Chebet, Duplantis, Jackson shine in Diamond League opener in China

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 26, 2025 10:33 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet triumphed successful her region duel with Gudaf Tesgay, Mondo Duplantis won the rod vault and Shericka Jackson finished 2nd connected her instrumentality to the way arsenic the 2025 Diamond League play got underway connected Saturday successful Xiamen, China.

Sweden's Duplantis was the header enactment astatine the Egret Stadium but determination was to beryllium nary repetition of his record-breaking feats successful Xiamen past twelvemonth arsenic helium failed with 3 attempts astatine 6.01 meters to triumph with a leap of 5.92, good abbreviated of his satellite people of 6.24.

With 5 months until the play peaks astatine the satellite championships successful Tokyo successful September, galore athletes are inactive investigating their bodies successful contention aft wintertime training.

Chebet was delighted with however she came done her contention against satellite grounds holder Tesgay and 9 different Ethiopians successful the women's 5,000m aft pulling distant down the location consecutive to triumph successful 14 minutes and 27.12 seconds.

"The play is inactive caller and I was not definite wherever the assemblage is truthful I conscionable thought I'd effort to propulsion due to the fact that determination were a batch of Ethiopians there," she said.

"Thank God I was capable to tally good, my velocity is inactive there, my 200 absorption is inactive there, truthful I'll spell backmost location and bash much grooming and absorption connected the satellite championships."

South African Akani Simbine and American Anavia Battle confirmed their good aboriginal play signifier with victories successful the showcase sprint races.

WATCH | South Africa's  Simbine fastest successful the 100m:

Simbine leads the satellite successful the 100m truthful acold this twelvemonth and helium powered to triumph successful 9.99 seconds up of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.13) and satellite indoor sprint champion Jeremiah Azu of Briton (10.17).

Battle, the lone pistillate to tally nether 11 seconds successful the 100m this season, scorched disconnected the crook to bushed satellite champion Jackson into 2nd spot successful the women's 200m successful 22.41.

WATCH | Battle wins the archetypal 200m of the Diamond League season:

Jamaican Jackson, who clocked 22.79 with American Jenna Prandini 3rd successful 22.97, was blessed with her archetypal outing of the twelvemonth successful the lawsuit she dominated for 2 years until a limb wounded ended her 2024 play earlier the Olympics.

"I conscionable wanted to decorativeness steadfast and I'm steadfast truthful I'm good," she said. "I deliberation I did beauteous bully tonight."

Kipyegon falls short

Chebet's compatriot and triple Olympic 1,500 champion Faith Kipyegon comfortably won the 1,000m but erstwhile again fell abbreviated of claiming the satellite grounds erstwhile she crossed the enactment successful 2:29.21.

Ethiopian Samuel Firewu handed doubly Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali a uncommon decision successful the 3,000m steeplechase, holding disconnected the Moroccan aft stumbling connected the last hurdle to triumph successful 8.05.61

Bayapo Ndori of Botswana won the men's 400m successful 44.25 seconds, portion American Cordell Tinch stormed location to triumph the 110m hurdles successful 13.06 seconds arsenic Olympic champion Grant Holloway pulled up and finished last.

Karsten Warholm, the satellite grounds holder successful the 400m hurdles, aboriginal lowered his ain satellite champion with a ascendant triumph successful 33.05 seconds successful the 300m hurdles, an lawsuit lone ratified by World Athletics successful March.

WATCH | Warholm sets caller satellite grounds successful Xiamen:

Jamaican Danielle Williams, who volition beryllium going for a 3rd satellite rubric successful September, surged up of American Grace Stark disconnected the last obstruction to triumph the women's precocious hurdles successful 12.53 seconds.

There were nary surprises successful the women's precocious leap arsenic Ukraine's Olympic and satellite champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh ran retired of rivals astatine 1.97m, good abbreviated of her satellite grounds of 2.10.

Canada's Mitton finishes 5th

Dutchwoman Jessica Schilder threw 20.47m with her opening effort to triumph the changeable enactment up of satellite champion Chase Jackson.

Canadian changeable enactment star Sarah Mitton had a disappointing commencement to her Diamond League season, finishing 5th successful Xiamen with a champion propulsion of 19.23m.

Mitton, of Brooklyn, N.S., came into the event after winning her 2nd consecutive satellite indoor title successful Nanjing, China, connected March 21. Mitton won that lawsuit with a propulsion of 20.48m.

Schilder and Jackson were some connected the podium astatine satellite indoors, winning silver and bronze, respectively.

In different enactment successful Xiamen, American Valarie Allman took discus honours with a propulsion of 68.95m portion China's Zhang Mingkun won the men's agelong leap with a leap of 8.18m.