Justin Gatlin of the United States celebrates after winning the 100m race at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha yesterday and Allyson Felix (centre) won the 200m event for the third time in Doha.
Agencies/Doha
Justin Gatlin blasted out a warning that he is ready to challenge Usain Bolt’s 100 metres hegemony when he stormed to a lifetime best 9.74 seconds to win the event in the opening Diamond League meeting of the season yesterday.
In a sizzling night’s action Mo Farah suffered a rare loss, to Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet over 3,000m, Pedro Pichardo and Christian Taylor joined triple jump’s exclusive 18-metre club and Jasmin Stowers continued her heady rise in the 100m hurdles.
Allyson Felix notched up her 11th victory on Doha track with a win in the 200m event.
As always, however, the 100m was the race everyone wanted to watch, with the big question being whether 33-year-old Gatlin would start this season in the form he finished the last where he posted six of the year’s seven fastest times.
The twice-banned doper wasted no time in answering as he was first out of the blocks and clear by halfway, punching the air after clocking the world leading time and leaving second-place American Michael Rodgers trailing by more than two metres in 9.96. “It was a magical night for me,” Gatlin said. “Doha is a great place for me and with that performance I put out a statement.”
Jamaican Bolt remains the favourite to retain his world title in Beijing later this year but knows he will have to be right at the top of his game and fully fit to hold off the challenge of the 2004 Olympic champion.
Double world and Olympic distance champion Farah was hoping to do the same in the 3,000m and looked in control until just after the bell.
However, the Briton, who broke the world indoor two-mile record earlier this year, struggled over the equivalent distance in Doha.
When Ethiopian duo Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha burst past him, Farah was unable to hold them off and, although he clawed his way back into contention on the home straight, he finished second to clear winner Gebrhiwet.
Fans alongside the triple jump pit were treated to a memorable night as Cuba’s Pichardo soared to 18.06 metres with his third jump, making him the third-best triple-jumper ever behind Kenny Harrison and Jonathan Edwards.
There was more to come, however, as Taylor flew to 18.04 with his final jump of the night—becoming only the fourth man to clear 18 metres.
Fellow American Stowers was very much an unknown quantity internationally before she arrived in Qatar, despite her world-leading times of 12.40 and 12.39 in Des Moines and Kingston in the past three weeks, but she showed her poise and class to power to a personal best and IAAF Diamond League record of 12.35 seconds yesterday.
She was quickly out of her blocks, second on reaction times to Olympic champion Sally Pearson, and although she had to play second fiddle to the Australian over the second half of the race, the Louisiana State University graduate moved up a gear over the final four hurdles to leave one of the classiest fields of recent years trailing in her wake.
Fellow US hurdler Sharika Nelson, just a few months senior to the 23-year-old Stowers, came through in lane one to record a personal best of 12.54, which under other circumstances would deserve significant attention and does get huge plaudits. But the night belonged to Stowers.
She has never been to an international competition other than the 2007 IAAF World Youth Championships, where she finished fourth, but now has to be installed as the long-range favourite for the IAAF World Championships this coming August in the Chinese capital of Beijing.
“It’s been a sensational start to the season,” said the understandably delighted hurdler.
“It means a lot to be competing with such great women and athletes. It feels just great. Now it’s Rome, New York (both IAAF Diamond League meetings) and then the US Trails. I definitely want to be in Beijing.”
Pearson came fourth and Dawn Harper-Nelson finished last.
Felix ran the 200m distance in 21.98 seconds, ahead of Murielle Ahoure of Ivory Coast (22.29) and Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas (22.69).
“I am really happy today, a world lead, a meeting record and equalled the Diamond League record. It’s a good start, I feel strong and my speed is good. It’s so good to be healthy. I am now looking forward to the next competitions, the World Champs in August. Doha is always a special place for me, thanks to the fans for their support,” said the American, who now has three 100m and 200m wins each, besides five straight 400m victories from 2007 to 2011 in Doha.
