Sifan Hassan and Emmanuel Korir Add Their Names to Middle Distance All-Time Lists in London

By Adam Kopet

The best of the London Diamond League meeting was saved for last, as Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands won the women's mile in 4:14.71, the third-fastest mile ever run.

Hassan took the lead with one lap to go and pulled away to win by more than a second. Ethiopia's Gudaf Tsegay went with the early pace and held on to finish second in 4:16.14. Kenya's Hellen Obiri finished third in 4:16.15. They elevated to the Nos. 5 and 6 all-time performers.

Russia's Svetlana Masterkova holds the world record in the women's mile at 4:12.56 from 1996. Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba holds the No. 2 time ever run at 4:14.30, which she ran in 2016.

Jenny Simpson ran the second-fastest ever by an American with her 4:17.30 fourth-place finish, improving to the No. 10 all-time performer. She trails the 4:16.71 from 1985 by Mary Slaney, who is equal to No. 7 in history.

RESULTS

Emmanuel Korir entered the London 800 meters after racing several 400-meter races, including a 44.21 performance to win the Kenyan Championships last month. The pacer completed the first lap in 49.87, pulling Korir and the field toward a fast pace. Once the pacer dropped out, it was Korir followed by Wyclife Kinyamal of Kenya, Clayton Murphy and Nijel Amos of Botswana.

Amos had set the 800 world lead Friday in Monaco, running 1:42.14, but Korir powered down the final 100 meters to improve on that mark, crossing the finish line in 1:42.05. Murphy closed hard as well, catching Kinyamal by the smallest of margins for second. Both were timed in 1:43.12. Amos, finished fourth in 1:43.29. Korir is now ranked sixth on the all-time performer list.

In field event action, Mariya Lasitskene returned to the winner's circle after faltering in Rabat. The authorized neutral athlete from Russia cleared 6-8.25 (2.04m), but she was pushed all the way by Italy's Elena Vallortigara, who earned a six-centimeter personal best with a clearance of 6-7.50 (2.02m).

Luvo Manyonga of South Africa won the long jump for the second straight weekend in London Stadium, equaling his season best with a leap of 28-1.75 (8.58m). Fellow South African Ruswahl Samaai finished second with a season's best 27-7.50 (8.42m). Jarrion Lawson finished third with a leap of 27-0.75 (8.25m), just one centimeter ahead of Australia's Henry Frayne.

Greg Rutherford, the 2012 Olympic long jump champion and 2015 world champion from Great Britain, needed to perform well in London for him to qualify for the European Athletics Championships next month in his final season before he retires. Unfortunately, Rutherford only managed a best of 24-9.25 (7.55m) for 10th place. That will not be enough for him to compete one more time for Great Britain.

Keni Harrison returned to the track where she set the world record over the 100-meter hurdles in 2016 to win over Briana McNeal. Harrison ran 12.50 to win the first preliminary heat and McNeal ran 12.41. In the final, Harrison won with a world-leading 12.36 performance. McNeal ran 12.47 and Sharika Nelvis ran 12.51 for third.

Jamaica's Akeem Bloomfield became the seventh sprinter in history to run under 20 seconds in the 200 and sub-44 in the 400. Bloomfield won the 200 in 19.81, making him the No. 4 performer in the world this year, to go along with his 43.94 effort June 8 when he was 400 runner-up at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore.

Matthew Centrowitz used a strong move in the final 300 meters in the 1,500 meters to take the win in 3:35.22 over Australia's Ryan Gregson in 3:35.35. The race featured two athletes, Youssouf Hiss Bachir of Djibouti and Izaic Yorks, who broke away from the field as the rest of the athletes opted not to follow the pacer. But both were eventually caught, with Hiss Bachir holding on for fifth in 3:35.74. The top nine athletes finished within a second of each other.

Jenna Prandini and Harvard junior Gabby Thomas went one-two in the women's 200 meters, both setting personal bests. Prandini won in 22.16 and Thomas was second in 22.19.

Ce'Aira Brown won the women's 800 in a personal-best 1:58.57, just ahead of Jamaica's Natoya Goule in 1:58.67. Goule had run a national record 1:56.15 to place third Friday in Monaco behind South Africa's Caster Semenya and Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba.