Golden Gala 2023: Faith Kipyegon shatters 1500m world record, Erriyon Knighton and Fred Kerley triumph
Kenyan star becomes the first woman to break 3:50 on a historic night as she takes almost a second off Genzebe Dibaba's eight-year-old mark.
Athletics
Faith Kipyegon delivered a sensational performance to break the 1500m world record at the Golden Gala Diamond League meeting in Florence on Friday (2 June).
The Kenyan was left all alone at the front with a third of the race to go with only the pacing lights on the inside of the track for company.
Those lights - showing Genzebe Dibaba's world record of 3:50.07 from 2015 - were right up with her, but Kipyegon kept on pushing hard.
And Kenya's double Olympic champion started pulling away from the lights on the home turn, running the final 400m in 58.81 to clock 3:49.11.
That capped a fine night of athletics at the third Diamond League meeting of the year with Fred Kerley, Erriyon Knighton and Femke Bol also securing impressive wins.
Scroll down to find out what happened as it happened (all times local Central European Summer Time, UTC+2).
22:05 Faith Kipyegon makes history in 1500m
The double Olympic champion is now the world record holder.
Laura Muir did her best to stay with Faith Kipyegon, but the Kenyan was all on her own with well over a lap to go.
The pacing lights - showing Genzebe Dibaba's world record of 3:50.07 from 2015 - were right up with her, but Kipyegon was determined that this would be her night.
She even pulled away from the lights, running the last 400m in an astonishing 58.81 to stop the clock at 3:49.11.
The Kenyan collapsed to the ground in tears before hugging her coach and all of her rivals starting with Muir.
It was a spectacular end to the night on the track as she took 0.97 off the old world record, running a sub-two-minute 800m at the end.
JuVaughn Harrison won the high jump in dramatic fashion, clearing 2.32m with his last attempt to beat Sanghyeok Woo.
And there was home joy in the women's long jump as Larissa Iapichino took victory with her first-round effort of 6.79m.
Tara Davis-Woodhall (6.74m) was second with Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk (6.59m) in third.
Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo had a best jump of 6.57m to finish in fifth place.
21:44 Kerley powers to 100m success
Fred Kerley again showed why he is going to be hard to stop in Budapest this summer as he scored an authoritative win in the 100m.
The American fairly powered through the last 30 metres to win in 9.94 with Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala second in 10.05.
Trayvon Bromell got the nod over Akani Simbine in fourth with both men clocking 10.09, and European indoor 60m champion Samuele Ceccarelli was fifth in 10.13, taking more than three-tenths of his previous personal best, despite a late stumble.
Just one event to come and it sees Faith Kipyegon attempt to break the 1500m world record.
21:35 Katir wins 5000m with Cheptegei down in fourth
World record holder Joshua Cheptegei was only fourth as Mo Katir won a tactical 5000 metres.
Selemon Barega kicked with 600m to go but faded as Katir and Yomif Kejelcha took over with Cheptegei caught out by the acceleration at the front.
Katir just held off Kejelcha for victory in a world lead time of 12:52.09 with Luis Grijalva passing Cheptegei late on to take third in a new Guatemalan national record.
Poland's Natalia Kaczmarek took the women's 400m in 50.41 ahead of Femke Bol's training partner Lieke Klaver.
Lynna Irby-Jackson finished in third place.
Home favourite Larissa Iapichino leads the women's long jump with 6.79m while the men's high jump has come down to a straight fight between USA's JuVaughn Harrison and Sanghyeok Woo of the Republic of Korea who both cleared 2.30m at the first attempt.
Just two events remaining on the track - the men's 100m followed by the women's 1500m.
21:20 Grant Holloway returns to winning ways
World champion Grant Holloway bounced back from defeat in Rabat by taking victory in the 110m hurdles.
Holloway made a fine start and won in 13.04 from the fast-finishing Jason Joseph who clocked a new Swiss record of 13.10.
Devon Allen (13.19) was third.
World and Olympic champion Katie Moon won the pole vault with a second-round clearance of 4.71m.
Earlier rain had made the runway a little slippery and the jumpers struggled somewhat with Tina Sutej taking second after the Slovenian went over 4.71m on the third attempt before having three failures at 4.77m.
Australia's Nina Kennedy was third with a best clearance of 4.61m.
21:05 Marie-Josee Ta Lou takes women's 100m
Dina Asher-Smith was a late withdrawal from the women's 100m.
The Ivorian veteran Marie-Josee Ta Lou made a typiclally fast start and stayed clear to win in 10.97 with German Gina Lückenkemper (11.09) in second and Britain's Imani Lansiquot.
Earlier, 19-year-old Ethiopian runner Sembo Almayew produced a world lead and personal best of 9:00.71 in the women's 3000m steeplechase.
Jackline Chepkoech of Kenya was second ahead of another Ethiopian, Zerfe Wondemagegn, with world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech only fourth.
20:40 Erriyon Knighton wins men's 200m
Teenager Erriyon Knighton was in a class of his own in the 200m, winning in a season's best 19.89.
The American was unperturbed by the disqualification of Alexander Ogando for a false start as he chased Aaron Brown at the start and then moved up a gear just before the bend and pulled away in the closing stages.
Jereem Richards was a distant second in 20.28 with Brown (20.31) third after tying up late on.
Earlier, Leonardo Fabbri delighted the home fans by winning the shot put with a fourth-round effort of 21.73m.
He pipped former world champion Tom Walsh by four centimetres with Czech Tomas Stanek third just five centimetres further back.
Another former world champion, Joe Kovacs, was fourth with 21.55m as just 30 centimetres separated the top five.
Valarie Allman managed just two legal throws but took the discus with 65.96m on her fifth attempt.
This was another close competition with People's Republic of China's Feng Bin just five centimetres behind and Germany's Shanice Craft (64.47m) third.
And there was a personal best from Andy Diaz in the triple jump as he won the competition with his first jump of 17.75m.
The Cuban, who is in the process of switching allegiance to Italy, won from Hugues Fabrice Zango who recorded 17.68m with his last jump. Another Cuban, Lazaro Martinez, was third with 17.12m.
20:10 Femke Bol sets 400m hurdles world lead
A great start on the track as Dutch star Femke Bol clocks 52.43 to win the women's 400m hurdles, the fastest time in the world this year and a meeting record.
Bol did not make the quickest of starts but hurdled fluently as she finished well clear of Shamier Little with Anna Hall in third.
Bol, who broke the indoor 400m world record earlier this year, looks to be the biggest rival to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at this year's World Championships in Budapest.
Florence Diamond League Preview
World 100m champion Fred Kerley is the star attraction at the Florence Diamond League athletics meet on Friday (2 June).
With Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs again missing through injury, home hopes lie with European indoor 60m champion Samuele Ceccarelli who makes his season outdoor debut.
Teenage sensation Erriyon Knighton goes in the 200m with 110m hurdles world champion Grant Holloway also seeking a win in Italy.
No Sha'Carri Richardson in the women's 100m but this should be one of the races of the night with Dina Asher-Smith, Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Abby Steiner all in the line-up.
World 400m hurdles silver medallist Femke Bol is seeking a fast time as she tries out her new 14-stride pattern between the obstacles, and there will be a world record attempt at the end of the night from Kenya’s world and Olympic 1500m champion Faith Kipyegon.
2023 Florence Diamond League programme
Here's the full schedule for the action at the Stadio Luigi Ridolfi:
- 18:30 Women's discus
- 18:45 Men's triple jump
- 19:15 Men's shot put
- 19:43 Women's pole vault
- 20:04 Women's 400m hurdles
- 20:15 Men's 200m
- 20:20 Men's high jump
- 20:25 Women's 3000m steeplechase
- 20:42 Women's long jump
- 20:44 Women's 100m
- 20:56 Men's 110m hurdles
- 21:06 Men's 5000m
- 21:28 Women's 400m
- 21:39 Men's 100m
- 21:49 Women's 1500m
The full list of Diamond League 2023 season events and results are here.