(Reuters) – American Christian Coleman stunned world champion Noah Lyles to win the men’s 100 metres at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday as Jamaican Shericka Jackson took the women’s sprint title.
Coleman missed out on the podium at the World Championships in Budapest but broke the tape in a blistering 9.83 seconds as fellow American Lyles finished second in 9.85. Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala took third.
Coleman, the 2018 Diamond League champion, exploded off the blocks and Lyles, who nearly skipped the season-ending meet, was unable to overcome a slower start.
“It’s been a long year,” said Coleman, who had clearly turned his attention to the 2024 Paris Games. “I feel like this was just a little appetizer and next year we’ll be ready.”
Lyles, the first male athlete since Jamaican Usain Bolt to win gold in the 100 metres, 200 and 4×100 relay at the World Championships, was all smiles after a transformative 2023.
“Of course, I want the win, but more (important) is that the crowd got to come out here and I got to be in front of them,” said Lyles.
“I was able to do a victory lap, even though I didn’t win the victory.”
Jamaican Jackson finished second at the World Championships behind American Sha’Carri Richardson but took the lead in the final half of the women’s 100 metres before breaking the tape in 10.70.
Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou finished five hundredths of a second slower and Jackson’s compatriot Elaine Thompson-Herah, the back-to-back Olympic champion, took third in 10.79.
Richardson got off to a slower start and was never in contention, finishing just off the podium in 10.80.
American Rai Benjamin got the track programme of the two-day finale off to a roaring start as he stunned world record-holder Karsten Warholm in the 400 metres hurdles, overtaking his bitter rival in the final stretch of the race.
World champion Warholm was strong favourite after claiming three Diamond League wins this year but Benjamin finished strongly to clock 46.39 seconds, the best time of the year and fourth-fastest ever.
Norway’s Olympic champion Warholm was second in 46.53 and Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands took third in 47.31.
“Went back to my old race model, because my second half is just amazing. Just tried to channel that today and I feel like I did a really good job,” Benjamin, who left Budapest with bronze, said.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, who this year became the first woman to complete a 1,500-5,000 metres double at the World Championships, sparkled again as she won the 1,500 metres in a blistering 3:50.72.
The women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase saw a repeat of the Budapest podium as Winfred Yavi sprinted home to win in 8:50.66, the second-fastest time ever.
Grenadian three-times Olympic medallist Kirani James won the men’s 400 metres in 44.30 seconds while world bronze medallist Quincy Hall of the United States finished second in 44.44.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Ed Osmond)
