Golden Gala: Gatlin upset Bolt in a close race in Rome

Gatlin kept his winning streak this season in which he is still unbeaten with four wins in Doha (9.97), Bejing (9.91 seasonal best) and Eugene (wind assisted 9.88). Gatlin broke Bolt’s winning streak in Rome after two consecutive wins in 2011 (9.91) and 2012 (9.76 meeting record). Bolt could settle with a new seasonal best which improved his previous seasonal best of 10.09 set in George Town (Cayman Islands). European Indoor champion Jimmy Vicaut from France finished third equalling his PB of 10.02 to edge US Michael Rodgers (10.04).

At the post-race press conference  Gatlin expressed his joy. “I come from a very long season in 2012. I got my start back and and I worked on the final part of the race. Competing against a legend Bolt who honoured this sport makes me very proud. It is a great feeling that I sticked to the race strategy. You know that Bolt is a great competitor. It feels good and now I am putting things together. It is also about putting a show together for the fans and provided a great performance. It’s important thing to stay calm and confident. In the last couple of years people were used to times around 9.7 to beat the rest. But it is all about who crosses the line first”, said Gatlin

Bolt lost his first race since last year’s Jamaican Trials in Kingston but he was not too disappointed about his race. “I had a good competition. I had a nice start , I had a good race and then I just cropped off. I think it was this perfect start that threw my game off. I will now sit down with my coach, watch the video of the race and figure out what went wrong and on what aspect I have to work. I have to do more strength work. I think it needs just some time to get it all back together. My legs did not feel the energy. I felt a little sore but it is not a problem. The rest of the race was not too bad". Bolt talked about the special meaning of running in the meeting dedicated to Pietro Mennea. “Mennea was a great athlete who showed that it is possible to achieve great results by working hard. He made Italian sport great. It was a great honour to run in this meeting dedicated to Mennea”, said Bolt

100 m B race: Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy Ndure won the B race in 10.13 ahead of Jacque Harvey from Jamaica (10.21).

Men’s 5000 metres: Yenew Alamirew clocked the first sub-13 minutes time of the year with 12:54.95 (world seasonal best) winning a dramatic sprint against Ethiopian sensation Hagos Gegrehiwet who set a new seasonal best of 12:55.73. Isiah Koech Kiplangat, fourth in Daegu and fifth in London, also dipped under the 13 minutes barrier with a seasonal best of 12:58.85 to finish ahead of his compatriots John Kipkoech (13:01.64 seasonal best) and Eugene winner Edwin Soi (13:02.54 seasonal best  “I just pushed hard in the end. I did a very good time, a world lead,but now I am now too exhausted”, said Alamirew.

Men’s 800 metres: Despite the long flight from Eugene Mohamed Aman did not show any signs of tiredness by winning the two-lap event in a new world seasonal best of 1:43.61 to beat French sensation Pierre Ambroise Bosse who dipped under the 1:44 barrier for the first time in his career with 1:43.91 to finish ahead of André Olivier, who set a new seasonal best of 1:44.37 and Italian surprise Giordano Benedetti who sensationally broke the 1:45 barrier for the first time in his career with a new career best of 1:44.67, the sixth fastest time for an Italian 800 m runner. “This was a fantastic race and I am very happy.I expected to run a good tim. I expected to run a good race because my previous races and my training were already very good”, said Aman

Women’s 400 metres: Amantle Montsho, the first ever athlete from Botswana to become world champion two years ago in Daegu, won her fourth Diamond League competition of this season after Doha, New York and Eugene clocking a new world seasonal best of 49.87, 0.04 faster than she ran in Doha on 10th May when she beat Allyson Felix. Francene McCorory finished runner-upin 50.05 to repeat the same order of the Eugene race last Saturday. “I am so glad to compete with strong athletes, then I can run good. I like the support of the crowd here very much. It was cool. I am very happy with my world leading time of 49.87 today. When I ran today I did not think of the World Championships yet, it is not yet World Championships. It’s Diamond League but I want to win the Diamond League too”, said Montsho.

Women’s 100 metres hurdles: Dawn Harper, Bejing Olympic champion and silver medallist at the London Olympics last year, clocked 12.65 to edge her compatriot Lolo Jones by 0.05 sec. Harper clinched her fourth win in the Rome Olympic stadium. Virginia Crawford completed the US sweep in third place in a seasonal best of 12.90 0.02 faster than former NCAA champion Queen Harrison. Fresh Italian record holder Veronica Borsi, who clocked the Italian record clocking 12.76 last Sunday in Orvieto, backed up this result with another sub-13 time of 12.97 to beat former National record holder Marzia Caravelli by 0.04 sec. “Youknow it is my fourth win in Rome and my fourth victory. So in Rome it gets along. I just love this meeting. I feel very well here and love to please the crowd. Despite the fact that my start was not the best I focused on the execution of the race”, said Harper-Nelson.

Women’s 1500m:  Sweden’s Abeba Aregawi took her second consecutive Golden Gala win in 4:00.23 after her last year’s 3:56.54 when she represented Ethiopia. For the European Indoor champion it was the third consecutive win in this year’s Diamond League series after Doha and New York. Reigning World champion Jennifer Simpson finished third in a new seasonal best of 4:02.30 ahead of Daegu World Championships silver medallist Hannah England (4:03.91). Kenyan record holder and World Junior champion Faith Kipyegon finished a distant seventh in 4:05.31 but she was probably tired after her second place in Eugene last Saturday.  “It was a very tactical race. My aim was to win today.I already have a very good time from Doha, so the victory was more important for me. I also prepared my tactics to fulfil this goal and had enough powere for the fast finish”, said Aregawi.

Women’s 200 metres: Ivory Coast’s Murielle Ahouré, double Olympic finalist in London in the 100m and the 200m, upset Olympic champion Allyson Felix winning in a new national record of 22.36. Felix had to settle with second place with 22.64. Reigning 100 m champion European champion Ivet Lalova took third place with 22.78 to edge 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Kerron Stewart from Jamaica by 0.04 sec. Auhouré won the 100m last year in Rome. “I am very excited after my victory and the national record is a big bonus for me. To be honest, I did not think much about it before the start. I just wanted to execute the race properly and it worked well”, said Ahouré

Men’s 400 metres hurdles: US Johnny Dutch edged double World silver medallist Javier Culson from Portorico to take his first ever Diamond League win in a very close race by 0.05 clocking 48.31. Mamadou Kasse Hanne from Senegal took a surprising third place setting a new personal best of 48.56.
Women’s 3000 steeplechase: Kenyan Milcah Chemos beat Doha DL winner Lidya Chepkirui setting her seasonal best of 9:16.14. Chepkirui, world seasonal leader with 9:13.75, had to settle with runner-up place with 9:18.10 ahead of Ethiopian Sofia Assefa (9:21.24).

Men’s 400 metres: US former Olympic champion Lashawn Merritt won his second win in five days after Eugene clocking 44.96 beating Saudi Arabian Youssef Ahmed Masrahi (45.24)
Men’s 110 metres hurdles: Reigning European Indoor champion Sergey Shubenkov won the last race of the meeting setting the seasonal best with 13.20 beating Frenchman Pascal Martinot Lagarde (13.31).
Field events:

Women’s high jump: Svetlana Shkolina and Anna Chicherova tied the first place with 1.98. Both Russians got a clean sheet until 1.95 m before missing the first attempt at 1.98. They managed to clear 1.98 at thesecond time of asking. They missed three attempts at 2.01. They proceeded to the jump-off but a first-time miss at 2.10 they called it a day.

Men’s pole vault: German Raphael Holzdeppe broke the winning streak of Renaud Lavillenie who won the last two editions of the Golden Gala. Holzdeppe, former World Junior champion, equalled his PB of 5.91 at the third attempt after jumping 5.80 in his first attempt and passing 5.86. Lavillenie had to settle with second place with 5.86 at the second time of asking. The French Olympic champion failed three attempts at 5.91.

Women’s long jump: Reigning Olympic champion and twice Outdoor and Indoor champion Brittney Reese won a very close long jump competition with 6.99 beating Olympic bronze medallist Janay De Loach Soukup by just wo cm. Great Britain’s Shara Proctor set a seasonal best of 6.91 to finish third. Reese took the lead with 6.94m in the first attempt and backed up this result with a 6.89 jump in the fourth attempt. De Loach took the lead briefly with 6.97m in the fifth attempt but Reese regained the first position leaping to 6.99 in the same round despite a headwind of -1.0 m/s. The Rome competition confirmed the gih-quality level of the discipline this year with two more jumpers over 6.80m: Olympic silver medallist Yelena Sokolova fourth with 6.87 and European Indoor champion Dariya Klishina, fifth with a seasonal best of 6.81m. “I am very satisfied with my result today. My fifth attempt was the one that sent me above the rest. I would give myself today 9 out of 10 points.

Men’s triple jump: US Christian Taylor, Olympic and World champion, leapt to 17.08 in the fourth attempt overtaking European Indoor champion Daniele Greco who was leading with 17.04 in the third round.
Women’s discus throw: Reigning Olympic and European champion Sandra Perkovic won her third Diamond lLeague this season after Doha and new York and threw beyond the 68 m barrier despite a sore throat in her third meeting in a row with 68.25m in her second attempt. She backed up it with a second best throw of 67.25m in the last attempt. She would have won with her third and fourth best throws (66.24m and 65.71m), as second placer Cuban Yarelis Barrios produced a best result of 64.44m in the first round. “It was a bit difficult competitition for me today, because I have a sore throat, so I did not feel very well. I really wanted to improve my world leading mark but under these circumstances the result is still very good. I had a little injury on my right ankle in Doha, so I underwent some therapyto fix it. Then I got cold in New York and still fighting with it till now”, said Perkovic.

Women’s javelin throw: German Christina Obergfoll, Olympic and European silver medallist, scored her third DL win this season after New York and Eugene with 66.45 m in the second round. 

Men’s shot put: World champion and Olympic silver medallist David Storl from Germany produced the two best throws  in her only valid  attempts to win the men’s shot put with 20.70 m. Even her second best throw would have been enough to clinch the win ahead of US Cory Martin (20.54m). World silver medallist Dylan Armstrong from Canada finished third with 20.29m.

Results Photos