30th August 2018

ASHER-SMITH & HUDSON-SMITH STAR AT DIAMOND LEAGUE FINAL

Dina Asher-Smith (coach: John Blackie) was one of the British stars of the Weltklasse meeting at the IAAF Diamond League Final in Zurich, as she placed second in the women’s 100m while Matt Hudson-Smith (Lance Braumann) was third over 400m.

With a Diamond Trophy and $50,000 of prize money on offer to the individual winners, there was a lot of stake at the end of season finale in the outdoor season-long IAAF Diamond League.

There was an impressive second place finish for Dina Asher-Smith over 100m in the Swiss capital. The Oslo and Stockholm winner started well, coming out of the blocks spritely but neither she nor the rest of the field could handle Murielle Ahoure’s turn of speed in the middle phase of the race, moving away to take it in 11.01 (-0.5).

Asher-Smith fought well, and won the battle with Marie-Josee Ta Lou, out-dipping her opponent by 0.02s for second place in 11.08, with the Continental Cup the next race of a long season upon the horizon for the Briton.

Dina returned to a British combined team for the 4x100m relay at the end of the programme, joining Asha Philip (Steve Fudge), Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Steve Fudge) and Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan) as they produced a sizzling display to win overall.

For Asher-Smith, after a solid performance from the team – who won the European championships earlier this month – left her in second place at the final changeover behind Kambundji of Switzerland, she delivered a sensational sprint finish to pass her in the closing stages, taking it in 42.28.

European 400m champion Matthew Hudson-Smith ended his season with an impressive third place but it looked for much of the race that he may even take the Diamond League trophy.

After a very strong opening 200m, the Briton put himself in a superb position, sitting on the shoulder of Steven Gardiner (BAH) and Fred Kerley (USA) as they entered the home straight. While the Bahamian faltered with a suspected injury, the Briton pushed on with American duo Kerley and Nathan Strother (USA), however, with 50m to spare, the American’s just had enough to move ahead, leaving him to settle for third.

Hudson-Smith crossed the line in 44.95 with Kerley – winner at the Muller Grand Prix two weeks’ ago and in Rome – in 44.80 and Strother in 44.93.

Newly-crowned European bronze medallist Holly Bradshaw (Scott Simpson) was a joint fourth-place finisher in the pole vault, 4.57m earning her the final placing alongside Katie Nageotte (USA). She looked supreme over the first two heights but faced problems at 4.67m, a height several athletes bowed out at. European champion Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) took the overall win ahead of USA’s Sandi Morris; 4.87m to 4.82m.

There was a fifth-place finish for Eilidh Doyle (Brian Doyle) in the 400m hurdles final, battling well in the closing stages, beating European champion Lea Sprunger in their head-to-head. She pipped her to the line in 55.00 to Sprunger’s 55.36. America’s Daliliah Muhammad won the Diamond trophy for the second consecutive year; her time 53.88.

World and European relay champion Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (Dennis Shaver) was eighth in the 200m in 20.53 (-0.2), the race was won by the fastest man in the world this year, Noah Lyles (USA) in 19.67.

In a rapid 1500m race, Charlie Da’Vall Grice (Jon Bigg) was part of a chasing trio after the leading pack moved ahead in the early stages of the contest. The fifth-placer at the European championships crossed the line 11th in a time of 3:40.06.

Morgan Lake (Fuzz Caan) completed her Diamond League season with an 11th place finish in a stacked high jump field including multi-medalled Mariya Lasitskene (ANA), the eventual winner at 1.97m. The WSEH athlete managed only one clearance, at 1.85m, on her third attempt, bowing out after three fouls at 1.90m.

Over in the 5000m, Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall) battled well in a very fast race at the front of the pack, finishing 11th in 15:09.00, while Melissa Courtney (Rob Denmark), on her 25th birthday, was 13th in 15:24.58.

In the earlier non-Diamond League 100m races, there was victory for Imani-Lara Lansiquot (Steve Fudge) in race three, outsprinting Olympic and world medallist Kerron Stewart (JAM) to win with a time of 11.36 (-1.0). In the same race, Bianca Williams (Lloyd Cowan) was fourth in 11.48. Meanwhile, in race two, Shannon Hylton (Ryan Freckleton) was third in 11.59 (+0.9).

Full results can be found here.

Highlights can be found on BBC One at 13:15 on Saturday 1st September.