Photo: Prensa Latina
Havana, June 3 (RHC) -- Kenyan runner Faith Kipyegon, two-time Olympic champion, set a world record in the 1,500 meters with a time of 3.49.11 minutes, at the athletic meeting in Florence, belonging to the Diamond League.
Kipyegon, double universal champion of the distance, broke the 3.50.07 minutes record set by Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba on July 17, 2015 in Monaco.
In August last year, the Kenyan was already close to surpassing the world record, but fell 30 hundredths short (3.50.37), the second best time in history, although she regretted having missed the mark in the last meters.
In this way, the African launched her firm candidacy to win the title at the World Championships in Budapest, scheduled for August 19-27.
Britain's Laura Muir followed the Kenyan with a time of 3.57.09 minutes and Australia's Jessica Hull was third with a continental record of 3.57.29.
In the men's triple jump, Cuba's Lazaro Martinez, universal indoor title holder in Belgrade 2022, finished third with a record of 17.12 meters.
Cuban-born Italian Andy Diaz won the event with a best mark of 17.75, ahead of Burkina Faso's representative Hugues Fabrice Zango, who reached 17.68.
Another Cuban Luis Enrique Zayas, Pan American high jump titleholder in Lima 2019, also concluded in third place with a leap of 2.27 meters.
American JuVaughn Harrison dominated the competition with 2.32, followed by South Korea's Sanghyeok Woo (2.30).
In a long-awaited race, the American Fred Kerley conquered the 100 meters with a time of 9.94 seconds, escorted by the Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala (10.05) and the also American Trayvon Bromell (10.09), with the same time as the South African Akani Simbine (fourth).
Also impressive was U.S. sprinter Erriyon Knighton, 19, who won the double hectometer with a time of 19.89 seconds, 39 hundredths of a second ahead of second-place Jareem Richards.
Knighton currently holds the world records for the 200 meters in the U-18 and U-20 categories.
Spain's Mohamed Katir triumphed in the 5,000 meters with 12.52.09 minutes, followed by Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha (12.52.12) and Guatemala's Luis Grijalva (12.52.97).
In the 400 meters flat for women, Cuban Roxana Gómez finished fourth with a time of 51.29 seconds. This was the first incursion of the Antillean in the Golden League circuit.
The first position went to the Polish Natalia Kaczmarek (50.41), followed by the Dutch Lieke Klaver (50.75) and the American Lynna Irby-Jackson (50.84).
