Volume 11, No. 58 September 09, 2012 — Brussels DL: 12.80 WR For Merritt — by Roy Conrad put it together cleanly.” It was his legal sub- (45.02) ran 1–2. They edged ahead of Brussels, Belgium, September 7—About 13 No. 8 for the year, a single-season record. Lalonde Gordon (45.13) and Luguelin the only thing that could have overshadowed He also has a pair of windy marks under the Santos (45.31) in the final 50, K keeping J the sprinting of Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake at the Van Damme Memorial was a World Record. So Aries Merritt obliged with a superlative 12.80 over the 110 barriers. The third season of the Samsung Diamond League climaxed in the Belgian capital as champions were crowned in the remaining 15 events of the tour’s 32-discipline lineup. It was left to Merritt to electrify the sellout crowd of 47,000 in King Baudouin Stadium even more than the Jamaican duo. Talk of a WR try in Lausanne in the second post-Olympic DL perhaps caused Merritt to jump the After threatening the all-time best for a gun there, but there were no problems this couple of months, Merritt finally scored time. RUN JIRO MOCHIZUKI/PHOTO The Olympic gold medalist bolted off the starting line and barrier. at bay in the final strides for an improbable simply buried the field—and the WR. The He became the first American WR-setter win, since he as only No. 4 in the standings 27-year-old Tennessee alum sliced cleanly since Roger Kingdom (12.92) in ’89. coming in, but the double-point nature of over all 10 barriers, didn’t hit any and drove the finale counted big-time.. hard off the final obstacle toward the finish. MEN’S EVENTS •1500 Meters: The race featured all three The trackside clock stopped at 12.81 and •100 Meters: Bolt got out behind Kim Olympic medalists and 6 of the top 7 London the record was history. The time soon was Collins and Nesta Carter, but took over placers—and 7th-placer Silas Kiplagat won. adjusted downward by 0.01 and Tennessee around 80 meters to win the race and the DL The Kenyan closed his 3:31.98 winner in grad Merritt had slashed the WR from the at 9.86 (+0.3 wind). Carter (9.96) just held 55.98 to nose out Mekonnen Gebremedhin 12.87 set in ’08 by Cuba’s Dayron Robles. off the closing rush by Kemar Bailey Cole (3:32.10). th London medalists Jason Richardson (13.05) (9.97 PR) with Collins (10.03) 4 . Matthew Centrowitz (3:32.47) emerged and Hansle Parchment (13.14) followed, well • 400 Meters: Belgium’s Borlée twins from the mad-dash homestretch pack to back. gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about claim 4th. “It was almost perfect,” Merritt said. “I as Kevin (44.75 and the title) and Jonathan -524- September 09, 2012 •Steeple: Not picked for the Olympics, the lead in round 2 at 47-3 (14.40), Olympic Kipruto (Ken) 8:03.70 (x, 3 WJ) (5:22.80); 3. Paul Koech finished only 3rd here with champ Olga Rypakova replied with 47-11¾ Koech (Ken) 8:04.01; 4. Birech (Ken) 8:05.71; 8:04.01 but still defended his DL title. The (14.62). She improved to 48-3½ (14.72) in 5. Yego (Ken) 8:12.63; Kiprutos ran 1-2, ’08 Games champ Brimin frame 3 and her other two legal jumps in 6. Mutai (Ken) 8:13.49; 7. Mullera (Spa) (8:03.11) winning ahead of 17-year-old rounds 5 & 6 also bettered Saladuha’s longest. 8:13.71 PR; 8. Kitum (Ken) 8:16.48; 9. Kowal Conseslus (8:03.70). •Javelin: Ukraine’s Vira Rebryk took the (Fra) 8:21.66 PR; 10. Chavkin (Rus) 8:22.81 •Long Jump: With Games winner Greg lead in round 4 at 206-6 (62.94) from two- PR; 11. Nganga (Ken) 8:25.29; Rutherford sidelined by an unspecified time Olympic champion Barbora Spotáková’s 12. Jiménez (Spa) 8:26.87;… dnf—E. injury, Russia’s 21-year-old Aleksandr 206-0 (62.78). But in round 5, the Jan Chelimo (Ken), Taleb (Mor);… rabbit— Menkov, a narrow leader coming in, stepped Zelezny-coached Czech hit 219-6 (66.91) Luchianov (Mol) (2:38.24). up to bound a PR 27-2½ (8.29) to take the to take over for good. Rebryk improved to Non-DL 10,000: 1. E. Bett (Ken) 26:51.16 DL title. 211-8 (64.52) on her final throw, but South PR (WL) (24:17.51); 2. Chepkok (Ken) 26:51.68 PR; •Discus: Olympic champ Robert Harting African Sunette Viljoen hit 214-4 (65.33) on 3. Kipkemoi (Ken) 26:52.65 nd (16:12.53); had closed his season in Berlin five days her last effort to grab 2 . PR (2, 2 WJ) earlier, running his win streak to 33 meets. 4. Demelash (Eth) 26:57.56 PR (4, 4 WJ) NON-DL EVENTS: (first 4 sub-27:00s of year); 5. Komon (Ken) So London bronze winner Gerd Kanter took The two non-DL races were both men’s 27:01.58 (21:35.58); 6. Kigen (Ken) 27:03.49 the DL with his 219-3 (66.84) third toss. contests, Blake’s churning turn gave him PR; 7. Merga (Eth) 27:14.02; Germany’s Martin Wering got over 66.00 a comfortable 19.54 win (history’s No. 8. I. Koech (Ken) 27:17.03 PR; 9. Chesari (216-6) with his fifth-round 216-8 (66.05) 8 performance) in the 200, easily ahead (Ken) 27:19.70 PR (18:53.52); 10. Kirui (Ken) but Kanter was a clear winner. of Jason Young (19.92) and Christophe 27:21.12; 11. Masai (Ken) 27:35.72; 12. Salel Lemaitre (20.10). WOMEN’S EVENTS (Ken) 27:45.93; 13. J. Bett (Ken) 28:02.45; A world-leading 26:51.16 secured the 14. Kuma (Eth) 28:04.66;… dnf—Menjo •200 Meters: The DL leader, American 10K win for Kenya’s Emmanuel Bett ahead (Ken), Arikan (Tur);… rabbits—Hesschentier Charonda Williams (22.74) got collared in of sub-27:00 PRs by countrymen Vincent (Fra) (2:43.31), Rop (Ken) (5:25.97, 8:07.85, the final straight by both Miriam Soumaré Chepkok (26:51.68) and Kenneth Kipkemoi 10:49.80, 13:31.74). (22.63) and Anneisha McLaughlin (22.7)) (26:52.65). Ethiopia’s Yigrem Demelesh 110H(0.3): 1. Merritt (US) 12.80 WR, AR but still held on to the circuit title in an event came in 4th with his own career-low of devoid of the major international names. (old WR 12.87 Robles [Cub] ’08; old AR 26:57.56. 12.89 Oliver [Nik] ’10) (record 8th legal •800 Meters: Francine Niyonsaba of sub-13 of year); th Burundi, 7 in the Olympics at age 19 and 2. Richardson (US) 13.05; 3. Parchment in her first year of two-lap running, used a — Brussels DL — (Jam) 13.14; 4. Shubenkov (Rus) 13.21; 5. 59.56 second circuit to come home in a PR Oliver (US) 13.21; 6. Fourie (SA) 13.24 NR; Brussels, Belgium, September 7 1:56.59. 7. Wilson (US) 13.26; 8. Brathwaite (Bar) (attendance SRO 47,000; DL winners But runner-up Pamela Jelimo (1:57.24) 13.39; 9. Clarke (GB) 13.71. held her DL lead, while London champion underlined)— Mariya Savinova (1:59.05) barely held on 100(0.3): 1. Bolt (Jam) 9.86; 2. Carter Field Events for 3rd as American Brenda Martinez cut her (Jam) 9.96; 3. Bailey Cole (Jam) 9.97 PR; LJ: 1. Menkov (Rus) 27-2½ (8.29) PR (f, lifetime best to 1:59.14 in 4th. 4. Collins (StK) 10.03; f, f, 26-4¼, 27-2½, f) (f, f, f, 8.03, 8.29, f); 5. Ashmeade (Jam) 10.03; 6. Bailey (US) 2. Morgunov (Rus) 26-4½ (8.04); 3. •5000 Meters: ’11 AOY Vivian Cheruiyot 10.04; 7. Vicaut (Fra) 10.06; 8. Phiri (Zam) Mokoena (SA) 26-4¼ (8.03); 4. Tomlinson closed in 59.25 to outrun the chase pack in 10.23; 9. K. Anderson (Jam) 10.32. (GB) 26-1½ (7.96); 5. Smith (Ber) 25-8 (7.82); 14:46.01 and claim the DL win from former Non-DL 200(0.0): 6. Gaisah (Gha) 25-7½ (7.81); 7. Stempnick leader Mercy Cherono (14:47.18). Molly 1. Blake (Jam) 19.54 2. Young (Jam) 19.92; 3. Lemaitre (Bel) 24-9¼ (7.55); 8. Van Alphen (Bel) Huddle the fastest U.S. time of the year, (x, 9 W); (Fra) 20.17; 24-3½ (7.40). 15:01.32 in 10th. 4. Weir (Jam) 20.22; 5. Newman (US) DT: 1. Kanter (Est) 219-3 (66.84) (214-11, th •400 Hurdles: Games 4 -placer Kaliese 20.32; 6. Patton (US) 20.53; 7. Aikines- 211-8, 219-3, 212-2, 205-11, 203-0) (65.51, Spencer had to run hard all the way to win by Aryeetey (GB) 20.85. 64.53, 66.84, 64.67, 62.77, 61.89); 0.20 in 53.69 ahead of Perri Shakes-Drayton. 400: 1. K. Borlée (Bel) 44.75; 2. J. Borlée 2. Wierig (Ger) 216-8 (66.05); 3.