World records for Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Faith Kipyegon in Paris

07/07/2024 10:59 AM

Ukrainian clears 2.10m to beat the 1987 mark of Stefka Kostadinova while Kenyan middle-distance star improves her own 1500m best with 3:49.04

Less than three weeks before the Olympics kick off in Paris, the French capital staged a brilliant Diamond League meeting with two world records.

When Yaroslava Mahuchikh was born in 2001, Stefka Kostadinova's world high jump record of 2.09m was already 14 years old. Kostadinova's mark came at the World Championships in Rome in 1987 but it finally fell on Sunday (July 7) when Mahuchikh soared over 2.10m at the Diamond League in Paris.

The Bulgarian's record lasted 36 years and 10 months in total and was one of the longest standing records in athletics. But the Ukrainian Mahuchikh is a rare talent and after winning the competition with 2.03m, she cleared a personal best of 2.07m on her second attempt and then 2.10m first time.

"Coming into this competition, I had feelings that I could jump 2.07m and maybe 2.10m," said Mahuchikh. "Finally I signed Ukraine to the history of world athletics."

The 22-year-old is the reigning world and two-time European champion but will be looking to claim her first Olympic title in the French capital in August after having taken bronze in 2021 in Tokyo.

Mahuchikh came into this season with a best of 2.06m set indoors in 2021. Her best this season prior to the Paris Diamond League was 2.04m but she found another 6cm on Sunday to create history.

Nicola Olyslagers of Australia was third in 2.01m with Angelia Topic equalling the Serbian record of 1.98m in third as Britain's Morgan Lake jumped 1.92m in ninth.

Faith Kipyegon improved her own world 1500m record of 3:49.11, which was set in Florence last year, to 3:49.04 in a phenomenal women’s event that saw almost every athlete set PBs.

After following the pacemakers through 400m in 61.42 and 800m in 2:03.82, Kipyegon took the lead with Jess Hull of Australia for company.

Hull was still with Kipyegon on the back straight on the final lap, but the Kenyan drew away in the final 200m to finish strongly as Hull held on to clock an Oceania record of 3:50.83.

Laura Muir finished brilliantly in third with a British record of 3:53.79 as she took 71 hundredths of a second off her 2021 best.

Georgia Bell, the British champion, ran a PB of 3:56.54 in fifth and Ireland’s Sarah Healy a 3:57.46 PB in seventh.

Katie Snowden clocked 3:58.13 in ninth as European champion Ciara Mageean was also inside four minutes with 3:58.69 but only 10th.

There was no world record for Mondo Duplantis, though, as the Swedish pole vaulter cleared 6.00m (then failing three times at 6.25m) to win from US champion Sam Kendricks, who cleared a season’s best of 5.95m.

The men’s 800m saw the top three men run in the mid-1:41s as the world all-time rankings were rewritten.

Djamel Sedjati of Algeria won in 1:41.56 as Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya was second in 1:41.58 and Gabriel Tual third in a French record of 1:41.61.

Only David Rudisha with 1:40.91 and Wilson Kipketer with 1:41.11 have run faster. Seb Coe's 1:41.73, meanwhile, is now down to No.6 on the all-time list.

Wanyonyi, the winner of the Kenyan Olympic trials in 1:41.70 last month, led around the final bend but Sedjati kicked past into the home straight and held off Tual on his outside and Wanyonyi on his inside to take a narrow win.

In fourth and fifth, Aaron Cheminingwa and Wyclife Kinyamal, both of Kenya, ran 1:42.08 to go equal ninth on the world all-time rankings.

In sixth, Eliott Crestan ran a Belgian record of 1:42.43. Seventh placed Andreas Kramer ran a Swedish record of 1:43.66. Azeddine Habz of France ran a 1:43.79 PB but was only eighth.

Sedjati, who won world silver last year behind Marco Arop of Canada, said: "I am satisfied with my race and am now preparing Monaco next week. I am confident and will prepare serenely for the Olympic Games in Paris in the coming weeks. I know that I can do even better there."

With the event acting as a prelude to the Olympic Games in the same city in a few weeks’ time, Marileidy Paulino beat European champion Natalia Kaczmarek in the women’s 400m – 49.20 to 49.82 – as Salwa Eid Naser, the 2019 world champion, showed a return to form with 49.82 in third and Britain's Laviai Nielsen clocked a 50.67 PB.

Jacob Krop of Kenya ran 7:28.83 to win the men’s 3000m from Stewart McSweyn’s 7:29.46.

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase Winfred Yavi of Bahrain won in 9:03.68 from Alice Finot’s French record of 9:05.01 as Britain’s Lizzie Bird ran a 9:09.07 season’s best in third.

There were worries for Kevin Mayer, too, as the decathlon world record-holder pulled up injured in the 110m hurdles in the 'triathlon' just weeks before going for Olympic gold on home soil.

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