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Armand Duplantis dominated the pole vault but was unable to improve his world record and American Cordell Tinch became the fourth fastest high hurdler of all time at the Shanghai-Keqiao Diamond League on Saturday.
Olympic and world champion Duplantis soared 6.11 metres to win the competition comfortably from Greek Emmanouil Karalis (6.01) but failed in his single attempt at 6.28, a centimetre higher than the record he set in February.
“The jump did not feel that great, and the run did not feel that great either,” the Swede said.
“(But) to have a good attempt while not feeling my best is actually a really good thing.”
Tinch, who beat 110m hurdles world record holder Grant Holloway in the series opener in Xiamen last week, smashed Liu Xiang’s meeting record with a scorching run of 12.87 seconds to match the best effort Dayron Robles managed in his career.
“It sounds pretty good,” Tinch said of standing behind only compatriots Aries Merritt, Holloway and Devon Allen in the all-time list.
“I felt like I was going to run something fast (but) I didn’t know it would be 12.8 fast.”
South African Akani Simbine backed up his win in Xiamen last week by running down Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson in the last few strides to win the 100m in 9.98 seconds.
Jamaican Thompson was second in 9.99 with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, who won the 200m at the Paris Olympics, third in 10.03.
Karsten Warholm, who ran a world best time in the 300m in Xiamen, confirmed his fine form by dominating the more familiar 400m in a time of 47.28 seconds, even if he was not happy with his race.
“I hit a couple of hurdles,” said the Norwegian world record holder.
“You always want to use every occasion to send a message, the message I send is the potential is very good if I clean up my races.”
In the 400m flat, American Christopher Bailey chased down Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori on the home straight to win in 44.17 and reverse their positions from last week.
Olympic champion Quincy Hall finished last in his first outing since his stunning triumph in Paris last year.
BATTLE GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN 200M
American Anavia Battle, the fastest woman over 100m this year, made it two wins out of two in the Diamond League 200m this season in 22.38 with Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke second in 22.72.
Grace Stark won the 100m hurdles in 12.42, well shy of the 12.17 Olympic champion Masai Russell clocked in Miami on Friday to record the second fastest time in history.
Twice Diamond League champion Berihu Aregawi just held off compatriot Kuma Girma at the line to win the men’s 5 000m in 12:50.45 with Mezgebu Sime finishing third in an Ethiopian 1-2-3.
Their compatriot Tsige Duguma ran the fastest time of the season to win the women’s 800m more than a second in front of Australian Sarah Billings in 1:56.64.
American Chase Jackson, who will go for a third straight world title in Tokyo in September, won the shot put with a throw of 20.54m, while Greek Elina Tzengko beat a strong field with a throw of 64.90m to take the javelin.
Ukraine’s Olympic and world high jump champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh made it seven wins in her last seven Diamond League meetings with a leap of 2 metres.
There was more Ethiopian success in the men’s 3 000m steeplechase with Abrham Sime storming home to win in 8:07.92, while Portugal’s former Olympic and world champion Pedro Pichardo won the triple jump in 17.03m.
