A long jump victory from Tianna Bartoletta and a patented Mo Farah sprint finish bookended an entertaining first day of competition at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene on Friday night (29).
Bartoletta was the first winner of a Diamond Race discipline at the 41st edition of the famous Prefontaine Classic, taking the long jump with a wind-assisted leap of 7.11m on her third attempt.
She jumped 6.83m in the next round, her best wind-legal mark of the series, before passing her two final tries.
“The field today demanded superior performances,” said Bartoletta. “All of the ladies have been jumping really well this year so when I woke up this morning my husband, my coach and I we all kept affirming that I was ready to jump seven metres plus and that was only thing I allowed to loop in my head today.”
The beginning to Bartoletta’s series wasn’t as promising. Wind hampered her approach and she jumped well behind the board on her first two attempts before she adjusted her run up by moving in closer. It was a choice that proved to be decisive.
Christabel Nettey equalled her Canadian record – and Bartoletta’s world-leading mark – of 6.99m in second place while Lorraine Ugen of Great Britain jumped a wind-assisted 6.89m for third place.
View this article at: http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/bartoletta-kovacs-farah-eugene