By Israel La Rue and Maddie Lang
Three athletes cemented themselves at the top of the Diamond League standings with victories Friday at the Lausanne Diamond League event: Femke Bol leads the women’s 400 hurdles with 24 points, Jakob Ingebrigtsen leads the men’s 1,500 with 24 points and Katie Moon leads the women’s pole vault with 30 points, more points than any other athlete six events into the season.
In the women’s 400 hurdles, reigning Diamond League champion Boldominated. She made up the lane five stagger after the first hurdle and only increased her lead from there. She came across the finish line 20 meters ahead of her competition in a time of 52.76, a meet record. Runner-up Viivi Lehikoinen finished in a time of 54.67.
Bol is now seven points ahead of Jamaica’s Rushell Clayton in the standings that determine the eight-person field for the Diamond League final, which will take place at the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field in Eugene on Sept. 16-17.
“Today we tried to push my first stride, and I’m not used to it,” Bol said. “I like it to be easy and then have a strong finish. Today we did it the other way around.”
The men’s 1,500 meters was as exciting as always. Ingrebrigtsen, thedefending Olympic gold medalist, world champion and Diamond League champion, won in a meet record 3:28.72, his third Diamond League victory of the season. He also won in Rabat and Oslo.
Ingebrigtsen led the first three laps behind the pacers, Mounir Akbache and Erik Sowinski. After the pacers dropped off in the final lap, he took his lead. Right on his shoulder was Josh Kerr of Great Britain and Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia.
As they came around the final curve, Ingebrigtsen initiated his final kick and distanced himself from the field. Runner-up Girma finished in a time of 3:29.51, an Ethiopian record.
“It was a really good race,” Ingebrigtsen said. “Looking forward to the next races and hoping to do well in Budapest.”
In the women’s pole vault, reigning world and Olympic champion Moon won her third Diamond League event of the season, jumping a season’s best and world lead of 4.82 meters.
“A WL performance a week ahead of the US trials is amazing,” said Moon, who is looking toward next week’sw USATF outdoor national championships, also at Hayward Field in Eugene.
Moon beat her previous world lead by .01 set at the beginning of the season in Doha.
Moon passed on the first two heights, then scratched on her first attempt of the day at 4.51. She then made her next two jumps, jumping over 4.51 and 4.61. She struggled at 4.71, clearing the height on her last attempt. She passed at 4.77.
At 4.82, the only jumpers remaining were Moon and European champion Wilma Murto, who held the lead. Murto and Moon both missed on their first two jumps. Murto missed at 4.82 and Moon’s clutch gene kicked in once again as she made the mark on her final attempt to win the event.
“I do not have the usual pressure that we feel ahead of the US trials as I am already qualified,” Moon said. “But it’s the US trials and it is always competitive.”
In the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, Olympian Beatrice Chepkoech fought off Sembo Almayew and reigning Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai, running a meet record and season best of 9:05.98.
After the first lap, Chepkoech was running stride for stride with the pacesetter leading the pack, but Almayew and Chemutai held on to the pace. She wasn’t able to hold onto her lead as Almayew overtook her.
With the lead, Almayew started to push the pace, but Chepkoech and Chemutai held on. With four laps to go, it was the trio in the front of the pack.
Almayew and Chepkoech pulled away in the final lap. It was Almayew in the lead with Chepkoech on her heels.
Chepkoech overtook Almayew right before the final water jump. She struggled on her last hurdle jump but held on in the final 100 to beat Almayew by .84.
The reigning 800-meter Kenyan national champion, Mary Moraa, pushed the pace in the women's 800 to win her second Diamond League race of the season with a time of 1:57.43, beating silver medalist Keely Hodgkinson by a little under a second.
“It was a very challenging race, and I felt completely empty at the end of it,” Moraa said.
Moraa took an early lead and fended off Hodgkinson and Natoya Goule the whole race, not allowing those runners to get into a position to win.
“I think that I didn’t get myself in the best position today,” Hodgkinson said. “And with an athlete like Mary, you can’t really afford to do that.”
In his first Diamond League shot put competition of the season, Ryan Crouser had five throws over 22 meters and won on his second throw, 22.29m. Runner-up Tom Walsh took second with his second throw of 21.99m.
“I started the competition pretty well,” Walsh said. “But I didn’t finish very well.”
Crouser now sits in third place in Diamond League rankings with eight points. He is positioned behind Walsh, who has 14 points, and Leonardo Fabbri of Italy, who has 13.
“Physically I felt really good tonight, but technically it was a bit of a train wreck,” Crouser said. “It’s a good indicator that there is a lot of power and strength there. … A couple easy fixes will add close to a meter once I iron those out.”
