Olympic heptathlon champion achieves 6819 points despite injury, breaking records in the process

Coverage of the England Athletics Under-23 and Under-20 Championships in Bedford, where Max Burgin broke the British under-20 800m record, can be found here, while a report on the JCP Swansea Half Marathon is here.

Other recent highlights are below.

Decastar, Talence, France, June 22-23

Olympic and world heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam achieved a world-leading performance despite injury.

En route to her 6819-point score the 24-year-old set a world best for the high jump within a heptathlon, clearing 2.02m to improve her own previous best of 2.01m, and also soared out to a Belgian long jump record of 6.67m (+1.6m/sec).

After five events (13.49 100m hurdles, 2.02m high jump, 15.41m shot put PB, 24.55 200m and 6.67m long jump) her score was 5195 points, compared to the 5083 she achieved at the same stage during her eventual 7013 PB performance in Götzis in 2017.

But an elbow injury prevented her from taking all three throws in the javelin and her best was 47.25m.

With her arm strapped up, Thiam ran 2:20.46 for the 800m to secure the heptathlon title ahead of Xénia Krizsán with 6619 points and Laura Ikauniece with 6518 points.

Thiam’s 4133 points after four events was her best-ever first-day score.

She was contesting her first heptathlon since winning the European title in Berlin and had missed the indoor season due to a leg injury.

Canada’s Pierce LePage won the decathlon title with 8453 points, as Zach Ziemek was second with 8344 and Thomas van der Plaetsen was third with 8214.

LePage’s results included a 10.31 100m, 7.87m long jump, 14.21m shot put, 2.07m high jump, 48.14 400m, 14.40 110m hurdles,  44.46m discus, 5.25m pole vault, 55,22m javelin and 4:59.76 1500m.

World decathlon record-holder Kevin Mayer did not contest all the events but his performances included a 10.60 100m, 7.55m long jump, 15.56m shot put, 13.90 110m hurdles, 50.15m discus and 5.05m pole vault.

Jamaican Championships, Kingston, Jamaica, June 20-21

There were world-leading performances by Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as both clocked 10.73 (+0.6m/sec), with Thompson gaining the title. In third, world under-20 champion Brianna Williams ran a Jamaican junior record and world under-18 all-time best of 10.94.

The men’s 100m was won by Yohan Blake with 9.96 (+0.4m/sec) ahead of Tyquendo Tracey with 10.00 and Rasheed Dwyer with 10.10.

Kuortane Games, Finland, June 22

Magnus Kirt threw an Estonian record and world lead of 90.61m in the javelin for a mark which puts him 17th on the world all-time list.

Britain’s Holly Bradshaw won the pole vault with 4.46m and Nick Miller won the hammer with 75.90m. David King clocked 13.55 (+1.2m/sec) in the 110m hurdles.

Berlin Fliegt international match, Germany, June 22

Britain’s Harry Aikines-Aryeetey clocked 10.11 in the 100m, while Jodie Williams ran 11.20.

Malaika Mihambo leapt 6.89m in the long jump to win ahead of Brittney Reese’s 6.68m. Abigail Irozuru jumped 6.51m.

In the pole vault, Harry Coppell cleared 5.42m.

Germany won the team title ahead of Great Britain, USA and China.

Leverkusen, Germany, June 21

Kyron Duke threw 14.19m to set an official world record in the F41 shot put.

@dukey_devil is a new world record holder! ? He throws a distance of 14:19 in Leverkusen to take the title. ?? @BA_Paralympic | @BritAthletics pic.twitter.com/J7n9dCqJVC

— Para Athletics (@ParaAthletics) June 21, 2019

Agropoli, Italy, June 21-22

At the Italian Under-18 Championships, Larissa Iapichino, who is the daughter of Olympic and world medallist Fiona May, improved to 6.64m (+0.2m/sec) in the long jump to break the Italian under-20 record.

Golden Spike, Ostrava, Czech Republic, June 20

There was a world best in the 300m by Shaunae Miller-Uibo as the Olympic 400m champion stormed to a time of 34.41 to improve the previous mark of 35.30 set by Ana Guevara in 2003.

Magnus Kirt threw a then world-leading and Estonian record 90.34m to win the javelin, while Mariya Lasitskene cleared an impressive 2.06m to win the high jump before attempting a would-be world record height of 2.10m.

An exciting 200m was won by Andre De Grasse as he came through to pip Christian Coleman, 19.91 to 19.97.

Britain’s Charlie Da’Vall Grice won the mile in 3:56.95 ahead of Michael Kibet (3:57.01), Ben Blankenship (3:57.27) and Marcin Lewandowski (3:57.32), while Gudaf Tsegay won the women’s 1500m in 4:02.95 ahead of Sarah McDonald (4:03.79) and Jemma Reekie ran a 4:05.82 PB in seventh for a Doha World Championships standard.

Sam Kendricks cleared 5.93m to win the pole vault.

Meeting Iberoamericano, Huelva, Spain, June 20

World champion Yulimar Rojas set a world lead and PB of 15.06m in the triple jump, while Denia Caballero threw a world lead of 69.20m in the discus.

The Golden Stag Mile, London, June 21

Clare Elms ran 5:12.64 at Finsbury Park to take five seconds off the W55 world record and 27 seconds off the British record.

Clare Elms runs 5:12.64 at Golden Stag Mile at Finsbury Park to take five seconds off W55 world record and 27 seconds off British record pic.twitter.com/LUqtqE4as0

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) June 21, 2019

Alex Leprêtre won the mile in 4:13.9 as Hannah Viner was fastest woman in 4:53.8.

Brian Goodwin Memorial 10km, Scotland, June 21

Callum Hawkins clocked 29:06 and Morag MacLarty 33:51 to take the titles.

The West Highland Way Race, Scotland, June 22-23

The ultra event, which includes 95 miles of trail and 14,000ft of ascent, was won by Rowan Boswood in 15:14:42 and Siobhan Killingbeck in 17:41:09 to place sixth overall.

Belfast Irish Milers Club Meeting, Northern Ireland, June 22

Preston AC’s Matt Wigelsworth was the impressive winner of the feature event at the Belfast Irish Milers Club Meeting, Malcolm McCausland reports.

The overdue arrival of summer meant perfect running conditions as records tumbled at the Mary Peters Track throughout an action-packed afternoon.

For Wigelsworth, it was a worthwhile trip across the Irish Sea from his Preston base as he picked up the £200 bonus for breaking three minutes and 43 seconds in the men’s 1500m. The ice-cool 22-year-old was well back off the pace in third place with 300m to run but stormed to the front on the final straight before stopping the clock at a personal best 3:42.67.

Omagh’s Eilish Flanagan in a class of her own in the women’s 1500m. The Carmen Runners athlete, who had only returned from Arizona where she is on an athletics scholarship on the Wednesday before the race, opened up an unassailable lead on the penultimate circuit before coming home on her own in 4:21.06.

Both 800m races were thrilling affairs with contrasting outcomes. Kieran Kelly took up the running in the men’s race with 300m to go and looked all over the winner as he entered the home straight.

However, his Raheny Shamrock club colleague Cillian Kirwan had other ideas as he overhauled Kelly right on the line to win in 1:50.45. Nadia Power lived up to the favourite’s tag in the women’s two-lapper striking the front on the final back straight to build up a 20 metre lead.

Although fading slightly over the final 100m, the Dubliner still had enough in hand to win easily in 2:04.05.  Surprise here was Irish record holder for the event Rose-Anne Galligan ending up back in ninth with a modest 2:07.70 timing.

Other highlights included comprehensive victories in the respective 5000m races by Tullamore Harrier Liam Brady (14:32.80) and Strabane resident Ann-Marie McGlynn (16:09.35); Finn Valley’s Shane Irwin (47.72) and North Down’s Rachel McCann (56.94) were the winners of the respective 400m races while another Finn Valley athlete Janine Boyle arguably turned in the top sprint performance of the day with a 25.79 clocking in the women’s 200m.