Justin Gatlin puts away Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay in Lausanne

By Nick ZaccardiJul 9, 2015, 3:55 PM EDT

Justin Gatlin easily defeated Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay in a 100m in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday, in what may have been a preview of the World Championships in August.

Gatlin, five years removed from a four-year doping ban, clocked 9.75 seconds for the victory. Gatlin, 33, is the only man to run 9.80 or better since Sept. 6, 2013, and he’s done it five times.

Powell and Gay both finished in 9.92 in Lausanne. Usain Bolt previously pulled out of the meet due to a leg injury. Bolt’s best time since the start of 2014 is 9.98, and he is in danger of relinquishing his World title to, most likely, the 2004 Olympic champion Gatlin.

Powell, who held the world record before Bolt first broke it in 2008, and Gay, the 2007 World champion, rank No. 2 and No. 6 in the world in the 100m this year. Gay said after the race he had a sore hip, according to the IAAF.

Athletes were competing in Lausanne in preparation for the World Championships in Beijing (Aug. 22-30, broadcast info here). Full results from Lausanne are here.

Also Thursday, Allyson Felix won a 200m in 22.09 seconds. Only one woman has run faster than that this year — Felix on May 15 (21.98). The Olympic champion reinforced her favorite status for Worlds, but she may run the 400m instead in Beijing and has said the Worlds schedule doesn’t allow for a 200m-400m double.

The Bahamas’ Shaunae Miller established herself in Lausanne as the top threat if Felix attempts the 400m at the World Championships. Miller, 21, clocked a personal-best 49.92, the best time in the world this year by a woman who is qualified for Worlds and better than any time by Felix since 2011. Miller beat a field Thursday that included Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross, who did not qualify for Worlds.

Miller is also second fastest in the world in the 200m this year behind Felix.

Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes, a 19-year-old training partner of Bolt, won the 200m in a personal best 20.13 over a field that included neither the Worlds favorite Gatlin nor the world-record holder Bolt.

American English Gardner won an earlier 100m race in 10.76, which would be a personal best if not for the illegal tailwind of 5.4m/s.

Olympic champion Christian Taylor triple jumped a personal best 18.06m to win over Cuban Pedro Pablo Pichardo, matching the fourth-best jump of all time.

Botswana’s Nijel Amos took the 800m by passing Olympic champion and world record holder David Rudisha in the final straight. Amos ran 1:43.27 to Rudisha’s 1:43.76. Amos, who took 2012 Olympic silver behind Rudisha, had the fastest time in the world in 2014 and is No. 2 this year behind Djibouti’s Ayanleh Souleiman. Rudisha, coming off injuries since the 2012 Olympics, ranks fourth in the world this year.

Beijing Olympic champion Dawn Harper-Nelson took the 100m hurdles in 12.55, leading a U.S. sweep over Jasmin Stowers (12.58), Queen Harrison (12.63) and Sharika Nelvis (12.63). Stowers and Harrison failed to qualify for Worlds. Harper-Nelson’s biggest competition at Worlds should come from countrywomen Nelvis (fastest in the world this year), defending World champion Brianna Rollins and NCAA champion Keni Harrison.

Olympic and World champion Mo Farah won a 5000m in 13:11.77 over top Ethiopians and Kenyans.

Reigning Diamond League champion Jenny Simpson finished third in a 1500m by Ethiopian-born Netherlands runner Sifan Hassan. Hassan was the fastest woman in the world last year, while Simpson was No. 3. They’re both Worlds medal contenders.

Bershawn Jackson, the fastest 400m hurdler in the world this year, clocked 48.71 to beat a field that included the reignign World gold and silver medalists. Jackson, 32, appears the favorite to win the World Championship, 10 years after his previous title.

Two-time reigning World champion David Storl won the shot put with a 22.20m throw, his first time over 22 meters. American Joe Kovacs, the world No. 1 in 2014 and 2015, took second.

Kovacs has thrown 22.35m this year and seems headed for a showdown with the German Storl at Worlds. Storl and Kovacs have combined for the 10 farthest throws in the world this year.

U.S. champion Tianna Bartoletta won the long jump with 6.86m leap. Bartoletta was the only woman to jump seven meters last year and is again the only one so far this year. She’ll look to break Olympic champion Brittney Reese‘s streak of three straight World titles in August.

Emma Coburn, who wants to become the first American to win a Worlds 3000m steeplechase medal, finished third in the event in Lausanne behind a Kenyan and an Ethiopian. Coburn still has the second fastest time in the world this year.

Olympic champion and world-record holder Renaud Lavillenie finished third in the pole vault but remains the only man to clear six meters this year.

The Diamond League continues in Monaco on July 17.

Allyson Felix’s coach to voice opinion on Olympic track and field schedule

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Faith Kipyegon breaks second world record in eight days; three WRs fall in Paris

By OlympicTalkJun 9, 2023, 8:12 PM EDT

Kenyan Faith Kipyegon broke her second world record in as many Fridays as three world records fell at a Diamond League meet in Paris.

Kipyegon, a 29-year-old mom, followed her 1500m record from last week by running the fastest 5000m in history.

She clocked 14 minutes, 5.20 seconds, pulling away from now former world record holder Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia, who ran 14:07.94 for the third-fastest time in history. Gidey’s world record was 14:06.62.

“When I saw that it was a world record, I was so surprised,” Kipyegon said, according to meet organizers. “The world record was not my plan. I just ran after Gidey.”

Kipyegon, a two-time Olympic 1500m champion, ran her first 5000m in eight years. In the 1500m, her primary event, she broke an eight-year-old world record at the last Diamond League meet in Italy last Friday.

Kipyegon said she will have to talk with her team to decide if she will add the 5000m to her slate for August’s world championships in Budapest.

Next year in the 1500m, she can bid to become the second person to win the same individual Olympic track and field event three times (joining Usain Bolt). After that, she has said she may move up to the 5000m full-time en route to the marathon.

Kipyegon is the first woman to break world records in both the 1500m and the 5000m since Italian Paola Pigni, who reset them in the 1500m, 5000m and 10,000m over a nine-month stretch in 1969 and 1970.

Full Paris meet results are here. The Diamond League moves to Oslo next Thursday, live on Peacock.

Also Friday, Ethiopian Lamecha Girma broke the men’s 3000m steeplechase world record by 1.52 seconds, running 7:52.11. Qatar’s Saif Saaeed Shaheen set the previous record in 2004. Girma is the Olympic and world silver medalist.

Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway ran the fastest two-mile race in history, clocking 7:54.10. Kenyan Daniel Komen previously had the fastest time of 7:58.61 from 1997 in an event that’s not on the Olympic program and is rarely contested at top meets. Ingebrigtsen, 22, is sixth-fastest in history in the mile and eighth-fastest in the 1500m.

Olympic and world silver medalist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won the 400m in 49.12 seconds, chasing down Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who ran her first serious flat 400m in four years. McLaughlin-Levrone clocked a personal best 49.71 seconds, a time that would have earned bronze at last year’s world championships.

“I’m really happy with the season opener, PR, obviously things to clean up,” said McLaughlin-Levrone, who went out faster than world record pace through 150 meters. “My coach wanted me to take it out and see how I felt. I can’t complain with that first 200m.”

And the end of the race?

“Not enough racing,” she said. “Obviously, after a few races, you kind of get the feel for that lactic acid. So, first race, I knew it was to be expected.”

McLaughlin-Levrone is expected to race the flat 400m at July’s USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, where the top three are in line to make the world team in the individual 400m. She also has a bye into August’s worlds in the 400m hurdles and is expected to announce after USATF Outdoors which race she will contest at worlds.

Noah Lyles, the world 200m champion, won the 100m in 9.97 seconds into a headwind. Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy was seventh in 10.21 in his first 100m since August after struggling through health issues since the Tokyo Games.

Lyles wants to race both the 100m and the 200m at August’s worlds. He has a bye into the 200m. The top three at USATF Outdoors join reigning world champion Fred Kerley on the world championships team. Lyles is the fifth-fastest American in the 100m this year, not counting Kerley, who is undefeated in three meets at 100m in 2023.

Olympic and world silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson won the 800m in 1:55.77, a British record. American Athing Mu, the Olympic and world champion with a personal best of 1:55.04, is expected to make her season debut later this month.

World champion Grant Holloway won the 110m hurdles in 12.98 seconds, becoming the first man to break 13 seconds this year. Holloway has the world’s four best times in 2023.

American Valarie Allman won the discus over Czech Sandra Perkovic in a meeting of the last two Olympic champions. Allman threw 69.04 meters and has the world’s 12 best throws this year.

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Iga Swiatek sweeps into French Open final, where she faces a surprise

By OlympicTalkJun 9, 2023, 5:30 PM EDT

Iga Swiatek marched into the French Open final without dropping a set in six matches. All that stands between her and a third Roland Garros title is an unseeded foe.

Swiatek plays 43rd-ranked Czech Karolina Muchova in the women’s singles final, live Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com/live, the NBC Sports app and Peacock.

Swiatek, the top-ranked Pole, swept 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 6-2, 7-6 (7) in Thursday’s semifinal in her toughest test all tournament. Haddad Maia squandered three break points at 4-all in the second set.

Swiatek dropped just 23 games thus far, matching her total en route to her first French Open final in 2020 (which she won for her first WTA Tour title of any kind). After her semifinal, she signed a courtside camera with the hashtag #stepbystep.

“For sure I feel like I’m a better player,” than in 2020, she said. “Mentally, tactically, physically, just having the experience, everything. So, yeah, my whole life basically.”

Swiatek can become the third woman since 2000 to win three French Opens after Serena Williams and Justine Henin and, at 22, the youngest woman to win four total majors since Williams in 2002.

FRENCH OPEN DRAWS: Women | Men | Broadcast Schedule

Muchova upset No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to reach her first major final.

Muchova, a 26-year-old into the second week of the French Open for the first time, became the first player to take a set off the powerful Belarusian all tournament, then rallied from down 5-2 in the third set to prevail 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5.

Sabalenka, who overcame previous erratic serving to win the Australian Open in January, had back-to-back double faults in her last service game.

“Lost my rhythm,” she said. “I wasn’t there.”

Muchova broke up what many expected would be a Sabalenka-Swiatek final, which would have been the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 match at the French Open since Williams beat Maria Sharapova in the 2013 final.

Muchova is unseeded, but was considered dangerous going into the tournament.

In 2021, she beat then-No. 1 Ash Barty to make the Australian Open semifinals, then reached a career-high ranking of 19. She dropped out of the top 200 last year while struggling through injuries.

“Some doctors told me maybe you’ll not do sport anymore,” Muchova said. “It’s up and downs in life all the time. Now I’m enjoying that I’m on the upper part now.”

Muchova has won all five of her matches against players ranked in the top three. She also beat Swiatek in their lone head-to-head, but that was back in 2019 when both players were unaccomplished young pros. They have since practiced together many times.

“I really like her game, honestly,” Swiatek said. “I really respect her, and she’s I feel like a player who can do anything. She has great touch. She can also speed up the game. She plays with that kind of freedom in her movements. And she has a great technique. So I watched her matches, and I feel like I know her game pretty well.”

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