- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Sandi Morris clears 5.00m in Brussels Diamond League pole vault
- Updated: September 9, 2016
Diamond League
Sandi Morris became just the third female pole vaulter to clear 5.00m indoors or out as she broke the Diamond League record at the AG Insurance Memorial Van Damme before three unsuccessful attempts at a world record height on Friday (September 9).
The American has had a rollercoaster year but it ended on a high as Morris, who broke her wrist at a meeting in Ostrava in May, followed up her Olympic silver medal with the world-leading and American outdoor best clearance. The 24-year-old had gone into the competition targeting the meeting record and after achieving that she raised the bar to 5.07m, though it wasn’t to be this time.
Only Russia’s world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva, whose 11-year-old Diamond League record Morris broke in Brussels, plus USA’s Jenn Suhr have ever gone higher than Morris’ mark.
The American’s win turned the tables on Ekaterini Stefanidi as she cleared 4.76m for the runner-up spot but the Greek vaulter’s achievements throughout the rest of the Diamond League series did mean she secured overall victory.
Another world record attempt had been planned in the women’s 5000m but world 10,000m record-holder and Olympic champion Almaz Ayana did not succeed in her attempt. She still dominated to claim victory in a meeting record-breaking 14:18.89 and also secured the Diamond Race.
The Ethiopian has three of the six fastest times in history after clocking her 14:12.59 PB in Rome and she finished clear ahead of Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri in Brussels, the Kenyan clocking a 14:25.78 PB.
Although Ayana couldn’t improve her own best, she did lead a number of athletes to PBs and as well as Obiri’s lifetime best, Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi and Etenesh Diro improved to 14:29.82 and 14:33.30 respectively, while Olympic 1500m fourth-placer Shannon Rowbury broke the American record with 14:38.92 for fifth ahead of Kenya’s Alice Aprot with a 14:39.56 PB.
Britain’s Eilish McColgan was another to improve as the Briton took almost five seconds off her PB set earlier this year with 15:05.00 to move from 13th to ninth on the UK all-time list. Her fellow Briton Steph Twell clocked 15:14.82 for 17th.
Three athletes dipped under 20 seconds in the men’s 200m, one of those being Britain’s Adam Gemili as he took 0.01 off his PB with 19.97 (+0.8) to consolidate his third place position on the UK all-time …
