4th May 2018

BRADSHAW CLAIMS SECOND PLACE IN DOHA

Holly Bradshaw (coach: Scott Simpson) starred at the opening Diamond League fixture of the 2018 season, placing second overall in the women’s pole vault.

Bradshaw recovered from a tough start to the competition to finish behind world indoor champion Sandi Morris (USA) but beat Olympic and world champion Katerina Stefanidi.

It started well for Bradshaw who cleared 4.54m at the first time of asking, but struggled at the next height. After two unsuccessful efforts at 4.64m, the pressure was on the Blackburn athlete as she required a clearance to stay in the competition. However, the experienced international showed nerves of steel to clear the height on the third and final attempt to put herself back in the mix.

Many athletes would have been shaken by this effort, but the Briton produced a very good first-time clearance at 4.64m to put herself in contention for the overall win. There was very little success across the board at 4.74m, apart from Morris, but Bradshaw’s earlier impressive mark saw her collect second place; an important result in the Road To The Final.

After opening his outdoor season with a 10.08 clocking over 100m two weeks ago, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake faced his first 200m of 2018 in Doha. A fourth placer at the Worlds in London last year, the 24 year-old started strongly, running a good bend, but he struggled to maintain the pace of the leaders in the home straight to place fifth in 20.37 (+1.3); the race won by America’s Noah Lyles in a time of 19.83, a PB for him.

After been handed lane eight in the lane draw, Jack Green (June Plews) produced a solid display over 400m hurdles for seventh place and a time of 50.22. The Kent based athlete started well on the outside but Abderrahman Samba (QAT) was among the athletes running a lethal pace on the inside of him. The latter finished in a Diamond League record of 47.54; his changing of gears over the final 200m split the rest of the competitors.

After becoming detached from the leading group midway through the contest, Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall) was involved with a battle with the Ethiopian athlete Fotyen Tesfay over the latter half of the women’s 3000m race, the latter getting the upper-hand in the closing stages. The Dundee Hawkshill athlete posted a time of 8:48.03 for 12th position.

Highlights will be available on BBC Two on Sunday 6 May from 18:00.

Results can be found here.