Athletics: Thompson-Herah wins Rabat Diamond League 100m; Warholm pulls up injured
Elaine Thompson-Herah continued her World Championships preparation with another win, but Norway's Karsten Warholm faces a race against time after suffering an injury at the Diamond League in Rabat, Morocco.
Athletics
Elaine Thompson-Herah continued her fine build-up to next month's World Championships, where she hopes to break Florence Griffith-Joyner's 34-year-old world record, with another win in the women's 100m at the Diamond League athletics meet in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday (5 June).
The Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme, returning after a two-year hiatus, provided lots of drama. Thompson-Herah had to come from behind to win in 10.83, a meeting record, later saying: "I feel amazing about the race today. This is my 3rd time in Rabat and I'm super excited about the new meeting record of 10.83. For the next event in Rome, I'm following the same process and keeping up the same pace."
However, men's 400m hurdles world record holder and Olympic champion Karsten Warholm, beginning his season here, pulled up clutching his right hamstring after the first hurdle. With just six weeks to go to the World Championships, the Norwegian now faces a race against time to get fit and race-ready.
Follow all the action as it happened below with Olympics.com's updates.
8:56pm – El Bakkali thrills home fans with sub-8 meeting record
The home fans have gone wild for the last event of the night, the men's 3000m steeplechase, featuring Olympic champion and Moroccan favourite Soufiane El Bakkali.
The pacemakers have gone out quick, in 2:38 – the target for the first 1000m was 2:41.
It's between Lamecha Girma and El Bakkali in the final lap. The Moroccan is yelled on by his home fans and holds a very slight lead down the final straight.
El Bakkali then kicks hard with about 60m to go and breaks the meeting record in 7:58.28 to raucous cheers.
It's the new world lead time.
8:44pm – Lafond takes triple jump
In the absence of world record holder and Olympic champion Yulimar Rojas, it's Dominica's Thea Lafond who claims the win in the women's triple jump.
Her best attempt of 14.46m on her fifth jump is enough to see her pip Shanieka Ricketts.
8:30pm – Warholm pulls up in 400m hurdles
All eyes on Karsten Warholm then. His season-opener, in June. Last year he opened with a then-world-record 46.70 in July. What can he do today?
WARHOLM PULLS UP! He's holding his right hamstring. That could be huge with the World Championships only six weeks away.
Khallifah Rosser of the USA wins in a meeting record 48.25.
But this is very bad news for Warholm, who limps off.
Meanwhile, the men's discus competition has finished with world leader and Diamond League record holder Kristjan Ceh adding to his win two weeks ago in Birmingham.
The Slovenian clears 69.68m with his final throw to clinch victory.
8:17pm – Cherono out-sprints Markovc to win women's 3000m
Wow. We have a sprint to the line in the women's 3000m after over eight minutes of running.
Great Britain's Amy-Louise Markovc leads down the home straight but Kenya's Mercy Cherono just pips her at the line in 8:40.29. Markovc clocks 8:40.32.
Unfortunately, Francine Niyonsaba, who was expected to run this event, did not travel to Rabat.
Meanwhile, we have a final result in the women's pole vault, with Sandi Morris, the one-time Olympic medallist and world indoor champion, winning on 4.65m.
8:07pm – Thompson-Herah reacts
Quotes reported by Diamond League:
"I feel amazing about the race today. This is my 3rd time in Rabat and I'm super excited about the new meeting record of 10.83. For the next event in Rome, I'm following the same process and keeping up the same pace."
8:02pm – Bednarek takes men's 200m
A really strong start from Jerome Blake, but it's defending Diamond League champion Kenny Bednarek who leads strongly in the men's 200m race.
Bednarek loses a bit of steam and Luxolo Adams nearly catches him but he hangs on to win in 20.21.
There was a false start from Isaac Makwala originally but he was allowed to take part in the re-run, finishing sixth.
Earlier, Ethiopia's Hirut Meshesha won the women's 1500m in a new personal best 3:57.30.
7:40pm – Teenager Wanyonyi claims 800m win
That was impressive from Emmanuel Wanyonyi.
On his Diamond League debut, barely a week after he first raced outside Kenya, the 17-year-old takes the win in the men's 800m.
1:45.47 to beat out the one-time Olympic medallist Nijel Amos.
The Olympic champion Emmanuel Korir finishes eighth.
7:30pm – Thompson-Herah breaks meet record
A new meet record for Elaine Thompson-Herah, who starts off slowly out of the blocks but breezes home in 10.83 seconds.
Marie-Josée Ta Lou finishes second in 11.04.
Oddly, Anthonique Strachan never made it out of the blocks. She simply wasn't ready for the gun.
Elsewhere, the men's high jump has been won by Greece's Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou with an 8.27m jump on his fourth try.
7:20pm – Wightman leads British 1-2 in 1500m
The British tradition in middle-distance running is going strong, and here Jake Wightman and Jake Heyward come home one and two in the men's 1500m.
Wightman is first across the line in 3:32.62, with his compatriot nearly a full second behind in 3:33.54.
Wightman completed the last lap in an impressive 55.45 seconds.
7:06pm – Nageotte out!
An early surprise in the women's pole vault, as Olympic champion Katie Nageotte misses all three attempts at 4.30m and is out of the competition.
Meanwhile, the world leader Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine has won the women's high jump with a clearance of 1.96m. She attempted but failed to clear 2.01 to improve on her world lead.
And Olympic silver medallist Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic has won the night's first track event, the women's 400m, in 50.10.
Sada Williams of Barbados and Stephenie Ann Macpherson of Jamaica complete the top three.
Here's what Paulino had to say afterwards, as told to the Diamond League:
"I am happy to get this win here in Rabat. It is an important achievement for me and for my country, especially in the eyes of the world. The race was quick, but I managed to cross the line first. I trained well and this helped me to do best. For me, my participation in Rabat is a good preparation for the world championship."
6:40pm – Today's schedule
Good evening. Here is today's schedule of the Diamond League events:
- 5:50pm: Women's high jump
- 6:16pm: Men's long jump
- 6:45pm: Women's pole vault
- 7:04pm: Women's 400m
- 7:15pm: Men's 1500m
- 7:25pm: Men's discus
- 7:28pm: Women's 100m
- 7:37pm: Men's 800m
- 7:43pm: Women's triple jump
- 7:45pm: Women's 1500m
- 7:58pm: Men's 200m
- 8:07pm: Women's 3000m
- 8:27pm: Men's 400m hurdles
- 8:46pm: Men's 3000m steeplechase
The women's high jump and men's long jump are already underway, currently led by Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Thobias Montler respectively.