Warholm struggles over final hurdle and just misses taking down Young’s 1992 mark, before returning to also win 400 meters; Duplantis clears 19-8.50 (6.01m) in pole vault and takes three more attempts at 20-2 (6.15m), with training partners Muir and Reekie earning wins in women’s 1,500 and 800, respectively

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The longest-standing men’s track world record was likely a clipped last hurdle away from becoming history Sunday at the Bauhaus Galan, the annual Wanda Diamond League meeting at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden.

Karsten Warholm was ahead of world-record pace as he reached the top of the straightaway in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, but a slight brush of the 10th and final barrier caused the Norwegian star to lose his momentum, resulting in a final mark of 46.87 seconds.

Warholm provided an indication that Kevin Young’s standard of 46.78 from the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was on borrowed time after he ran 46.92 last August in Zurich. Warholm only strengthened his case by producing an all-time best 33.78 in the 300-meter hurdles June 11 at the Impossible Games in Oslo.

Competing in lane eight Sunday, Warholm evoked memories of South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk running a world-record 43.03 in the far outside lane of the men’s 400 meters at the 2016 Olympic final in Brazil.

Despite the uneven landing clearing the 10th hurdle, Warholm still became the first athlete to run under 47 seconds twice, boasting the second- and third-fastest all-time performances behind Young.

Warholm returned to the track 90 minutes later to run 45.05 in the 400, elevating him to the No. 3 outdoor performer in the world this year. Slovenia’s Luka Janezic took second in 45.85.

RESULTS

“It felt really good, especially the hurdles,” Warholm said. “I’m really really proud of doing what I did.”

Another world lead was achieved in the women’s 1,500 meters, with Laura Muir delivering a dominant 59.5-second final 400 to prevail in 3:57.86, leading a sweep of the top three spots for Great Britain, along with Laura Weightman (4:01.62) and Melissa Courtney-Bryant (4:01.81).

“I felt strong in the last lap and was able to work well into the wind and ultimately come away with a clear win,” Muir said. “My strength is my endurance and I really wanted to run fast today and ultimately I made sure I cut behind the pacers as best I could when I did have them and then tried the best by myself.”

Six athletes were separated by one second entering the final lap, before Muir produced a definitive surge in the first 200 to create a three-second gap against the field.

Kenya’s Winny Chebet placed fourth in 4:02.58, with Nike athletes Jessica Hull of Australia and American Shannon Rowbury, both training under Pete Julian, finishing fifth and sixth in 4:02.65 and 4:03.04, respectively.

Jemma Reekie, Muir’s training partner and rising Scottish star under the guidance of coach Andy Young, pulled away in the final 300 meters to prevail in the women’s 800 in 1:59.68. American Raevyn Rogers, the reigning World silver medalist who also trains with Julian, took second in 2:01.02 and Norway’s Hedda Hynne placed third in 2:01.44.

“We’re really fortunate that we train together and we’re world-class athletes and we complement each other in different ways,” Reekie said. “I’m bringing her on in speed and she’s bringing me on in endurance and we’re both working so hard together. I’ve run 1:57 indoors, so I was hoping to run a bit quicker, but this year is about getting experience before next year and learning to win.”

Reekie, who ran 1:59.52 on Aug. 1 in Italy, became the second female athlete with a pair of sub-2 outdoor performances this year. Cuba’s Rose Mary Almanza, the world outdoor leader at 1:58.92, produced three sub-2 efforts in a nine-day span in March before the Coronavirus pandemic disrupted the global schedule.

Swedish pole vault star Armand “Mondo” Duplantis made easy work of his first four bars, adding to his world outdoor lead by clearing 19-8.50 (6.01m) on his first try to eclipse the meet record of 19-6.25 (5.95m) that had stood since 1989.

Duplantis, the world indoor record holder at 20-3.50 (6.18m), had three more unsuccessful opportunities at the all-time outdoor mark of 20-2 (6.15m) after trying the same height Aug. 14 in Monaco. Sergey Bubka of Ukraine still holds the outdoor standard at 20-1.75 (6.14m) from 1994.

“I wanted to make my first attempt and try to secure the victory. I did that and had a clean sheet up to 6.15m, got the win, got the stadium record, which is also really important to me,” Duplantis said. “(Having an empty stadium) is just the reality of things for the moment. It’s not as fun for sure, you don’t have that energy when you jump, that adrenaline rush, but it is what it is.”

American Sam Kendricks, the defending World champion, only cleared his first two bars and placed third at 18-1.75 (5.53m).

The newly implemented one-jump final in both long jump competitions wasn’t kind to a pair of Swedish athletes, who both held the lead entering the sixth round.

Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk came through with a clutch 22-5.75 (6.85m) effort to prevail against Colombia’s Caterine Ibarguen at 21-8.25 (6.61m) and Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia, who led entering the final jump following her personal-best 22-5 (6.83m) in the second round.

Bekh-Romanchuk elevated to No. 2 in the world this year, with Sagnia ascending to the No. 3 performer.

Although Sweden’s Thobias Montler had the best overall performance in the men’s long jump competition, South Africa’s Ruswahl Samaai achieved a leap of 26-6.50 (8.09m) in the final round to earn the victory. Montler had a pair of marks measured at 26-8.25 (8.13m) in the second and third rounds, but only jumped 26-5.50 (8.06m) on his final attempt.

In another entertaining women’s high jump showdown involving Ukrainian standouts Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Yuliya Levchenko, it was a third-attempt clearance from Mahuchikh at 6-6.75 (2.00m) that not only equaled the world lead, but allowed her to edge Levchenko at 6-6 (1.98m).

Mahuchikh, who missed three attempts at 6-8 (2.03m), matched the Aug. 19 mark of 6-6.75 achieved by Levchenko in Poland.

Although the outcome was the same as their last meeting Aug. 14, the men’s 1,500 matchup involving Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen didn’t produce the same spectacular performances in Monaco.

Cheruiyot took control entering the final lap and covered the last 400 in 55.4 to hold off Ingebrigtsen by a 3:30.25 to 3:30.74 margin. Australia’s Stewart McSweyn placed third in a personal-best 3:31.48.

Reigning World champion Donavan Brazier won the men’s 800 in 1:43.76, with the American star rallying from third in the final 100 meters to get past Canada’s Marco Arop (1:44.67). Great Britain’s Max Burgin, an 18-year-old rising star who ran 1:44.75 on Aug. 11, took sixth in 1:46.02.

Sweden took the top two spots in the men’s discus throw, with Daniel Stahl winning with a second-round mark of 226-11 (69.17m) and Simon Pettersson producing a personal-best 222-2 (67.72m) in the fifth round.

Great Britain’s Holly Bradshaw emerged victorious in the women’s pole vault with a third-attempt clearance at 15-4.50 (4.69m), with Sweden’s Angelica Bengtsson placing second at 15-1.75 (4.62m).

American Wadeline Jonathas prevailed in the women’s 400 in 51.94, with Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte winning the women’s 100 in a wind-legal 11.20.

Italy’s Luminosa Bogliolo secured victory in the women’s 100 hurdles in a wind-legal 12.88, with rising Dutch talent Femke Bol earning the win in the 400 hurdles in 54.68.

Great Britain’s Adam Gemili won the men’s 200 in a wind-aided 20.61.