Kipruto, Stefanidi, Walsh, Semenya claim Diamond League titles

Conseslus Kipruto, Katerina Stefanidi, Tomas Walsh and Caster Semenya won in the finals of the elite track and field competition IAAF Diamond League at the Letzigrund Stadium.

Despite losing his shoe, the world and Olympic champion from Kenya, Conseslus Kipruto, beat his Moroccan rival Soufiane El Bakkali and secured his victory in the 3,000m steeplechase competition here on Thursday, Efe news reported.

Hellen Obiri from Kenya also beat her Dutch rival, Sifan Hassan, and took home the women's 5,000m Diamond Trophy.

Tomas Walsh from New Zealand won the first place in the shot put competition with a Diamond League record of 22.60 meters, followed by American Darrell Hill, who threw a season's best of 22.40, and American Ryan Crouser at 22.18.

American Noah Lyles won the men's 200m title by gliding past the world and European champion Ramil Guliyev from Turkey before crossing the finish line at 19.67, only two hundredths away from beating his personal best record in this season. For his part, Guliyev, finished at 19.98.

Greece's Katerina Stefanidi, current Olympic, World and European champion, continued to dominate the pole vault competition producing a season's best of 4.87 m, with American Sandi Morris finishing second, followed by Russian Anzhelika Sidorova, both with a 4.82m mark.

Germany's Andreas Hofmann claimed the Diamond Trophy in javelin with a throw of 91.44m, beating Estonian Magnus Kirt (87.57) and his compatriot Thomas Roehler (85.76).

South African Caster Semenya won the women's 800m race with a record of 1:55.27, defeating American Ajee Wilson (1:57.86) and Jamaican Natoya Goule (1:58.49).

--IANS

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