Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Faith Kipyegon established world records in the Diamond League track and field tournament in Paris on Sunday. The Ukrainian high jumper first broke a 37-year-old record, and then the Kenyan middle-distance runner broke her own 1500m record from last June.
Mahuchikh, the world champion, was overjoyed after hitting a new record of 2.10 metres. “Coming into this competition, I had feelings that I could jump 2.07 metres and maybe 2.10 metres,” Mahuchikh told the crowd. “Finally I signed Ukraine to the history of world athletics.” Bulgaria’s Stefka Kostadinova set the previous mark of 2.09 metres in Rome in 1987.
Mahuchikh, 22, and the world indoor champion, Nicola Olyaslagers, cleared 2.01m on their second try. Olyslagers failed three attempts at 2.03m, but Mahuchikh cleared it to win.
She subsequently cleared 2.07m, setting a Ukrainian record, and the bar was lifted to 2.10m, which she cleared on her first attempt.
In the last race of the competition, Kipyegon, supported by two pacemakers, ran beautifully for a time of 3min 49.04sec, shaving seven hundredths off the 3:49.11 she ran in Florence last year and putting an outstanding imprint on the event by the last two Olympic winners.
Jessica Hull established an Australian record in second place with 3:50.83, the sixth fastest time ever, while Laura Muir of Britain set a British record in third place with 3:53.79. Only two of the 13 finishers did not establish a personal best.
Source: (The Guardian)