Dalilah Muhammad won an historic 400m hurdles race at the US Championships in Sacramento on Sunday.
Clocking 52.64 to move to sixth on the world all-time list, the Olympic champion was one of three athletes to run times of sub-53 seconds as six dipped under 54 seconds.
It is the first time that three athletes have ever gone quicker than 53 seconds and six have broken 54 seconds in the same women’s 400m hurdles race.
Shamier Little was second in 52.75 and Kori Carter third in 52.95 to book their spots on the US team for the IAAF World Championships in London alongside Muhammad and Cassandra Tate, who won the overall 2016 Diamond League title and therefore has a wild card.
Ashley Spencer was fourth in 53.11, Georganne Moline fifth in 53.14 and 17-year-old Sydney McLaughlin was sixth in 53.82 as she improved her own world under-20 record.
“I am feeling good. I am feeling amazing,” said Muhammad. “My coach told me it was there, I just had to trust him and believe it and keep my faith, so I am just really happy right now.
“Right now I just wanted to make the team and that’s 100 percent honest. Of course every race I go out there trying to win. I knew it was going to be a fast race and my coach was telling me to just go with it and trust that I will be able to finish and that’s what I did.”
Another impressive performance came in the men’s shot put as Ryan Crouser recorded 22.65m for the longest throw in the world since 2003.
Joe Kovacs had gone into the lead with a meeting record mark of 22.35m in the final round but Crouser had a winning response.
The 110m hurdles was won by Aleec Harris in 13.24 from world record-holder Aries Merritt with 13.31 and Devon Allen with 13.34, while Christian Coleman secured a second World Championships place as he clocked 20.10 (-2.3m/s) to finish second behind Ameer Webb with 20.09 after his runner-up spot in the 100m.
Jarrion Lawson won the long jump with a windy leap of 8.49m (3.7m/s) from Marquis Dendy’s 8.39m (3.1m/s).
Saturday had seen Kendra Harrison win her first US 100m hurdles title. After breaking a bone in her hand in May, the world record-holder had clocked 12.54 to win her heat and went on to secure victory in the final in 12.60 (-1.7m/s).
Over at the Jamaican Championships in Kingston, Yohan Blake added the 200m title to his 100m win on Friday, clocking 19.97.
Omar McLeod confirmed his position as strong favourite for the London Worlds 110m hurdles as he blazed to a world-leading Commonwealth and national record 12.90 to move to equal fifth on the world all-time list.
Danielle Williams won the 100m hurdles in 12.56, while Shericka Jackson won the 400m in 50.05.
At the Kenyan Championships, Ronald Kwemoi ran a 3:30.89 Kenyan 1500m all-comers record, while Faith Kipyegon claimed the women’s title in 4:05.74.
Hellen Obiri won the 5000m in 15:28.89, while Geoffrey Kamworor clocked 27:35.91 to win the 10,000m from Bedan Karoki’s 27:40.32.
Abdul Hakim Sani Brown was among the winners at the Japanese Championships in Osaka, with the double world U18 champion clocking PBs of 10.05 and 20.32 to win the 100m and 200m respectively.
Source: AW
