Barshim Breaks Record in High Jump and Local Athletes Warholm and Ingebrigtsen Excite Fans with Winning Performances

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

Oslo played host Thursday to the IAAF Diamond League at the Bislett Games.

A field of the best high jumpers in the world, including the top five from the Rio Olympics, was assembled to take a shot at the 28-year-old meet record of 7-9.25 (2.37m) held by Javier Sotomayor.

In the end, the competition did not play out as many hoped with many of the event's top stars going out early. Derek Drouin, the Olympic champion from Canada, only managed 7-4.25 (2.25m), but he finished third. Bohdan Bondarenko of Ukraine, a 7-11.25 (2.42m) man at his best, cleared 7-6 (2.29m) in his season debut for second.

That left the pressure on Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar as the only man with a chance to break the record. He won the competition at 7-7.25 (2.32m), but then failed twice at 7-8.5 (2.35m), before clearing on his third attempt.

The bar then went up to 7-9.75 (2.38m). Barshim missed on his first attempt. Then on his second attempt, he brushed the bar with his arm, but it stayed on. Barshim cleared and took the meet record for himself.

"We came for 2.38," Barshim told the IAAF. "So mission completed."

On the track, it was a pair of Norwegians who brought the crowd to its feet. Running in the junior Dream Mile, Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran on the heels of the rabbits and then kicked away from the field in the final 200 meters to win in 3:56.29. Ingebrigtsen lowered his world age-16 best from the 3:58 he ran at the Prefontaine Classic last month.

"This was crazy," Ingebrigtsen told the IAAF. "I felt very strong today and the spectators were amazing, unbelievable. I could have run faster today, but it doesn't matter, because it was a crazy experience."

When it came time for Karsten Warholm to take the track in the 400-meter hurdles the fans in the stadium were excited. The 21-year old former multi-event athlete ran a personal best 44.87 for the flat 400 meters last week. This time, in the Diamond League event, Warholm was up against Olympic champion Kerron Clement.

The moment the gun went off, both Warholm and Clement, running side-by-side in lanes six and seven, were up on the field, clearing hurdles at a nearly even rate. But then coming off the final turn, Clement stuttered into the penultimate hurdle, losing all of his momentum. Warholm held the lead to the finish, winning in a national record 48.25. Clement stumbled home in eighth place.

The meet ended with two surprise finishes on the track. In the women's 200 meters, Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands, running on her 25th birthday, blatantly false started. She was allowed to run under protest, winning the race in 22.31.

However, she was shortly thereafter disqualified, lifting Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast to first in 22.74. Schippers appealed after the race and her time and place was eventually reinstated.

In the men's 1,500 meters, Jake Wightman of Great Britain was the surprise winner, out-kicking Elijah Manangoi of Kenya and Marcin Lewandowski of Poland in 3:34.17. Manangoi finished in 3:34.30 and Lewandowsi finished in 3:34.60. This was the second time a non-African born runner has won a Diamond League 1,500 meters.

Filip Ingebrigsten, older brother to Jakob, was with the leaders with 150 meters to go, but faded on the home straight. He held on to fourth, crossing the line in 3:36.74.