Femke Bol won the Diamond League 400m hurdles in impressive fashion on Sunday. The 23-year-old broke his own European record (52.03) in London by more than half a second: 51.45 seconds.
The 51.45 is the third time ever run. Only Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was twice as fast as Bol. The 23-year-old American holds the world record with 50.68 seconds.
Jamaican Janieve Russell finished second with 53.75 seconds. American Shamier Little (53.76) completed the podium at the Olympic Stadium.
Bol has clocked over 52 seconds on three occasions this season, but raced in London for the first time in 51 seconds. It was the seventeenth straight win for the Amersfoort woman in the Diamond League 400m hurdles.
Bol is the heavy favorite to win gold in this game at the World Championships in Budapest next month. Her great competitor McLaughlin ignores the hurdles and concentrates on the 400 meters flat.
Hassan third with European record
Sifan Hassan was unable to add a victory on her return to London, but she improved her European record in the 5,000 meters. The two-time Olympic champion, who won the English capital marathon in April, finished third in 14:13.42.
With this time, Hassan has more than improved the 14.22.12 she had over the distance. With her time, she got participation in the Paris Olympics in a year. Maureen Koster raced in the shadow of Hassan in twelfth place with a personal best of 14.47.52.
The Dutch sprinters surprisingly won the 4×100 meters relay in London. The quartet N’ketia Seedo, Marije van Hunenstijn, Jamile Samuel and Tasa Jiya won in 42.38. This time was the best this season for the women’s sprint, who almost certainly secured their starting ticket to the World Cup.
The men did not reach the finish in the 4×100 meters. Hensley Paulina, Taymir Burnet and Nsikak Ekpo seemed to be on the right track, but the change of baton between Ekpo and last runner Raphael Bouju went wrong.
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