Chorzsw: Armand Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen thrilled spectators as they set world records at the Silesia Diamond League meeting on Sunday.
Duplantis celebrated in his usual exuberant style as he set a new mark of 6.26 metres in the pole vault, less than three weeks after he last broke it when defending his Olympic title in Paris.
The 24-year-old Swede was congratulated by Polish President Andrzej Duda, who came onto the track and shook his hand.
In the 3,000 metres, Ingebrigtsen, who lost his 1500m Olympic crown but won the 5,000m title, held his hands to his face in astonishment, then on top of his, head mouth agape, after posting a time of 7min 17.55sec.
The 23-year-old Norwegian smashed Kenyan Daniel Komen’s 28-year-old mark by more than three seconds.
Kenya’s Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi had entertained hopes of breaking compatriot David Rudisha’s 800m world record of 1:40.91 set as he won Olympic gold in London in 2012.
However, Wanyonyi’s thunder was stolen by his great rival over the distance Canada’s world champion Marco Arop, who looked on course to set the record himself until tying up in the final few metres.
Arop, who took silver behind Wanyonyi in Paris earlier this month, finished in 1:41.86.
Another Olympic champion from Africa, Letsile Tebogo, made no mistake in the 200m. The 21-year-old Botswanan swept imperiously past American Kenny Bednarek, who had led into the straight, to win.
Tebogo, who was awarded two houses and a diamond on his return home following the Olympics, timed a meet record of 19.83sec.
Bednarek’s compatriot Fred Kerley won the men’s 100m, in 9.87sec, his task made easier by Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson sitting out the race even though he was due to run.
Kerley, who finished third behind Noah Lyles and Thompson in the Olympic final in Paris, beat Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala (9.88) with Blake Ackeem of Jamaica third (9.89sec).
Italy’s Tokyo Olympic champion, Marcell Jacobs, was fourth (9.93).
Femke Bol and Karsten Warholm both set meet records in the women’s and men’s 400m hurdles, showing they had shrugged off the disappointment of failing to win the Olympic titles in Paris.
Dutch star Bol had cried after she failed to mount a challenge to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in Paris, finishing third, but with the American absent won her second Diamond League race inside a week, timing 52.13sec.
Warholm has had to get over his Olympic disappointment in being dethroned as champion by Rai Benjamin, the Norwegian doing it in the best way possible in a time of 46.95sec.
Marileidy Paulino rubber-stamped her authority over the 400m as she timed a meet record of 48.66sec, the first four filling the same spots they did in the Olympic final in Paris.
Olympic champion Grant Holloway avenged his defeat in Lausanne on Thursday edging Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell in the 110m hurdles.
Holloway timed 13.04sec with Olympic bronze medallist Broadbell recording his fastest time of the season, 13.05sec.
