Suzhou: Sweden’s Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis dominated the men’s pole vault at the Suzhou Diamond League meeting on Saturday, going close to bettering his own world record set last week. The reigning Olympic champion, who cleared 6.24 metres in Xiamen for his eighth world record mark, wrapped up the win in Suzhou with a meet record of 6.00 metres. The bar was immediately raised to 6.25m, but it proved too much for the US-born Duplantis, who failed three times at the height, albeit going close on his final effort. “There’s always a little bit of a crash after a huge performance like that, like I had last week, but I still felt good today, of course,” Duplantis said.

“I knew I was going to have to push a little bit harder, it wasn’t going to come as natural as last week because that’s just kind of the nature of how it feels. “I felt a little bit flat today, but still really good. I just feel that conditions have to be perfect for me to jump a world record and I wasn’t quite feeling it off the runway tonight,” he said.

World 100m champion Sha’Carri Richardson suffered another upset in the women’s 200m, with the American coming in third at 23.11 seconds behind Briton Daryll Neita’s winning 22.62 and the USA’s Anavia Battle’s 22.99. “I came here praying and hoping for the win,” said Neita after launching her season heading into the Paris Olympics.

“To come out here and win it, in a decent time, in such a strong field, I feel really confident going forward.” South Africa’s Akani Simbine won the men’s 100 metres in 10.01sec ahead of American Christian Coleman. “I expected a better performance but I am fine with today’s result which I achieved my SB today,” said newly-crowned world indoor 60m champion Coleman, who won the blue riband event in Xiamen. “I am prepared for the Olympics Games. I’m going to keep training and improving in the upcoming months.”

Simbine added: “With Coleman, you just need to know that he’s going to come out, (you have to) just stick to the arranged plan, focus on your own race.” Fred Kerley, the 2022 world champion and Olympic silver medallist, rounded out the podium in 10.11sec.

Nigeria’s world record holder Tobi Amusan was disqualified from the women’s 100m hurdles after a false start, with Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico awarded first place in 12.63sec in a photo finish.

Ethiopia’s Mekedes Alemeshete claimed victory in the women’s 5,000m and took the world lead with a new personal best of 14:36.70. – AFP