Reigning world champion Collen Kebinatshipi opened his 400m campaign with a stellar win against a top-notch field at the second leg of the Wanda Diamond League circuit in Xiamen, China, on Saturday 23 May.
The pre-race favourite waited patiently for the race to unfold before unleashing a charge down the home straight, stopping the clock in a world-leading mark and meeting record of 43.92 to win his first Diamond League race of the season.
The 22-year-old was pushed all the way by Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga, who succumbed to the fast finish of Kebinatshipi, settling for second place in 44.04, while South Africa’s Zakithi Nene finished third in 44.40.
Impressively, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi now holds the world lead in both the men’s 100m (9.98) and 400m (43.92).
The men’s 100m saw Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala get the better of South Africa’s Gift Leotlela, who took a surprise victory last week (16 May) in the first Diamond League outing of the season.
Omanyala celebrated across the line as he won the race in a season’s best of 9.94, with Leotlela placed second in 10.00, and USA’s Trayvon Bromell finished third in 10.03.
Further down the field, South Africa’s Akani Simbine took fifth place in 10.04, while Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo finished seventh in a season’s best of 10.10.
The women’s 3000m steeplechase provided yet another thrilling race after last week’s showdown in Shanghai/Keqioa, with the wave-lights being set at world record pace.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Peruth Chemutai secured back-to-back Diamond League wins after clearing the final barrier smoothly to win the race against an impressive field.
The Ugandan dominated the race, taking control from the front with Paris 2024 Olympic Champion Winfred Yavi and World Champion Faith Cherotich following closely behind.
Chemutai powered through the line to take the win, running a world-leading time of 8:51.06, while Yavi settled for second (8:51.54) and Cherotich in third (8:52.53).
The top five finishers in this race were dominated by African representatives, with Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani dipping under nine minutes to claim fourth in 8:59.25, while Ethiopia’s Kena Tufa finished fifth in 9:11.36.
The women’s 100m hurdles event saw Olympic Champion Masai Russell run a scintillating American record on the way to victory, falling just shy of the world record in 12.14 – the second fastest performance of all-time.
Tobi Amusan produced yet another season’s best performance, finishing second in 12.28. The Nigerian underlined her consistency after setting a previous season’s best mark of 12.41 last week, rounding into top form this early in the season.
Bahamian athlete Devynne Charlton finished third after setting a national record of 12.37.
In the men’s shot put, Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell set a national record of 22.34m to claim the victory, while American Jordan Geist finished second in 21.52m, and Olympic and World Champion Ryan Crouser settled for third (21.41m).
Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi finished fifth with a mark of 21.14m against a highly competitive field.
Kelly is a London-based sportswriter driven by a love for sport, with track and field at the heart of it. She began her journey as a sports reporter covering women's football, and has since gone on to cover major international competitions, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games for Eurosport.
She breaks up her excessive screen time by running laps around the park or planning her next holiday!
