US 400m man drops down to 100m with 9.91 world lead at the Drake Relays on a weekend that also sees Jake Smith knock out a 2:11 marathon plus fine results at the MultiStars meet in Italy

The 2021 season continues to build with great performances around the globe.

For our coverage of the Continental Tour Gold in Eugene, CLICK HERE

News of the world and British 100-mile world records, CLICK HERE

Results from the University of Birmingham event with BMC races, CLICK HERE

LSU Alumni Gold, Baton Rouge, USA, April 24
Noah Williams ran a world-leading 44.30 in the 400m ahead of Bryce Deadmon’s 44.58 PB. There was also a world lead in the long jump of 8.44/0.8 by JuVaughn Harrison and for world pole vault record-holder Mondo Duplantis who achieved 5.90m in his outdoor debut for the year.

The 200m world leader Terrance Laird clocked a marginally wind-assisted 19.82/2.4. In a quality women’s 100m Aleia Hobbs ran 10.91/0.7 to defeat Tamara Clark’s 10.96.

Tonea Marshall ran a wind-assisted 12.53/2.6 to defeat NCAA indoor long jump champion Tara Davis’s 12.61. Deborah Acquah set a Ghanian long jump record of 6.81/1.6.

Drake Relays, Des Moines, USA, April 23-24
Britain’s Olympic fourth-placer Cindy Sember carried on her great form with a PB and European-leading 12.57/1.8 100m hurdles to defeat Christina Clemons’ 12.59. Sember’s sister Tiffany Porter was third in 12.80 as world record-holder Keni Harrison fell early on in the race.

Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser’s outdoor season opener of 21.93m matched his last mark of the indoor season. He backed up his world lead with 21.85m and 21.73m throws.

World leads were also set in the 400m hurdles by Gianna Woodruff (Panama record 55.02) and Brazilian Alison dos Santos with 48.15. Behind Woodruff, Britain’s Lina Nielsen ran a PB 56.19 in fourth place to go top of the year’s UK rankings and into the all-time top 20 in Britain.

World pole vault champion Sam Kendricks got a temporary world lead with 5.86m. Sandi Morris won the women’s pole vault with 4.70m.

In the men’s 5000m won Australian Morgan McDonald won in 13:21.39 while in third Nico Young set a US under-20 record of 13:24.26.

In the steeplechase Briton Aimee Pratt was second in a UK ranking-topping 9:35.34 to Leah Falland’s 9:32.53. Fellow Briton Elizabeth Bird was fifth in 9:38.25. The Olympic standard is 9:30.

Adam Fogg ran a PB 3:38.79 in the 1500m.

Miami, April 24
Double world individual 400m medallist Fred Kerley (main image above) shocked with a big PB and world lead of 9.91 in winning the 100m in a perfect 2m/sec wind reading. He became the third man in history to break both 10 seconds for 100m and 44 for 400m.

Jason Rogers of St Kitts was second in 10.01, while Jamaican Natasha Morrison won the women’s event in 10.87/1.3.

European 100m champion Zharnel Hughes was less lucky with the wind in the 200m as his 19.93 was propelled by a 3.6m tailwind and only Dan Talbot (19.89 wind-assisted) and John Regis (19.87 at altitude) have gone faster among Brits in any conditions.

Fred Kerley has become just the third athlete in history to break 10.00 for 100m and 44.00 for 400m. pic.twitter.com/EKxReaxoCD

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 24, 2021

MultiStars, Lana, Italy, April 24-25
European under-20 and under-18 heptathlon champion Maria Vicente set a Spanish record of 6304 points for victory as Holly Mills carried on her great winter form to smash her PB with 6180 points.

The Spaniard had a strong second day with 6.41m in the long jump, 47.83m in the javelin and 2:18.60 in the 800m. Kate O’Connor, runner-up behind Vicente in the European U20s, was second in an Irish record 6297 points with Marthe Koala’s Burkina Faso’s record giving her third with third and 6238 points.

Mills led overnight with a stunning first day which saw her set PBs at 100m hurdles (13.21/1.1) and high jump (1.83m) and set an outdoor shot PB of 13.66m and ran a 24.24 200m into a strong headwind.

Her long jump (6.15m) and javelin (30.93m) on day two were disappointing but she finished with a 2:10.84 800m PB.

O’Connor, who is coached by Toni Minichiello and Sheffield-based, set a Northern Ireland record and overtook Mills with a huge 51.61m javelin throw.

Overnight leader Martin Roe from Norway won the decathlon with 8055 points.

ASICS Be(At) Your Personal Best, Morton, France, April 24
Kenya’s Hillary Kipkoech won the 10km by almost a minute in a world lead of 27:34 ahead of Spain’s Jorge Blanco (28:27) and Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen (28:34).

French-based Eritrean Mekdes Woldu won the women’s race in 31:46 by almost two minutes.

Kenya’s Boniface Kibiwott won the men’s 5km in 13:24 while Sarah Lahti won the women’s 5km in a Swiss record of 15:22.

Offenburg, Germany, April 24
The 2017 world javelin champion Johannes Vetter set a world lead of 91.50m and his series was 86.12m, 87.59m, 88.21m, 88.32m, 91.50m, 87.12m and he won the low-key competition by over 20 metres.

Cheshire Elite Marathon and Half-Marathon, Wrexham, April 25
Though entered as a pacemaker, Jake Smith, who did a good job pacing at the Olympic Trials last month, won in 2:11:00 for his first completed marathon.

Smith had been in sensational form training on the track in recent months and a few days earlier he had won the Welsh Athletics Elite Endurance Series 1500m in a PB 3:50.89. British-based New Zealander Callan Moody was second in 2:11:38 with Reece Edwards third in 2:14:44.

'The whole world loves a maverick and the whole world wants the maverick to achieve something nobler than simple rebellion.'
Try coaching a maverick@JakeSmith_run from pacing to 25k to winning @RunningCheshire marathon 2:10.58 & off a 19m LR,no drinks,1 gel & 3:50 1500PB Weds!? pic.twitter.com/YgfVzaHACJ

— James Thie (@TeamThie) April 25, 2021

Ireland’s Aoife Cooke also gained the Olympic qualifying standard in the women’s race with 2:28:36 ahead of Israel’s Maor Tiyouri, who also surpassed the standard in second with 2:29:03.

Ireland’s Ann-Marie McGlynn, 41, just missed the qualifying time in third with 2:29:34 but did set a Northern Ireland record.

The half-marathon was won by English National Cross-Country champion Calum Johnson in a PB 63:44. Sam Harrison won the women’s race in a PB 69:48 which moved her to 12th all-time among British athletes.

Chula Vista, April 24-25
Darrell Hill won the shot with a 21.76m throw. Chantel Malone from the British Virgin Islands won the long jump with a well over the limit 7.10/4.7 but backed that up with a legal 7.05/1.6.

Olympic long jump champion Brittney Reese achieved a wind-assisted 7.05/2.4 but her legal best was only 6.74.2.0. Britain’s Jazmin Sawyers jumped 6.82/3.8 and her legal best was 6.62/1.5.

There was a US women’s triple jump record and world lead of 14.92/1.1 by Keturah Orji.

Chris Benard set a men’s triple jump world lead of 17.15/2.0 while there was a decathlon PB of 8439 for Harrison Williams.

Zhaoqing, China, April 24
Chinese 100m record-holder Su Bingtian won in 9.98/-0.9 while in the field there were javelin wins for Lu Huihui with 64.40m and a PB 19.32m shot victory for Song Jiayuan.

Ugandan Trials, Kampala, Uganda, April 24
Ronald Musagala won the 1500m in 3:36.63 ahead of Peter Kibui’s 3:36.80 with multiple world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei showing good speed in third with a PB 3:37.36.

Kingston, Jamaica, April 24
Former world 100m champion Yohan Blake won the 100 m at the JAAA meet with 10.27 (-0.2) but was not the fastest overall, as Oblique Seville clocked 10.24 (-1.2) in another race.

Dagenham, April 25
James Ellington, who ran a wind-assisted 9.96 in the last GB Olympic trials five years ago, had his most encouraging run for almost five years after his horrific motor-bike crash when he won the 100m in a wind-assisted 10.40.

In a separate race 17-year-old Joel Pascal Menzie won in a wind-assisted 10.22/3.3.

Lee Valley, April 25
Taylor Campbell gained a hammer PB of 75.82m to go eighth all-time among British throwers. Lawrence Okoye won the discus with a 64.24m throw.

Laviai Nielsen won the 100m in a wind-assisted 11.34/3.5 and the 200m in 23.18/2.7. Desiree Henry won the 300m in 37.38.

Coventry April 24
Multi Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft set world records in the T34 category with 400m in 55.29 and 1:55.54 in the 800m.

At his second attempt at the distance, the 2018 world junior 200m medallist Charlie Dobson won the 400m in a huge PB of 45.51 to go equal top with Matthew Hudson-Smith in the UK senior rankings for 2021.

Emily Diamond won the women’s’s 400m in 52.61 with Jessica Turner (52.92) also inside 53 seconds.

Loughborough, April 25
The 2018 world junior 200m champion Jona Efoloko won the 100m in 10.81/-2.1 and 200m in 21.48/-0.5.

British Championships 5000m bronze medallist Tom Mortimer won the 3000m in 8:09.99 and Zoey Clark took the 400m in 52.95.

Middlesbrough Endeavour 10km, April 25
Lewis Gamble-Thompson won the 10km in a PB 30:03. Finishing fifth overall, Kenyan Mary Ngugi won the women’s race in 31:42.

Phoenix, April 24
The 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kirani James won with a 44.88 in his first race since the World Championships final in Doha. The Olympic 800m silver medallist from London Nijel Amos was second in 45.69.

European Indoor 3000m bronze medallist Verity Ockenden ran a PB 4:09.34 to win the 1500m.

Harrow AC 3000m Spring Open, Harrow, April 22
Charlie Brisley, who back in 2017 won the South of England under-15 cross-country title, was the fastest man in a PB 8:29.37.

Rebecca Johnson was the fastest woman with a PB 9:27.25.

There was a well-supported separate over-50s race won by Terry Booth, though his winning time was almost two minutes down on his 26-year-old 8:24.4 PB.

The quickest veteran woman was 57-year-old Clare Elms who gained a significant 102.60% on age-grading with 10:29.31 which was faster than her 2019 world masters winning time.

Oordegem, Belgium, April 24
World championships discus medalist Philip Milanov opened his season with a 63.81m win.

Bucharest, Roumania, April 24
Alin Firfirica won the discus with 65.43m.

Kobe, Japan, April 24-25
Kiprono Sitonik clocked 27:42.73 at the 10,000m while Yuno Yamanaka clocked a Japanese record 6:19.55 in the women’s 2000m steeplechase.

Szentes, Hungary, April 24
Hungarian discus thrower Robert Szikszai won with a 65.20m throw.

Mersin, Turkey, April 24-25
Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Radzivil won the women’s high jump with a 1.97m leap.

Colombian Championships, Medellin, Colombia, April 24-25
Melissa Gonzalez won the 400m hurdles in 55.73 to equal the Colombian record.

Louisville, USA, April 24-25
Jamaican Carey McLeod won the long jump with a 8.21/0.0 leap for an outdoor PB.

Provo, USA, April 24
The Olympic long jump champion Jeff Henderson won the 100m in 10.43/0.9 with a wind-assisted 10.26/2.3 in the heats and he also long jumped 7.87/0.3.

Houston, USA, April 24
Pan American hammer champion Gwen Berry won with a 73.16 throw. Michelle Fokam achieved a wind-assisted 6.75/2.5 in the long jump.