Jess Hull’s eagerly awaited 1500 metres rematch with Claudia Hollingsworth has proved a damp squib, upstaged by an unexpected podium gatecrasher Abbey Caldwell at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting.
Caldwell beat both of her more garlanded compatriots after a late surge, finishing third in 3 minutes 56.12 sec in Saturday’s Diamond League opener, amazed to carve three seconds off her lifetime best to become the second-fastest Aussie of all-time.
Birke Haylom clocked a world-leading 3:55.56 to lead home an Ethiopian one-two with Tsige Duguma timed at 3:55.71, but 24-year-old Caldwell burst through to run a time that only Hull has bettered among Australian women.
“I honestly didn’t think even mid-race it would be that good, but to get a PB, I’m absolutely stoked,” Caldwell said.
“I knew I was very fit and wanted to show that on track. We have the luxury of coming off our domestic season in Australia and I knew I was race-ready.
“To be on the Diamond League podium for the first time is the biggest bonus ever, it’s amazing.”
Front-running Olympic silver medallist Hull, who’d set out her stall from the start following the nifty pacemaker, was eventually passed on the final back straight and faded to sixth (3:57.91) on the run-in.
Hollingsworth, reinstated as Australian champion last month after originally being disqualified after tripping Hull in the national final, was disappointing, finishing ninth in 3:58.96 and even ending one place behind another Aussie Sarah Billings.
Tenth-placed Linden Hall ensured there were five Australians all under four minutes in the top 10.
Caldwell was joined as a podium placer by Matt Denny, second in the men’s discus with a 67.54m effort, and Kurtis Marschall, runner-up with a 5.80m leap in a poor-quality pole vault redeemed only by the great Armand Duplantis, who cleared 6.12m but failed in three shots at a new world record height of 6.32m.
It’s now over two-and-a-half years since the astonishing Swede was defeated in any competition.
After his domestic sprint domination, Australia’s fastest man Lachlan Kennedy was brought back to earth, as his 10.01sec 100 metres after a good start was still only enough to earn him fifth behind victorious South African Gift Leotlela, who clocked 9.97sec.
In the 800m on his Diamond League debut, Luke Boyes announced himself with a fine run, leading a star-studded field into the home straight before finishing fourth in a new pb 1:44.16, with Ireland’s Mark English winning in 1:43.85.
Victorian Seth O’Donnell (VIC) also made a decent bow in the 3000m, his 7:29.49 for 11th making him only the third Australian in history to break the 7:30 barrier after Cameron Myers and Stewart McSweyn. Germany’s Mohamed Abdilaahi took the spoils in 7:25.77.
Queensland’s world Under 20 champ Torrie Lewis found a loaded 200m too hot, finishing last in 23.25sec, with Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson soaring past Bahamian Shaunae Miller-Uibo, a two-time Olympic 400m champion, to win in 22.07.
