Rome Diamond League 2024: Winfred Yavi, Ackera Nugent and Ryan Crouser shine on a record-breaking night:
During the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase competition that took place on Friday, Olympic champion Yavi led the charge by achieving the second fastest time in the history of sports.
At the Rome Diamond League meeting on Friday, August 30, Olympic champion Winfred Yavi came agonizingly close to adding the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase world record to her already impressive list of accomplishments.
The Bahraini star fell short of the global mark by only 0.07 seconds with a winning time of eight minutes 44.30 seconds (8:44.30), which was the culmination of a record-breaking evening in the Italian city, when three racing records were broken. Yavi was the driving force behind this historic event.
During the race, Yavi, who is 24 years old, and Peruth Chemutai, who is from Uganda, were engaged in a fierce competition. Both of them were in the lead for the bulk of the race, which was a rematch of their competition at the Olympic Games.
Chemutai established the early pace, but Yavi overtook her at the bell, and the Ugandan continued to nip at her heels right up until the competition reached its final obstacle. Yavi’s feet finally made contact with the track after she had overcome the last obstacle, and she shifted gears, finally becoming aware that the world record was still in play.
Despite the fact that Yavi crossed the line barely a hair’s breadth away from the objective, she still managed to set a record for both the Asian and meeting competitions while simultaneously posting the second-fastest time ever written.
In second place, Chemutai set a new national record with a time of 8 minutes 48.03 seconds, and Faith Cherotich of Kenya came in third with a time of 8 minutes 57.65 seconds.
I was shocked when I saw the time after the race and thought to myself, ‘Oh, no!’! “I was really anticipating that record, and I did everything in my power to achieve it,” Yavi stated after the event.
“I have a strong conviction that I ought to break it, and I am confident that it will occur. Additional effort is required of me. In addition, I intend to give it another shot before the season comes to a close. To become a world champion on two different occasions is my primary objective for the coming year.
With a blistering pace of 12.24 seconds, Jamaican Ackera Nugent soared over the hurdles and into the record books in the women’s 100-meter hurdles competition. She established a national record as well as a meeting record.
The time propelled her to the third spot on the world’s all-time list, with just Keni Harrison and Tobi Amusan, who holds the record, being ahead of her.
The recently won Olympic champion Masai Russell crossed the finish line in 12.31 seconds, which was a significant distance behind Nugent. With a time of 12.52 seconds, Nadine Visser completed the top three.
Muzala Samukonga, a budding star in the one-lap event, continued to ride the wave of his outstanding performance in 2024 by winning the men’s 400-meter race with his fourth run of his career that was performed in less than 44 seconds.
Samukonga beat Kirani James, the champion of London 2012, to the finish line in a time of 43.99 seconds, demonstrating his incredible dominance.
James threatened to bring the Olympic bronze medalist back into the race, but the tenacious Zambian would not be denied. The Olympic bronze medalist was in charge for a significant portion of the race and went into the final straight to confront James.
By the time Jereem Richards finished in third place with a time of 44.55 seconds, James had settled for second place. During his second try to win the men’s shot put competition, Ryan Crouser demonstrated that he was back to his best by throwing a heave that set a new record for the competition, measuring 22.49 meters.
Adding a half meter to the previous meeting’s best, the three-time Olympic champion improved his performance. Payton Otterdahl came in third with a throw of 21.63 meters, while Leonardo Fabbri of Italy finished in second place with a throw of 21.70 meters.
Faith Kipyegon, the reigning champion of the middle distance event in Kenya, had her first appearance since she broke the record for the most consecutive Olympic gold medals won in Paris 2024. She won the race in a time of three minutes and 52.89 seconds (3:52.89).
As the competition came to a close, Letsile Tebogo, the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-meter dash, triumphed in the men’s 100-meter dash with a remarkable time of 9.87 seconds, therefore vanquishing a formidable competition.