Kenya’s Mary Moraa was among the winners as the World Athletics Continental Tour moved on to the Palio Citta della Quercia in Rovereto, Italy.
Moraa won the women’s 800m in 2:00.40, holding off Deborah Rodriguez (2:00.50) and Chanelle Price (2:00.89).
The USA’s Marvin Bracy won the men’s 100m in 9.98, as he became the first sprinter in the 57-year history of the meeting to break 10 seconds for the discipline.
The former American football player made a breakthrough in 2014 when he won world indoor 60m silver in Sopot. Earlier this year Bracy improved his 100m PB to 9.85 in Memphis and won a non-Diamond League 100m race in Paris last weekend in 10.04.
Olympic 4x100m bronze medallist Jerome Blake took the runner-up spot with 10.15, edging Julian Forte from Jamaica (10.16).
“I am very happy with this performance. I expected this time,” said Bracy, who improved the meeting record held by Femi Ogunode since 2015. “I am proud that I am the first sprinter in the history of this meeting to break the 10 seconds barrier.”
The Palio Citta della Quercia, a Continental Tour Silver meeting, staged a Wanda Diamond League competition in the women’s javelin throw, with athletes earning qualifying points for next week’s Diamond League final in Zurich.
Reigning European champion Christin Hussong from Germany produced the best throw of the evening with 66.08m in the fifth round before winning the ‘final three’ with a throw of 58.14m. Lina Muze and Nikola Ogrodnikova qualified for the final three with 63.42m and 60.87m. Muze took the runner-up spot in the decisive round with 57.44m ahead of Ogrodnikova (55.27m).
Olympic finalist Michael Cherry clocked an impressive 44.55 in in the men’s 400m, smashing the meeting record of 44.86 held by Kenya’s Samson Kitur since 1992.
Shelby McEwen won the eagerly-awaited men’s high jump competition with 2.28m, beating Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi, who had to settle for second with 2.25m. McEwen had a clean sheet at 2.10m, 2.15m, 2.19m, 2.25m and 2.28m before failing three attempts at 2.32m. Tamberi, meanwhile, cleared 2.15m, 2.19m and 2.22m on his first attempts before clearing 2.25m at the second time of asking. The Italian star failed three attempts at 2.30m.
“My attempt at 2.30m was very close. I was too tired after winning the Olympic title in Tokyo, but I really want to honour the post-Olympic meetings to thank my fans and all those who supported me during these years. The Olympic gold medal has changed some aspects of my life, but I am always the same person,” said Tamberi.
Italian shot putter Zane Weir won the men’s event with 21.32m in the sixth round, producing the second best performance of his career.