Reigning Olympic and European champion Keely Hodgkinson secured back-to-back Diamond League victories in the 800m in a rain-soaked Lausanne Diamond League on Wednesday (20) evening.
Just four days after returning from a lengthy injury lay-off with a 1:54.74 clocking in Silesia, Hodgkinson won again in far from ideal conditions in 1:55.69 to break the long-standing meeting record of 1:56.25 set by the legendary Maria Mutola in 2002.
Hodgkinson won by almost two seconds from European U23 champion Audrey Werro who won a well-measured race to finish second in 1:57.34, just ahead of Hodgkinson’s training partner Georgia Hunter-Bell - the 2024 Olympic 1500m bronze medallist - who slipped back to third in 1:57.55.
This was Hodgkinson’s last race before the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo where she will be looking to complete the set of major titles. Hodgkinson won silver medals at both the 2022 and 2023 World Athletics Championships but the Brit, who has ownership of the two races times in 2025, begins as the outstanding favourite to upgrade to gold next month.
12.45 for Visser in the 100m hurdles
Nadine Visser also continued her excellent run of form in the 100m hurdles with the World Athletics Championships just over three weeks away.
Four days after clocking 12.28 in the 100m hurdles heats in Silesia before stumbling in the final, Visser took the plaudits in the pouring rain in 12.45, defeating a field including Olympic champion Masai Russell who pipped home favourite and European indoor champion Ditaji Kambundji for second - 12.53 to 12.54.
There was a surprise victory for Belgium’s Isaac Kimeli in an unusually tactical 5000m in 13:07.67. Kimeli unleashed a 53.97 last lap to streak away from a field including double Olympic medallist Grant Fisher from the United States in second in 13:08.51.
European U23 champion Henriette Jaeger from Norway ran down European indoor champion Lieke Klaver from the Netherlands for her first ever Diamond League victory in the 400m - 50.09 to 50.17.
The women’s javelin was among the most rain affected competitions of the evening and Adriana Vilagos was the only athlete to break the 60 metre-barrier, a feat she achieved with four of her throws.
Vilagos produced her winning throw of 63.02m in the third round to win by over four metres from South Africa’s Jo-Ane du Plessis (58.89m) and Greece’s Elina Tzengko (58.82m).
This was the 50th anniversary of the Athletissima meeting and to mark the half-centenary, a special event was held on the eve of the meeting which was attended by a whole host of athletics greats and dignitaries including European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.
