World champ Gatlin edges Kiryu to win 100m in Osaka

37 year old US sprinter Justin Gatlin pipped Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu to win the men’s 100 metres as fellow American Michael Norman fired a world championship warning with a superb 200m at the Golden Grand Prix Osaka on Sunday.

The 37-year-old Gatlin produced a strong finish to clock 10 seconds flat, the reigning world champion dipping at the line to edge out Kiryu by a hundredth of a second at the IAAF world challenge meet in Osaka.

Indonesia’s world under-20 champion Lalu Muhammad Zohri broke his own national record as he took third in 10.03 — the fastest time ever recorded by an athlete from Southeast Asia.

 

 

While Gatlin targets one last hurrah at the world championships in Doha later this year, Norman laid down a marker by winning the men’s 200m in a meet record 19.84 seconds, shaving 0.03 off the mark Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks set 20 years ago.

The runaway victor, who last month clocked a personal best of 43.45 in the 400m, left Yang Chun-Han trailing in his wake, the Taiwanese runner-up in 20.50.

Ominously for his rivals, Norman insisted that he can still get faster.

“I feel as though there are multiple areas I can improve on,” said the 21-year-old.

“I didn’t feel as though the intensity that I usually have during a 200m was there.”

Meanwhile, the Japanese men’s 4x100m relay quartet made amends after their disqualification at last week’s World Relays in Yokohama by beating Team USA into second place.

Clips of Kiryu fumbling and then catching the baton in mid-air went viral, but the Japanese — shock Rio Olympic silver medallists behind Usain Bolt’s Jamaica — made no mistake this time as Kiryu anchored them home in a world-leading 38.00 seconds.

The Americans, who had Gatlin on their second leg, took silver in 38.73.

Results

Men

100m: 1. Justin Gatlin 10.00 sec, 2. Yoshihide Kiryu 10.01 sec, 3. Lalu Muhammad Zohri 10.03 sec

200m: 1. Michael Norman 19.84 sec, 2. Chun- Han Yang 20.50 sec, 3. Christopher Belcher 20.57 sec

400m: 1. Vernon Norwood 45.79 sec, 2. Julian Walsh 46.29 sec, 3. Mitsuko Kawachi 46.49 sec

800m: 1. Jonathan Kitilit 1:46.37 sec, 2. Guy Learmonth 1:46.81 sec, 3. Alfred Kipketer 1:46.88

3000m St.Ch.: 1. Philemon Ruto 8:22.76 sec, 2. Getnet Wale 8:23.01 sec, 3. Abraham Kibiwot 8:28.27 sec

110m Hurdles: 1. Shusuke Izumiya 13.26 sec, 2. Greeggmar Swift 13.45 sec, 3. Taio Kanai 13.47 sec

400m Hurdles: 1. Masaki Toyoda 50.38 sec , 3. Keisuke Nozawa 50.65 sec, 3. Mahau Suguimati 50.87

Long Jump: 1. Natsuko Yamakawa 7.87m, 2. Hibiki Tsusha 7.81m , 3. Yuko Hashoika 7.80m

Triple Jump: 1. Omar Craddock 17.16m 2. Yaming Zhu 16.51m, 3. Nazim Bbayey 16.48m

Javelin Throw: 1. Edis Matusevicius 84.55m, 2. Shih-Feng Huang 79.5m, 3. Ryohei Arai 78.34m

Women

100m: 1. Mikiah Brisco 11.33 sec, 2. Olga Safronova 11.39 sec, 3. Dezerea Bryant 11.44 sec

200m: 1. Ivet Lalova Collio 22.55 sec, 2. Kyra Jefferson 23.00 sec, 3. Olga Safronova 23.08 sec

800m: 1. Noelie Yarigo 2:03.18 sec, 3. Emily Tuei 2:03.80 sec, 3. Angela Petty 2:03.81 sec

3000m St. Ch.: 1. Yakari Ishizawa 10:12.12 sec, 2. Ayaka Koike 1:32.27 sec, 3. Manami Nishiyama 10:28.67 sec

100m Hurdles: 1. Sharika Nelvis 12.70 sec, 2. Sally Pearson 12.70 sec, 3. Pedrya Seymour 12.90 sec

400m Hurdles: 1. Dalilah Muhammad 53.88 sec, 3. Ti–Adna Belle 55.42 sec, 3. Cassandra Tate 55.45 sec

Long Jump: 1. Brooke Startation 6.66m, 2. Ala Rotaru 6.47m 3. Sumire Hata 6.41m

Hammer Throw: 1. Zheng Wang 75.27m, 2. Gwen Berry 74.09m, 3. Deenna Prince 72.92m

Javelin Throw: 1. Yuzhen Yu 60.88, 2. Haruka Kithagaahu 60.00 sec, Liveta Jasiunaite 59.74 sec