Rome Diamond League 2024: Winfred Yavi, Ackera Nugent and Ryan Crouser shine on a record-breaking night
Olympic champion Yavi led the charge posting the second fastest time in history in the women's 3,000m steeplechase on Friday (30 August).
Athletics
Olympic champion Winfred Yavi came painstakingly close to adding the women’s 3,000m steeplechase world record behind her name at the Rome Diamond League meeting on Friday (30 August).
Yavi spearheaded a record-breaking evening in the Italian capital where three meeting records tumbled with the Bahrain star missing the global mark by just 0.07s with a winning time of eight minutes 44.30 seconds (8:44.30).
The 24-year-old Yavi was embroiled in a close tussle with Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai with the duo running in front for the majority of the race in a repeat of their Olympic tussle.
Chemutai set the early pace before Yavi pulled ahead at the bell with the Ugandan biting at her heels until the very last barrier. As Yavi’s feet touched the track after the final barrier she stepped up a gear, finally sensing the world record was still in play.
Yavi crossed the line just outside of the target by a hair’s breadth, but still set an Asian and meeting record in the process of posting the second-fastest time ever.
Chemutai followed in second place with a national record of 8:48.03 with Kenya’s Faith Cherotich claiming third in 8:57.65.
“I looked at the time after the race and I went, ‘Oh, no!’. I was really expecting that record and I was going for it,” Yavi said after the race.
“I definitely feel I should break it and I believe it will happen. I need to work even harder. And I am planning to have another go at it before the end of the season. My biggest goal for next year is to become a double world champion.”
In the women's 100m hurdles, Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent sailed over the obstacles and into the record books, setting a national and meeting record with a blistering time of 12.24 seconds.
The time catapulted her into third place on the world’s all-time list with only Keni Harrison and record-holder Tobi Amusan ahead of her.
Nugent finished well ahead of newly crowned Olympic champion Masai Russell, who crossed in 12.31s. Nadine Visser rounded out the top three in 12.52s.
Zambia’s rising one-lap star Muzala Samukonga continued to ride the wave of a stellar 2024 racing to men's 400m victory with the fourth sub-44 second run of his career.
Samukonga was in dominant form, beating London 2012 champion Kirani James to the line in a time of 43.99s.
The Olympic bronze medallist was in control for much of the race and went into the final straight with James threatening to reel him in, but the tenacious Zambian would not be denied. James settled for second place in 44.30s with Jereem Richards taking third in 44.55s.
Ryan Crouser was back to his best unleashing a meeting record heave of 22.49 metres in the men's shot put on his second attempt to claim the top spot. The three-time Olympic champion added half a metre to the previous meeting best.
Italy’s Leonardo Fabbri claimed second with 21.70m and Payton Otterdahl was third with a throw of 21.63m.
Kenyan middle-distance queen Faith Kipyegon made her first appearance since winning a record-breaking third straight Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024, racing to victory in a time of three minutes 52.89 seconds (3:52.89).
Bringing the curtain down on the meeting, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo stormed to an impressive men's 100m win in 9.87 seconds to beat a stacked field.