-Pryce, the Olympic and World 100m champion, finished fifth in the 100m in 11.25 seconds (full meet results here).
That’s her slowest 100m time in a Diamond League final since before the London 2012 Olympics. She’s finished fifth, sixth, second and eighth in her last four Diamond League 100m races, including three from an injury-plagued 2014.
Fraser-Pryce, 28, bettered 11 seconds in all six of her Diamond League 100m races in 2013, when she won the World Championship in 10.71 into a headwind, but hasn’t broken 11 since 2013.
“It is a good start,” Fraser-Pryce said of Sunday’s 11.25, according to the IAAF. “I didn’t have any time in my hand and no expectations.”
Fraser-Pryce has said she might not try to defend her World title in the 200m, which could open the door wider for Olympic champion Allyson Felix to regain that title. Though Felix has said she might run the 400m at Worlds instead of the 200m.
In Shanghai, Nigerian Blessing Okagbare won the 100m in 10.98, ahead of American Tori Bowie (11.07), Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.13), Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown (11.22) and Fraser-Pryce. Bowie was the fastest woman in the world last year at 10.80.
In the 400m, Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada easily outdueled World champion LaShawn Merritt for the second time this year. James clocked 44.66, followed by World silver medalist Tony McQuay (45.54) and Merritt (45.58).
“I am a little bit behind in training,” Merritt said, according to the IAAF. “I have still some work to do.”
Merritt was well off his 2014 Diamond League season-opening time of 44.44.
In the 110m hurdles, World champion David Oliver prevailed in 13.17, ahead of Cuban Orlando Ortega (13.19) and Olympic champion Aries Merritt (13.25).
Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim won the high jump without taking a crack at the 2.45m world record, which he tried so often last year. Barshim cleared 2.38m, enough to top Ukrainian rival Bohdan Bondarenko, who missed two attempts at 2.38m and one at 2.41m.
Panama’s Alonso Edward took the 200m in 20.33 seconds. The race did not include any of the 2012 Olympic or 2013 World Championships medalists, nor the fastest man from 2014, Justin Gatlin.
Ethiopian World bronze medalist Almaz Ayana became the third-fastest woman all time in the 5000m by clocking 14:14.32.
The Diamond League next moves to Eugene, Ore., for the Pre Classic in two weeks. NBCSN will have coverage on May 30 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET, followed by NBC from 4:30-6.
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