Chepkwony sets meeting record, Samukonga and Ta Lou Smith impress in Budapest

47

Kenya’s Laban Kipkorir Chepkwony smashed compatriot David Rudisha‘s meeting record, and a superb victory for Marie-Josee Ta Lou Smith in a star-studded women’s 100m highlight an evening of high-quality action at the 2025 István Gyulai Memorial – a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting – in Budapest on Tuesday.

Chepkwony, fourth at Kenya’s World Trials last month, won the men’s 800m in a massive PB of 1:42.96, breaking the meeting record set nine years ago by world record-holder David Rudisha. Mark English took second in an Irish record of 1:43.37 ahead of French champion Yanis Meziane (1:43.71).

Kenya’s Mathew Kipchumba Kipsang finished strongly to win the men’s 3000m in 7:33.23 ahead of Mexico’s Eduardo Herrero (7:33.58).

Zambia’s Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga won the men’s 400m in a season’s best of 44.11, ahead of Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago (44.14) and American Khaleb McRae (44.16). Nigeria’s Samuel Ogazi finished in seventh place in 45.85.

CIV’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou Smith held off Jamaica’s top trio in the women’s 100m, securing victory in 10.97. Tina Clayton followed closely in 10.99, ahead of world 200m champion Shericka Jackson (11.00) and multiple world and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (11.07).

In the women’s 200m, Ashanti Moore of Jamaica narrowly edged out Nigeria’s Favour Ofili, with both athletes clocking 22.31, but Moore was declared the winner in a photofinish. CIV’s Jessika Gbai finished sixth in 23.04.

Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson won the men’s 100m with a time of 9.95, while Abdul-Rasheed Saminu of Ghana and Akani Simbine of South Africa shared second place behind the Jamaican, both finishing in 10.01.

Bryan Levell was a surprise winner in the men’s 200m. The Jamaican pulled away in the home straight to win in 19.69 (-0.4m/s), breaking Erriyon Knighton‘s meeting record by 0.19. South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk finished second in 20.07.

Benjamin Richardson of South Africa came third in 20.30 while Zimbabwe’s Tapiwanashe Makarawu finished in fourth place in 20.34. South Africa’s Tsebo Matsoso was a distant seventh in 20.53.

Lieke Klaver of The Netherlands won the women’s 400m with a convincing 50.11 ahead of Kenya’s Mercy Oketch, who came in second with a time of 50.69.

To crown the evening, Mondo Duplantis saved the best for the last, setting his 13th world record with a 6.29m clearance to win the men’s Pole vault.

The Swede, returning to the scene of his 2023 World Championships triumph, was pushed all the way by Emmanouil Karalis of Greece with both men clearing 6.02m on their first attempts.

Karalis bowed out after two misses at 6.11m, but Duplantis cleared that height to add one centimetre to the Hungarian all-comers’ record he set winning the world title in 2023. He then moved to 6.29m – one centimetre above his world record from Stockholm in June this year.