SHAOXING, CHINA, May 03 — The 2-meet Chinese leg of the Diamond League concluded with an impressive hurdles win by Cordell Tinch, who shot up the all-time list, and the usual vault heroics by Mondo Duplantis. The Yangtze River Delta Athletics Diamond Gala was held this year in Shaxoing while the stadium in Shanghai, the nominal host of the meet, undergoes renovation.
After a solid start in the 110H, Tinch steadily pulled away from the field and won in a sensational 12.87 (wind +0.6), smashing his PR (12.96 from ’23) and climbing to =No. 4 on the all-time list. Rachid Muratake of Japan took 2nd in 13.10.
“To be honest, I kinda felt like I was gonna run something fast,” said Tinch, who ran 13.06 to win the DL opener in Xiamen a week earlier. “I’d been getting out very well [in practice] all week, but it’s a matter of trying to finish those races when I get out well. I didn’t know it would be 12.8-fast, but I thought at least I’d go faster than 13.06. I think we’re just scratching the surface of this season.”
After finishing a heartbreaking 4th in the historically deep OT final last summer, Tinch is focused on making the squad for September’s World Championships. “My goal this season is I don’t want to miss any more USA teams,” he said. “So regardless of what I gotta do — I thought 13.0 last year was fast enough, but it’s not, so sometimes you gotta go and run 12.8 and figure it out from there.”
As has become habit, Duplantis barely broke a sweat in the vault, opening at 18-5¼ (5.62) then passing the next two heights before returning at 19-5¼ (5.92). After an uncharacteristically sloppy first-time clearance at 19-8½ (6.01), the Swede made it look effortless as he sailed over 20-½ (6.11). He then missed three times 20-7¼ (6.28), which would have added a centimeter to the WR he set in February. “I really liked my last shot at 6.28, especially considering where I felt like my legs were at,” Duplantis said. “This early with a good shot at 6.28, I’ll take that all day.”
Greece’s Emmanouíl Karalís, the bronze medalist in Paris, earned the runner-up spot at an outdoor PR 19-8½.
Newly crowned world indoor champion Chris Bailey reeled in the fast-starting Bayapo Nduri late in the 400 for a PR win, 44.17–44.32, turning the tables on the Motswana, who had edged him in Xiamen. “I worked on pushing out of the blocks a little bit more, because I feel like I was a little flat last week,” Bailey said. “It worked, can’t complain.”
Quincy Hall, in his first race since taking the Olympic title in Paris, never appeared to have much of a spark and finished 8th in 45.99.
WR holder Karsten Warholm, as always, went out aggressively in the 400H, but appeared to struggle over the final two barriers. The Norwegian kept his poise for a world-leading 47.28 win, comfortably ahead of Brazil’s Matheus Lima (48.08).
Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson held the lead in the 100 through 95m before South Africa’s Akani Simbine, another Xiamen winner, closed magnificently and outleaned the Olympic silver medalist, 9.98–9.99 (wind +0.5).
“I’m not happy with the race, but taking the win is good. I’m just happy to come out of here healthy,” said Simbine, specifically expressing disappointment with his start. “It’s just frustrating that I didn’t get it right today, but I’m happy for the fact that I was able to make up for that mistake today.”
Olympic 10,000 silver medalist Berihu Aregawi patiently waited until 600m remained to take the lead in the 5000 and held off a late charge from fellow Ethiopian Kuma Girma (the 19-year-old brother of steeple WR holder Lamecha Girma) to win, 12:50.45–12:50.69.
In the steeplechase, Abraham Sime of Ethiopia opened a 20-plus-meter lead on the field and then held on for an 8:07.92 win over Kenya’s Edmund Serem (8:08.68).
Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo won the triple jump at 55-10½ (17.03) and China’s Yuhao Shi gave the home crowd a win, clinching the long jump at 26-11¼ (8.21).
SHANGHAI DL MEN’S RESULTS
100(0.5): 1. Akani Simbine (SA) 9.98; 2. Kishane Thompson (Jam) 9.99; 3. Letsile Tebogo (Bot) 10.03; 4. Emmanuel Eseme (Cam) 10.07; 5. Christian Coleman (US) 10.13; 6. Rohan Watson (Jam) 10.18.
400: 1. Chris Bailey (US) 44.17 PR; 2. Bayapo Ndori (Bot) 44.32; 3. Collen Kebinatshipi (Bot) 44.63; 4. Vernon Norwood (US) 44.93; 5. Kirani James (Grn) 44.94; 6. Alexander Doom (Bel) 45.35; 7. Lythe Pillay (SA) 45.39; 8. Quincy Hall (US) 45.99.
St: 1. Abraham Sime (Eth) 8:07.92 (5:26.11); 2. Edmund Serem (Ken) 8:08.68; 3. Simon Koech (Ken) 8:09.05; 4. Mohamed Amine Jihnaoui (Tun) 8:10.55; 5. Nicolas Daru (Fra) 8:10.69 PR; 6. Samuel Firewu (Eth) 8:11.18; 7. Abraham Kibiwott (Ken) 8:12.56.
5000: 1. Berihu Aregawi (Eth) 12:50.45; 2. Kuma Girma (Eth) 12:50.69 PR (7:43.21); 3. Mezgebu Sime (Eth) 12:51.86 PR; 4. Nicholas Kipkorir (Ken) 12:56.81 (10:20.90); 5. Kenneth Kiprop (Uga) 13:00.49 PR; 6. Mohamed Abdilaahi (Ger) 13:05.21; 7. Benson Kiplangat (Ken) 13:09.90; 8. Cornelious Kemboi (Ken) 13:10.60; 9. Célestine Ndikumana (Bur) 13:10.93 PR.
110H(0.6): 1. Cordell Tinch (US) 12.87 PR (WL, AL) (=4, =5 W; 4, 5 A);
2. Rachid Muratake (Jpn) 13.10; 3. Rasheed Broadbell (Jam) 13.24; 4. Zhuoyi Xu (Chn) 13.29; 5. Junxi Liu (Chn) 13.30; 6. Hansle Parchment (Jam) 13.32; 7. Enrique Llopis (Spa) 13.44; 8. Orlando Bennett (Jam) 13.49; 9. Eric Edwards (US) 13.90.
400H: 1. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 47.28 (WL);
2. Matheus Lima (Bra) 48.08 PR; 3. Carl Bengtström (Swe) 48.72; 4. Berke Akçam (Tur) 48.84; 5. Kyron McMaster (BVI) 49.19; 6. CJ Allen (US) 49.24.
Field Events
PV: 1. Mondo Duplantis (Swe) 20-½ (6.11) (out WL) (18-5¼, 19-5 =out WL, 19-8½ out WL, 20-½, 20-7¼ [xxx]) (5.62, 5.92, 6.01, 6.11, 6.28 [xxx]);
2. Emmanouíl Karalís (Gre) 19-8½ (6.01) out PR (18-5¼, 19-1 [2], 19-5, 19-8½, 20-½ [xxx]) (5.62, 5.82 [2], 5.92, 6.01, 6.11 [xxx]);
3. Menno Vloon (Neth) 19-1 (5.82); 4. Kurtis Marschall (Aus) 18-9¼ (5.72); 5. EJ Obiena (Phi) 18-9¼; 6. Sam Kendricks (US) 18-9¼); 7. Ben Broeders (Bel) 18-9¼; 8. Chenyang Li (Chn) 18-5¼ (5.62) PR.
LJ: 1. Yuhao Shi (Chn) 26-11¼ (8.21); 2. Heng Shu (Chn) 26-10 (8.18) PR; 3. Wayne Pinnock (Jam) 26-7 (8.10); 4. Bozhidar Saraboyukov (Bul) 26-6½ (8.09); 5. Tajay Gayle (Jam) 26-5 (8.05); 6. Anvar Anvarov (Uzb) 26-1¾ (7.97); 7. Liam Adcock (Aus) 25-8¾ (7.84); 8. Marquis Dendy (US) 25-6¾ (7.79); 9. Jeremiah Davis (US) 24-7 (7.49).
TJ: 1. Pedro Pichardo (Por) 55-10½ (17.03); 2. Jordan Scott (Jam) 55-9¼ (17.00); 3. Yaming Zhu (Chn) 55-6¼ (16.92); 4. Donald Scott (US) 55-4¾ (16.88); 5. Hugues Fabrice Zango (Bur) 55-3½ (16.85).
