Reigning European Athletics Championships bronze medallist Ditaji Kambundji was one of five European winners in the Doha Diamond League on Friday (10) evening.
On the road to the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, Kambundji took arguably the biggest victory of her career so far with victory in the 100m hurdles in 12.49, a European-leading time and just 0.02 shy of her Swiss record and European U23 record.
Kambundji pipped current world leader Tonea Marshall from the USA off the last hurdle - 12.49 to 12.51 - with Poland’s reigning European champion Pia Skrzyszowska taking third on her season’s debut in 12.53, equalling the second fastest time of her career.
“This is a very busy season because we have the European Championships and I am the title-holder so I am going to try to repeat my success. I have one more race before the Europeans, then I will be preparing for the Olympics,” commentated Skrzyszowska.
In the 100m flat, Great Britain’s Daryll Neita took her second Diamond League win of the season with victory in a European leading time of 10.98 to edge out Tamari Davis by 0.01.
Like Kambundji, Neita also won bronze at the last European Athletics Championships in Munich two years ago and will be looking for an upgrade on familiar territory as the Brit is currently based on Italian soil in Padova.
Caudery converts winning form to the outdoor stage
One of the breakthrough stars of the indoor season Molly Caudery translated her winning form to the outdoor stage.
The reigning world indoor champion cleared 4.73m to defeat joint world champion Nina Kennedy from Australia on countback by virtue of a clean card all the way up to what was ultimately the winning height.
Reigning European bronze medallist Angelina Topic from Serbia - who is still a junior - had the beating of the seniors in the women’s high jump with the 18-year-old clearing 1.94m for victory by one clear height from Ukraine’s Iryna Herashchenko with 1.91m.
And in the javelin, Czech Republic’s Jakub Vadlejch withstood a late challenge from Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra for the victory.
Vadlejch took the lead in the third round with 88.38m with Chopra falling short by a tantalising two centimetres with his final round gambit, his javelin landing at 88.36m.
And while the men’s discus wasn’t a Diamond League event, Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh surpassed the 70 metre-line on his season’s debut with a winning mark of 70.48m to send out a warning signal to reigning European champion and recent world record-holder Mykolas Alekna.
“My performance was fine. I am still not in good shape. I was really surprised that I threw a very long throw over 70 metres, but still I’m not in very good shape yet.
“I want to be in really good shape to participate in the European Championships and I have four events for me until then," said Ceh.
Steven Mills for European Athletics