Diamond League Comes To NYC - Recap Of 2010 adidas Grand Prix
By Tim Loh
June 13, 2010
It was a sizzling, steamy day at Randall's Island in New York City on Saturday for the IAAF Diamond League's Adidas Grand Prix.
Randall's Island is in the upper portion of the East River, wedged between Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx. Icahn Stadium sits on the island's west bank, across from Manhattan's Upper East Side and Harlem.
On Saturday, the stadium was packed - mostly with Jamaican fans - but not particularly loud, especially for the distance events.
Here's a breakdown of the day's events.
Men's
1,500
Coming
off his American record-setting 5,000 meters in Oslo last week (where he clocked
12:54), Bernard Lagat drew more applause from the crowd than any other 1,500
competitor. In fact, many of the high school milers would later call him a hero.
("My favorite superstar – ever," said
high school senior Kathleen Stevens, who lives in Virginia.)
Lagat responded to all this by leading the field through the first 1,100 meters (behind pacers David Krummenacker and Adam Perkins at first), looking relaxed.
But entering the last lap, Kenya's Nicholas Kemboi and Ethiopia's Deresse Mekonnen sprung past, burying Lagat in the chase pack.
From lane three, Leonel Manzano followed the Africans' move, showing the first of two late-race bursts, which would place him among the leaders.
Kemboi narrowly kept his lead around the final bend, but pulled clear of Mekonnen over the last 100 meters to win. Meanwhile, Manzano muscled his way in front of several runners - including Lopez Lamong and Lagat, who'd been bunched beside him - over the last 150 meters. He nearly caught Mekonnen in the closing meters, but settled for third place, as the top American.
"Not too bad for the second time out," he said afterward. In his only other 1,500 this season, Manzano clocked 3:36 at Occidental College in May. He said he'd tweaked his hamstring while training in Mexico earlier this spring, which forced him to miss five or six weeks of training.
"It sucked. I was the bench warmer, water boy, camera boy," he said. Now, though, he's been training well for six weeks, he said. He'll race the 1,500 at U.S. Championships and then either the mile or 1,500 meters at the Prefontaine Classic, on July 3.
Lagat, meanwhile, said he's been training exclusively for the 5,000 meters up till now, and that he couldn't find the top-end speed he needed on the last lap. He also blamed fatigue.
"After the 5,000 meters last week and all the traveling, the body can get tired a bit," he said. "But this is the speedwork I'm looking for. I ran a solid race today and I was happy to be in the mix." He said he'd expected to run 3:33 today.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
KEN
|
3:33.29
|
MR
|
|
|
2
|
ETH
|
3:33.85
|
|
|
|
3
|
USA
|
3:33.92
|
|
|
|
4
|
ETH
|
3:34.06
|
|
|
|
5
|
USA
|
3:34.36
|
|
|
|
6
|
USA
|
3:35.77
|
|
|
|
7
|
USA
|
3:35.81
|
|
|
|
8
|
USA
|
3:36.12
|
|
|
|
9
|
RSA
|
3:37.34
|
|
|
|
10
|
ETH
|
3:37.67
|
|
|
|
11
|
USA
|
3:38.53
|
|
|
|
12
|
IRL
|
3:39.43
|
|
|
|
13
|
USA
|
3:45.20
|
|
|
|
14
|
USA
|
3:47.53
|
|
|
|
|
USA
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
|
USA
|
DNF
|
|
|
Intermediate times:
400m - Krummenacker, David (USA) - 55.93
800m - Krummenacker, David (USA) - 1:53.74
1200m - Mekonnen, Deresse (ETH) - 2:53.61
Men's
800
In
something of a repeat of last summer's World Championships, South Africa's
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi strode away from Nick Symmonds in the final stretch.
"I'm still bitter about last year's race," Symmonds admitted afterwards. "I was right off his shoulder and he got first and I got sixth. But coming in second today, with that field, feels really, really great."
Among those whom he beat on Saturday was the world-leading 1,500 runner, Kenya's 20-year-old Asbel Kiprop.
Symmonds sat in last place for the first half of Saturday’s race. He moved up to sixth place by 500 meters to go, to fourth place by 200 meters left, and then kicked into second place for the last 100 meters. He said he thought he might catch Mulaudzi, who was then in first. Symmonds also said he felt “raw,” as it was his first 800-meter race of the outdoor season.
He added that he's training this year to peak in August and September. "That's what I've got to do next year to win a medal, so I'm experimenting this year," he said.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result | Diamond Points | Diamond Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
RSA
|
1:44.38
|
MR
|
4
|
2
|
||
|
2
|
USA
|
1:45.05
|
|
2
|
3
|
||
|
3
|
KEN
|
1:45.46
|
|
1
|
6
|
||
|
4
|
USA
|
1:45.77
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
5
|
USA
|
1:46.59
|
|
|
|
||
|
6
|
KEN
|
1:47.12
|
|
2
|
3
|
||
|
7
|
USA
|
1:47.51
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
8
|
KEN
|
1:47.98
|
|
|
|
||
|
9
|
USA
|
1:49.81
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
HAI
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
Women's
800
During
the slow, 60-second first lap, it appeared that no one wanted to lead this
race. Geena Gall reluctantly nudged the pack along, but slowed to allow two
others to run abreast of her through the 500-meter mark.
After holding back through most of the race, Laura Januszewski emerged in the front over the last 100 meters. She said afterward that she was happy with both the win and her execution, but unsatisfied with her time of 2:03.
"Winning's great and this is a real shot of confidence, but I'd have preferred to finish fourth or fifth and go a bit faster," she said. She added that she hopes to crack 2:00 this summer.
Gall said she felt flat the whole way. "No one wanted to take it out and there was no rabbit," she said. "Running that slow actually hurts more than running fast sometimes." With a personal best of 2:00.44 from last year, she said her top goal this year is to crack 2:00 as well.
|
1
|
USA
|
2:03.39
|
|
|
|
2
|
USA
|
2:03.59
|
|
|
|
3
|
USA
|
2:03.83
|
|
|
|
4
|
USA
|
2:03.98
|
|
|
|
5
|
CAN
|
2:04.02
|
|
|
|
6
|
USA
|
2:04.20
|
|
|
|
7
|
USA
|
2:04.48
|
|
|
|
8
|
USA
|
2:04.98
|
|
Jim Ryun High
School Dream Mile
As the
13 high school milers were being announced, Jim Ryun perched in the stadium's
second row, thumbing his i-Phone anxiously and clapping his thigh with his free
hand.
“In my day, it was only the seniors who were invited to these meets, like the Golden West,” he said.
The first-ever "Jim Ryun High School Dream Mile" was set to begin.
His posture remarkably straight, Ryun craned his neck for a better view, saying, "It's great to get all these top guys from around the country and different grades together, because when you put the best in one race ..."
Then the gun popped and Ryun was whisked to the finish line. Four minutes later, Illinois sophomore Lukas Verzbicas completed what seemed to be his thought.
Verzbicas tucked right on the rabbit's shoulder from the gun. With the line of high schoolers steadily thinning behind him, he crossed the 800 mark in 2:01 and the 1,200 mark in 3:01.92. With the crowd roaring, he slowed a bit on his final lap, breaking the tape in 4:04.38.
While holding the two-foot tall trophy after the race - a giant wooden base with a 10-inch Jim Ryun striding on top - Verzbicas called the meet the most "professional" he's ever raced in his life.
An avid triathlete, he said that in addition to his running mileage, he swims 20,000 to 25,000 yards a week. He said he'll race the 2-mile at the New Balance Nationals next weekend, and then promised to break four minutes in the mile before he graduates high school.
He listed two other high school goals - breaking German Fernandez's national 2-mile record of 8:34, and Galen Rupp's national 5,000 record of 13.37.
Seattle sophomore Maddie Meyers kicked past Florida senior Shelby Hayes in the last 50 meters to claim the women's race in 4:41.93.
Afterward, she said she enjoyed being able to run in a pack for once, as she competes in Washington's smallest division and rarely has any competition.
"I didn't think I could win it 'til there were 50 meters to go," she said afterward. She'll race the mile next week at the New Balance National Championships.
Kelsey Margey, a sophomore from Greenlawn, NY, who was the runner-up in the 800m at the 2010 Nike Indoor Nationals, finished third in 4:43.91.
Intermediate times:
400m - CALDWELL, Greg (USA) 59.63
800m -Verzbicas, Lukas (USA) - 2:01.28
1200m- Verzbicas, Lukas (USA) -3:01.92
|
Intermediate times:
400m - JACKSON, Brittney (USA) - 1:04.61
800m - JACKSON, Brittney (USA) - 2:17.07
1200m - Mcgee, Cory Ann (USA) - 3:29.90
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Women's
1,500
In what
could have been a U.S. Championship field - save for the few Africans mixed in
- Christin Wurth-Thomas bolted into the lead, which she grew to as much as 25
meters and held for the first 1,200 meters of the race. Then she faded to
seventh.
The first to blow past her was Kenya's Nancy Jebet Langat, who would go on to top her already world-leading 1,500-meter time, with a victory in 4:01.60.
"I didn't expect to win because everyone was prepared," Langat said afterward, though the Americans might not have believed her. "Now I'm focusing on the Commonwealth Games and the African Championships."
The top American finisher was Jenny Barringer, who clocked a season-beast 4:03.63 to finish fourth. She said she came to New York focused on competing with whomever to win, not on trying to be the first American.
"It's the same at all levels, whether you're in high school, college, or in the pros - you just gotta race," she said.
She plans to race the steeplechase at the U.S. Championships - and possibly double with either the 5,000 or 1,500.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result | Diamond Points | Diamond Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
KEN
|
4:01.60
|
WL,MR
|
8
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
ETH
|
4:02.00
|
PB
|
2
|
3
|
||
|
3
|
ETH
|
4:03.35
|
|
3
|
2
|
||
|
4
|
USA
|
4:03.63
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
5
|
USA
|
4:04.00
|
|
|
|
||
|
6
|
USA
|
4:04.01
|
PB
|
|
|
||
|
7
|
USA
|
4:05.56
|
|
|
|
||
|
8
|
USA
|
4:05.96
|
|
|
|
||
|
9
|
USA
|
4:06.44
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
10
|
POL
|
4:06.94
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
11
|
USA
|
4:07.22
|
|
|
|
||
|
12
|
USA
|
4:07.49
|
|
|
|
||
|
13
|
CAN
|
4:07.76
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
14
|
USA
|
4:10.11
|
|
|
|
||
|
15
|
USA
|
4:15.07
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
JAM
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
IRL
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
Men's
3,000 Steeple
In a
grinding steeplechase, Kenya's Paul Koech pulled away from two compatriots to
finish first in 8:10.43.
Daniel Huling finished as the top American in 8:21.68, having pulled clear of Steve Slattery and Anthony Famiglietti, who was passed by Ben Bruce just before the finish.
"With this being my opener, I'm pretty happy," Huling said. "Though I think I'm in 8:15 shape right now, if these were European conditions."
Bruce, who finished in 8:26.23, missed his personal best by 0.10 seconds, he said. He said he's happy with the performance though and hopes to better it.
Citing foot troubles, Famiglietti said he's only been able to manage half of a hurdle workout thus far. He added that, at 8:30.84, he finished about 15 seconds faster for his yearly debut than he did in 2008, when he won the Olympic Trials.
"So to open with an 8:30 is great," he said.
A Long Island native, he spent five years living in Manhattan's Upper East Side - just a two-mile jog from the Randall-s Island track. While doing a shake-out run on Friday morning, he said he ran into several fishermen strung along the East River, as well as stadium employees - one named Ramon - whom he often chatted with after his twice-weekly track workouts.
About his win, Koech said, "The race was okay up to 2,000 meters. I felt the heat of the sun, that kept me under what I expected. But then I slowed it after 2,000 meters. I was pleased with my race."
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result | Diamond Points | Diamond Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
KEN
|
8:10.43
|
|
6
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
KEN
|
8:15.52
|
|
3
|
3
|
||
|
3
|
KEN
|
8:18.92
|
|
1
|
4
|
||
|
4
|
USA
|
8:21.68
|
|
|
|
||
|
5
|
USA
|
8:25.81
|
|
|
|
||
|
6
|
USA
|
8:26.23
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
7
|
USA
|
8:30.84
|
|
|
|
||
|
8
|
USA
|
8:34.38
|
|
|
|
||
|
9
|
USA
|
8:49.22
|
|
|
|
||
|
10
|
BEL
|
8:50.19
|
|
|
|
||
|
11
|
USA
|
8:50.75
|
|
|
|
||
|
12
|
USA
|
8:54.20
|
SB
|
|
|
||
|
|
KEN
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
Women's 5,000
Ethiopian
Tirunesh Dibaba unleashed a roughly 58-second final lap to take the women's
5,000 meters in 15:11.34, leaving two fellow Ethiopians in her wake.
Hoping to prevent that sort of blitzkrieg finish, American Amy Yoder-Begley grabbed first place with 800 meters to go and strung out the jumbled pack over the next lap. But she couldn't keep pace when the three Ethiopians made their move. She narrowly lost to Kenya's Sally Kipyego, who finished fourth.
The fair-skinned Yoder-Begley said afterwards that the heat might have gotten to her. "It's been 50 degrees and rainy for my training lately," she said, drenched in sweat, in her Oregon Track club jersey. "I wish I would've made another move with 600 meters to go."
She'll be running the 10,000 meters at nationals.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result | Diamond Points | Diamond Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
ETH
|
15:11.34
|
|
4
|
2
|
||
|
2
|
ETH
|
15:12.99
|
|
6
|
1
|
|
|
|
3
|
ETH
|
15:16.61
|
|
1
|
4
|
||
|
4
|
KEN
|
15:18.46
|
|
|
|
||
|
5
|
USA
|
15:18.96
|
|
|
|
||
|
6
|
CAN
|
15:19.33
|
|
|
|
||
|
7
|
KEN
|
15:23.82
|
|
|
|
||
|
8
|
ETH
|
15:29.18
|
|
|
|
||
|
9
|
USA
|
15:49.39
|
PB
|
|
|
||
|
10
|
USA
|
16:01.77
|
|
|
|
||
|
11
|
AUS
|
16:11.61
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
USA
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
POL
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
SRB
|
DNF
|
|
|
|
||
Women’s
200 meters
Following
her narrow victory over Allyson Felix, the Jamaican sprinter Veronica Campbell
Brown, who electrified the heavily Jamaican crowd, said: "I had a good race. I
know [Allyson] Felix finishes strong, so I had to get out hard. I'm excited; it
was a good race, wonderful ladies. I'm satisfied my time was under 22
[seconds]."
|
1
|
JAM
|
21.98
|
WL,MR
|
0.183
|
4
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
USA
|
22.03
|
|
0.163
|
2
|
4
|
||
|
3
|
USA
|
22.59
|
SB
|
0.193
|
1
|
7
|
||
|
4
|
TRI
|
22.82
|
SB
|
0.148
|
|
|
||
|
5
|
USA
|
23.16
|
|
0.207
|
|
|
||
|
6
|
GBR
|
23.37
|
|
0.217
|
|
|
||
|
7
|
USA
|
23.41
|
|
0.231
|
|
|
Men's
Triple Jump
Landing
just two centimeters shy of the 18-meter mark, France's 20-year-old
triple jumper Teddy Tamgho set both a national record and a world-leading mark
on his sixth and final jump.
"Just two centimeters from being a legend," he said, in halting English, after an animated, in-depth conversation with the French-speaking press.
Tamgho, who set an indoor world record and was world indoor champ this winter, then said he could definitely leap beyond 18 meters.
"When I did 17.98," he said, holding his hands about ten inches apart, "I needed a better final step."
"But I was still close," he added. "Now I have to work harder than hard."
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result Wind |
Diamond Points | Diamond Ranking | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
FRA
|
17.98
+1.2 |
WL,NR |
4
|
1
|
|
16.47
(+1.5) |
x (+1.2) |
17.61 (-0.2) |
17.60 (+0.6) |
17.84 (+1.7) |
17.98 (+1.2) |
||
|
2
|
SWE
|
17.62
+3.4 |
2
|
3
|
17.05
(+0.4) |
17.21 (+1.1) |
x (+1.6) |
17.21 (+0.1) |
x (+0.5) |
17.62 (+3.4) |
||||
|
3
|
GBR
|
17.31
+1.9 |
1
|
5
|
16.67
(+1.2) |
17.22 (+0.8) |
17.28 (+1.4) |
17.31 (+1.9) |
16.94 (+2.2) |
14.76 (+1.2) |
||||
|
4
|
BAH
|
16.80
+2.0 |
=SB |
|
|
16.50
(+1.2) |
16.68 (-1.1) |
16.80 (+2.0) |
16.72 (+0.9) |
16.58 (+2.5) |
16.46 (+2.8) |
|||
|
5
|
GRN
|
16.76
+1.4 |
|
|
16.76
(+1.4) |
x (+0.5) |
x (+2.4) |
16.60 (+4.5) |
x (+1.6) |
x (-0.3) |
||||
|
6
|
HAI
|
16.60
+3.4 |
|
|
16.52
(+0.4) |
16.60 (+3.4) |
16.55 (+1.4) |
x (+1.7) |
16.55 (+2.2) |
16.38 (+3.0) |
||||
|
7
|
USA
|
16.46
+1.2 |
|
|
x
(0.0) |
x (+2.2) |
16.46 (+1.2) |
|
|
|
||||
|
8
|
USA
|
16.01
+0.5 |
|
|
16.01
(+0.5) |
15.97 (+1.9) |
15.54 (-0.4) |
|
||||||
Men's 100
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Result | Reaction time | Diamond Points | Diamond Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
TRI
|
9.89
|
|
0.169
|
6
|
2
|
||
|
2
|
JAM
|
9.91
|
|
0.192
|
2
|
3
|
||
|
3
|
ANT
|
9.92
|
|
0.163
|
1
|
5
|
||
|
4
|
USA
|
9.92
|
|
0.153
|
|
|
||
|
5
|
USA
|
9.98
|
|
0.141
|
|
|
||
|
6
|
USA
|
9.99
|
|
0.167
|
|
|
||
|
7
|
AHO
|
10.07
|
|
0.154
|
1
|
5
|
||
|
8
|
USA
|
10.07
|
|
0.143
|
1
|
5
|
||
|
9
|
USA
|
10.14
|
|
0.174
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
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