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Eugene Diamond League Review

Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba recorded a season's best time, as she marched on to an emphatic victory in the women's 5000m event at the Eugene Diamond League meeting this weekend.

WORLD LEADERS, MEET RECORDS AND PERSONAL BESTS

Dibaba, who was never challenged this weekend, won her race in a time of 14:25.22, making a significant statement at a meeting where several athletes produced outstanding performances.

Dibaba had not competed in a 5000m event ahead of the trip to Eugene, with her previous Diamond League outing being the 800m event at Doha. That performance had not been overwhelming, by any stretch of the imagination, as she finished a distant fifth.

However, as was the case with many athletes participating on the track this weekend, Eugene presented the ideal platform to shift the respective season's into fifth gear.

The women's performances were particularly outstanding.

Kenya's Celliphine Chespol had competed in both of the previous Diamond League meetings, heading into Eugene this weekend. At Doha she had finished fourth in the steeplechase, where she recorded a time of 9:05.70.

At Shanghai, her time was worse, as she recorded a 9:07.08. However, she finished among the top three in that race and that was always going to be a massive confidence booster heading into Eugene.

There are not many in the athletics fraternity who would have been prepared for the performance that she produced this weekend. Chespol, who crossed the line in 8:58.78, became the world leader, broke the world junior record, broke the African record and broke the meet record this weekend.

A statement, if ever there was one.

The African men were not to be outdone in all this though, as Kenya's Ronald Kwemoi became the world leader in the men's Bowerman Mile, where he also recorded a personal best time in his winning performance. Kwemoi completed the race in a time of 3:49.04.

He spearheaded a Kenyan top three which included Elijah Manangoi and Timothy Cheruiyot.

Somalia-born Mo Farah and Jamaica's Omar McLeod both recorded world leading times in the men's 5000m and 110m hurdles events respectively.

American Jasmin Stowers recorded a season's best in the women's 100m hurdles and Ashley Spencer recorded a personal best in the women's 400m hurdles.

RACE OF THE WEEKEND

The women's 200m sprint was always expected to be the stand out event for the weekend, and it did not disappoint. The race brought with it, somewhat of an upset, as American Tori Bowie recorded a world leading time, a meet record and her personal best when she beat Olympic Champion Elaine Thompson.

Bowie crossed the line in 21.77, having established a significant lead during the first half of the race. With Thompson failing to find a response, the onus was on World Champion Dafne Schippers to try and pull a rabbit out of the hat down the home straight.

The Dutch woman could only muster a fourth place finish. Thompson finished third, behind Shaunae Miller-Uibo from the Bahamas. America's golden girl of athletics, Allyson Felix could only manage fifth, in a race of the highest quality.

CASTER AND FAITH ON THE DOUBLE

South Africa's darling Caster Semenya recorded her second 800m win, in as many attempts in this season's Diamond League, entrenching her status as the fastest woman over two laps right now. When the World Championships do arrive later this year, Semenya will take some beating and she thought it prudent to remind the field of that this weekend.

The South African crossed the line in a time of 1:57.78.

Kenya's Faith Kipyegon also recorded her second Diamond League victory of the season, in the women's 1500m event. Like Semenya, she didn't produce any earth shattering times this weekend...because she didn't need to.

Both female athletes had produced those theatrics in their first meetings of the season.

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