Three of Kenya&rsquo;s world champions &ndash; Timothy Cheruiyot, Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech &ndash; were triumphant at the Kip Keino Classic World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on Saturday (3) as Nairobi hosted its first ever global one-day meet at the newly-refurbished Nyayo National Stadium.
Despite struggling with a hamstring strain, Cheruiyot maintained his 1500m winning streak and held off a strong challenge from young compatriot Kumari Taki.
With his front-leaning running style and long strides, Cheruiyot held second place throughout most of the race with Taki and his training partner Timothy Sein dictating the tempo.
But at the bell, Cheruiyot darted to the lead. Taki tried to close in on the world champion down the home straight, but Cheruiyot&rsquo;s experience proved vital as he guarded his lead to win in 3:34.53. Taki, the 2016 world U20 champion, was second in 3:35.00 &ndash; just 0.86 shy of his PB. Abel Kipsang was third in 3:35.43.
&ldquo;It was tough because before the race, I had a small hamstring strain and I wasn&rsquo;t sure I would do well,&rdquo; said Cheruiyot, who was cheered on by a sizeable crowd at the Nyayo National Stadium. &ldquo;But I managed to hold it for a while to run and win. The field was very competitive and I had to do my best.&rdquo;
Obiri, meanwhile, used her imperious finishing kick to win the 5000m ahead of world 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Tirop. 
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Hellen Obiri (004) on her way to winning the 5000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</div>
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Obiri kicked hard in the final 300m and went on to win in 15:06.36, crossing the finish line with a smile as she wrapped up a successful 2020 track campaign that included world-leading performances over 3000m and 5000m. Tirop finished second in 15:06.71.
&ldquo;I really wanted to give the home fans something to smile about and I am happy with the race today,&rdquo; said Obiri. &ldquo;I just wanted to finish the season well with a win and now I can look at what&rsquo;s ahead and plan for next season.&rdquo;
World record-holder Chepkoech brought the curtains down on the hugely successful event, leading from the outset to win the steeplechase in 9:29.05.
&ldquo;It was a very good race and I am pleased to win at home,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I wanted to run below 9:10 but unfortunately it was not possible because of the conditions. But all the same I am happy with the performance and the victory.&rdquo;
Only Hyvin Kiyeng, the 2015 world champion, tried to keep up with Chepkoech&rsquo;s pace &ndash; which, given Nairobi&rsquo;s altitude, was pretty swift. Kiyeng finished second in 9:34.07 while Roseline Chepngetich was third in 9:46.14.
In contrast to the women&rsquo;s race, the men&rsquo;s steeplechase was extremely close with Commonwealth silver medallist Abraham Kibiwot just getting the better of Leonard Bett with a lunge at the finish line.
Kibiwot ran behind Bett throughout the race, but he used his momentum off the final barrier to great effect to kick to victory in 8:17.60, finishing 0.03 ahead of Bett, the 2017 world U18 champion and 2019 African U20 champion.
&ldquo;I honestly didn&rsquo;t think I would win today because this was my first competition of the season,&rdquo; said Kibiwot, who finished seventh at last year&rsquo;s World Championships. &ldquo;It has been very tough training during the Covid-19 pandemic period and I just wanted to come here and try to get a good performance. I managed a win and I am so happy with myself.&rdquo;
<h3>Kimeli clocks Kenyan all-comers&rsquo; record</h3>
Following PB performances over 5000m (12:51.78) and 10,000m (26:58.97) in recent months, Nicolas Kimeli impressed again in Nairobi, winning the 5000m with the fastest time ever recorded in Kenya &ndash; or indeed at any venue at altitude. 
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Nicolas Kimeli on his way to winning the 5000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</div>
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Ethiopia&rsquo;s Berihu Aregawi proved to be a formidable opponent and the world U20 bronze medallist edged ahead of Kimeli with 200 metres to go. Kimeli battled back to the front, though, and responded to Aregawi&rsquo;s challenge, striding ahead to win in 13:08.32. Aregawi was second in a PB of 13:08.91.
World bronze medallist Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich won his sixth successive 800m race. Once the pacemaker had done their job, Rotich dictated the race and won comfortably in 1:44.78 with Australia&rsquo;s Joseph Deng taking second place in 1:45.21. 
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Paul Tanui on his way to winning the 10,000m at the Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi</div>
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Elsewhere in a programme that was unsurprisingly packed with endurance events, Olympic silver medallist Paul Tanui won the men&rsquo;s 10,000m by 16 seconds in 28:06.90 after kicking away from the rest of the field with 800 metres to go. Lemlem Hailu won the women&rsquo;s 1500m in 4:06.42, holding off a strong challenge from Kenyan duo Winny Chebet (4:06.78) and Mercy Cherono (4:06.79).
<h3>Young sprint stars emerge</h3>
One of the most surprising performances of the day came in the women&rsquo;s 400m.
Namibian 17-year-old Beatrice Masilingi produced a strong final run down the home straight to win in an African U18 best of 50.99 &ndash; the fastest time in the world by an U18 athlete for 18 years. Kenya&rsquo;s Mary Moraa was second in 51.99.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Namibia's Beatrice Masilingi dominates the 400m. 50.99 for the win and an African U18 best. It is the fourth fastest time by any woman this year 💫<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ContinentalTourGold?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ContinentalTourGold</a> <a href="https://t.co/GO6buTmr3N">pic.twitter.com/GO6buTmr3N</a>
&mdash; Continental Tour Gold (@ContiTourGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold/status/1312385456319934465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2020</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script>

South Africa&rsquo;s Dambile Sinesipho, the African U18 champion, won the men&rsquo;s 200m in 20.44 (1.2m/s) ahead of Ivorian Arthur Cisse, who clocked 20.53. Denmark&rsquo;s Tazana Kamanga-Dyrbak, another promising talent, finished third in 20.61 to break his own national U20 record.
Britain&rsquo;s 2018 world U20 bronze medallist Kristal Awuah set a PB of 23.05 (-0.7m/s) to win the women&rsquo;s 200m, holding off Egypt&rsquo;s Bassant Hemida (23.13) and Zambia&rsquo;s Rhodah Njobvu (23.18).
&ldquo;I am so delighted because my main target was to run a PB and I achieved it,&rdquo; said 21-year-old Awuah. &ldquo;It was tough, though, because the altitude was really punishing and that&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m still gasping for breath. But it is an honour to come to Kenya and win.&rdquo;
Elsewhere, Venezuela&rsquo;s Rosa Rodriguez produced the farthest ever hammer throw on Kenyan soil, winning the women&rsquo;s event with 69.55m. Italian veteran Marco Lingua took the men&rsquo;s event with 70.20m.
In the absence of 2015 world champion Julius Yego, his protege Alexander Kiprotich won the javelin with a best throw of 76.71m.
&ldquo;Being the first one to win this inaugural event is historic and I hope to defend the title in May next year as I aim to qualify for Tokyo Olympics,&rdquo; said Kiprotich. &ldquo;What we lack in Kenya is exposure to quality competition that can improve our techniques. We need to venture out.&rdquo;
Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga led dignitaries at the meeting. 1500m winner Cheruiyot was named the meet&rsquo;s best athlete.
Alex Isaboke (organisers) for World Athletics

Three of Kenya’s world champions – Timothy Cheruiyot, Hellen Obiri and Beatrice Chepkoech – were triumphant at the Kip Keino Classic World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting on Saturday (3) as Nairobi hosted its first ever global one-day meet at the newly-refurbished Nyayo National Stadium.

World champions shine as Kip Keino Classic delivers the magic in Nairobi

The inaugural season of the&nbsp;World Athletics Continental Tour Gold circuit concludes in Nairobi on Saturday (3) with the first edition of the Kip Keino Classic. You can follow all the action on the World Athletics website, its associated platforms and via the broadcasters listed below.
<h3>How and where to watch</h3>
The meeting will be broadcast in the territories listed below. The list will be updated as necessary in the lead-in to Saturday's competition.
Fans from all other territories will have access to a live stream on the <a href="https://youtu.be/hjj8AnZZpjU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Athletics YouTube</a> channel from 3-5pm CEST (1-3pm UTC).
Please note: Some events on the programme may be held before the live stream commences. In that case, highlights of these events will be included in the broadcast.*
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hjj8AnZZpjU" width="500" height="280" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Listed alphabetically by broadcaster: AMC (Hungary) Arena Sport (Slovenia, Bosnia &amp; Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia) BNT (Bulgaria) CBC (Canada) Claro Sports (Latin America) FloSports (USA) JOY TV (Slovakia) MTV (Finland) NENT (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland) Polsat (Poland) Sport 5 (Israel) TVE (Spain) NTV (Kenya)
*check local listings for broadcast times in your area
<h3>Follow the action</h3>
- <a href="https://kipkeinoclassic.co.ke/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meeting website</a> - <a href="https://kipkeinoclassic.co.ke/live-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Time table, start lists and live&nbsp;results</a> - <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/download/download?filename=fc8011f9-51ab-4f98-94d0-1ebf576e7ca5.pdf&amp;urlSlug=athlete-bios-2020-kip-keino-classic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Athlete biographies</a>
<h3>Social media updates</h3>
- Continental Tour Gold: <a href="https://twitter.com/ContiTourGold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ContiTourGold/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/contitourgold/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram </a>- World Athletics: <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/worldathletics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram </a>- Kip Keino Classic: <a href="https://twitter.com/KipKeinoClassic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KipKeinoClassic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/KipKeinoClassic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>
<h3>Catch up</h3>
- <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/kip-keino-classic-preview-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meeting preview</a> - <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/wct-gold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Continental Tour Gold meeting news</a>
 World Athletics

The inaugural season of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold circuit concludes in Nairobi on Saturday (3) with the first edition of the Kip Keino Classic. You can follow all the action on the World Athletics website, its associated platforms and via the broadcasters listed below.

How to follow the Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi

A few zebras, giraffes and antelopes trotted by nonchalantly as elite athletes from Denmark, Great Britain and Kenya fielded media questions at the picturesque Nairobi National Park on the eve of the Kip Keino Classic, the final stop of the 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting series.
<h3>Bett aiming to take advantage of spotlight</h3>
World U20 silver medallist Leonard Bett is used to this sort of environment and focused on his drive to maximise on the absence of Olympic and world Champion Conseslus Kipruto, when he leads the men&rsquo;s steeplechase field in Saturday&rsquo;s action at the Nyayo National Stadium.
Bett said despite the absence of Kipruto and Moroccan world leader Soufiane El Bakkali the race will be competitive.
He will be competing on home soil for the first time since 2017, when he won the 2000m steeplechase gold at the World U18 Championships in Nairobi.
&ldquo;I fell short of improving my personal best (8:08.61) when I finished second in 8:08.78 in Monaco on August 14 this year but I am really motivated to down those micro seconds,&rdquo; Bett, who finished second in Monaco, said.
&ldquo;My focus is to win even though I would have loved Olympic and world champion Conseslus Kipruto and Soufiane El Bakkali in the race but they are unfortunately out.&rdquo;
<h3>Sprinters to shine</h3>
On the eve of her first competition in Africa during her first visit to Kenya, Kristal Awuah, the 2018 100m World U20 silver medalist is confident of putting up a fine performance with her eyes pegged on setting a Personal best time.
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Kristal Awuah at the Keino Classic pre-meet press conference at Nairobi National Park</div>
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&ldquo;I have been racing back to back for the last two months and it is nice to end the season here. I was in Doha (Diamond League) last week where I ran a season&rsquo;s best time and I am hoping to set a new personal best time here,&rdquo; Awuah said.
For her, competing in Nairobi&rsquo;s high altitude is no problem at all and she believes she is well equipped to trounce a competitive field.
&ldquo;Challenge? No. I have prepared well so I am ready. The challenge is only when you have not prepared well. As long as I put my best foot forward and I give my all, I will get what I want,&rdquo; the 21-year-old Briton added.
Awuah has a personal best of 23.20 in the 200m set last month at the Sportcomplex De Leidse Hout, Leiden in the Netherlands.
In the corresponding men&rsquo;s 200m race, Danish representative Tazana Kamanga-Dyrbak is the man to beat and said he is looking forward to recording fast times.
&ldquo;This is a fast track and I am looking forward to posting some good times. I am well prepared despite not having the facilities leading to the season. We haven&rsquo;t peaked well. I had a couple of races in Europe this year where I ran personal best 10.39 (100m) and 20.91 (200m) hence I am looking to better my time in 200m in Kenya,&rdquo; he noted.
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Tazana Kamanga-Dyrbak on the eve of the Keino Classic at Nairobi National Park</div>
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He added, &ldquo;I have been in Kenya for two weeks just to acclimatise to the altitude and get a feel of the stadium. Sprints are on a rise in Denmark and there is a lot more to come since we have more participants in the Diamond League and Continental Tour. It looks promising for the country.&rdquo;
Kenya&rsquo;s Mike Mokamba will be hoping to upset the big wigs that also include South African Sinesipho Dambile, Arthur Cisse of Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire and Nigeria&rsquo;s Jerry Jakpa.
<h3>Cherono eager to return</h3>
On the eve of her first track race in over a year, 2014 Commonwealth Games champion Mercy Cherono is upbeat he will raise to the occasion and give her Kenyan fans something to celebrate about.
Cherono, who will be contesting the 1500m, said she will be using the meeting as part of her preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting to see a world class senior event on Kenyan soil for the first time,&rdquo; Cherono said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to see action back after challenging moments since the advent of Covid-19. It was not easy for us in training, but we are happy to close the season with a championship.
&ldquo;I want to use the 1500m race for speed since my focus is 5000m for next year&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympic Games.&rdquo;
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Zebras listening in on the Keino pre-meet press conference at Nairobi National Park</div>
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Cherono, who started her career as a 1500m runner will be up against 2018 Continental Cup champion Winnie Chebet who is Timothy Cheruiyot&rsquo;s training partner.
<h3>Tuwei upbeat</h3>
Athletics Kenya President Lt. Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei expressed his joy seeing Kenya host the inaugural World Continental Tour Gold series, vowing that the athletics power-house nation will stage a world class competition.
&ldquo;Our event in Nairobi will be different compared to other Continental Tour Meet because we not only have core events but also, we made it a national championship to give other athletes who have not had a chance to compete due to the Covid-19 pandemic,&rdquo; Tuwei stated.
Tuwei confirmed that the meet has attracted 97 foreign athletes, 65 men and 32 women, from 24 countries.
Kenya&rsquo;s Chief Administrative secretary for Sports, Hassan Noor Hassan reiterated the Kenyan government&rsquo;s support for athletics.
The government has footed the entire budget for the Kip Keino Classic and is already making preparations for the 2021 World U20 Championships that will also hold in Nairobi.
Alex Isaboke and Elias Makori (organisers) for World Athletics

A few zebras, giraffes and antelopes trotted by nonchalantly as elite athletes from Denmark, Great Britain and Kenya fielded media questions at the picturesque Nairobi National Park on the eve of the Kip Keino Classic, the final stop of the 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting series.

Athletes share cautious optimism on eve of inaugural Kip Keino Classic

The inaugural Kip Keino Classic on Saturday (3) will be a ground-breaking experience in many ways.
First, it will be Africa&rsquo;s first romance with the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting series, and, second, it heralds a new dawn for Nairobi&rsquo;s desire to host more high profile one-day competitions.
And then it also celebrates Kenya&rsquo;s trailblazing track star, Kipchoge Keino, gold medallist at the 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games.
To put the icing on the proverbial cake, the meeting celebrates the re-opening of the upgraded Nyayo National Stadium where visiting athletes are already predicting fast times owing to the nature of the track.
Held as Kenya slowly opens up following a lengthy Coronavirus lockdown, the meeting will instill confidence in Kenyan sport and offer both athletes and fans something to celebrate after seven months of inactivity.
Just to signal the significance of the Kip Keino Classic, Kenya&rsquo;s Head of State, Uhuru Kenyatta, personally supervised the renovation work at the stadium which he officially opened on 26 September.
Despite the challenges visited by the Coronavirus pandemic, Saturday&rsquo;s meet has attracted a good field, especially from host nation Kenya with the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase competitions drawing a decent entry for both men and women.
<h3>Chepkoech back in the spotlight</h3>
The highlight of the event could be the women&rsquo;s steeplechase where reigning world champion Beatrice Chepkoech will lead the charge. Chepkoech arrives after a strong&nbsp;8:22.92 personal best at the Doha Diamond League meeting last weekend where she came home third. She's clearly in strong shape, but will nonetheless look to bounce back from a rare defeat she suffered in her specialty in Berlin last month at the hand of Hyvin Kiyeng who dazzled with a 9:06.14 world lead.
Kiyeng, the 2015 world champion, is also in the field here, setting up a fierce showdown. Fancy Cherono, the African U20 champion, is also in the field, along with Bahraini Winfred Mutile Yavi, who finished fourth at the 2019 Doha World Championships where she set her personal best of 9:05.68.
In the corresponding men&rsquo;s race, reigning world and Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto will be aiming to entertain the home crowd with a memorable race after only managing to compete in one race this season, and that in a race he didn&rsquo;t finish.
Kipruto will be challenged by 2016 world U20 champion Amos Kirui and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tadese Worku, who raced to silver in last year&rsquo;s U20 race at the World Cross Country Championships.
--- Updated 10:30am CET 2 Oct: Conseslus Kipruto has withdrawn from the meeting with a slight hamstring strain. ---
<h3>Obiri back in action</h3>
Olympic champion Hellen Obiri will meanwhile be looking to close down her season strongly after solid performances in the make-up season of the Wanda Diamond League. She will compete in the women&rsquo;s 5000m.
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Hellen Obiri on her way to winning the 3000m at the Diamond League meeting in Doha</div>
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In-form Obiri scorched to victory in the season opening Monaco leg of the Diamond League, clocking a meeting record time of 14:22.12 and last weekend won the Doha 3000m in a sizzling world lead of 8:22.54.
&ldquo;I am excited that I am finishing the season at home,&rdquo; Obiri said. &ldquo;It will be very good for us as Kenyan athletes to race in front of our home fans and for them to watch us race. I am expecting very good competition in our 5000m race and may the best person win.&rdquo;
World Champion Timothy Cheruiyot has been confirmed for the 1500m after having a successful season, winning both of his Diamond League 1500m outings. He&rsquo;s the world leader at 3:28.45. He will take on seasoned athlete Silas Kiplagat.
<h3>Cisse tops the sprints bill</h3>
Ivory Coast&rsquo;s Arthur Cisse tops the 200m entries and going by his recent form - an Ivorian record of 20.23 last weekend in Doha - he undoubtedly remains the favourite.
South Africa&rsquo;s Sinesipho Dambile can be a threat, as the 18-year old has already shown he has some star-power, clocking a season&rsquo;s best of 20.47 back in March, just before the sporting world came to a halt. Dambile has a personal best of 20.43.&nbsp;
Veteran US sprinter Mike Rodgers will also line up.
British sprinter Kristal Awuah and middle-distance runner Noeli Yarigo from Benin eye to wrap up their season in style.
Awuah, who has contested nine 100m races in the last two months and three 200m races, will race in the longer dash while Yarigo will compete in the women&rsquo;s 800m.
The duo are among 30 athletes who had arrived in Nairobi on Thursday evening.
Awuah, 21, won bronze in 100m at the 2018 World U20 Championships, and is fresh from a fourth place finish in the 100m at the Doha Diamond League event in a season&rsquo;s best 11.27.
Yarigo, who has competed in 10 800m races since July, has warned Kenyan athletes to expect a fast race.
Yarigo&rsquo;s season best is 2:00.11 from her victory in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 19 August. &ldquo;The track looks pretty fast and I am looking for 1:59 on Saturday,&rdquo; said Yarigo, who refers to Kenya as her second home, having trained in Eldoret in recent years.
Besides Eunice Sum, the 2013 world champion, Yarigo will face Emily Cherotich from Kenya, Nelly Jepkosgei from Bahrain and Ethiopian Habitam Alemu.
Ferguson Rotich, fresh from his win in Doha, will hope to continue his fine form but he will have to battle youngsters including Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal who has a Personal Best of 1:43.12 and 2016 world U20 champion Kumari Taki.
Alex Isaboke and Elias Makori for organisers

The inaugural Kip Keino Classic on Saturday (3) will be a ground-breaking experience in many ways.

Nairobi ready to unleash fresh African experience at Kip Keino Classic

Alexandra Tavernier broke the French record in the hammer to highlight the Kladno Throws and Kladno Memorials, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Kladno, Czech Republic, on Wednesday (16).
Dominating the competition, the 26-year-old 2015 world bronze medallist reached 75.24m in the fourth round to take down the national record of 74.94m she set in July. Tavernier followed up with 75.12m and 74.71m efforts in rounds five and six to piece together the finest series of her career.&nbsp;
Action in the throws figured prominently in the late afternoon action.
Two-time Olympic javelin champion Barbora Spotakova threw a meeting record of 64.34m in the first round to claim her fourth victory in five competitions this season. Her compatriot Nikola Ogrodnikova was second with 62.22m, to edge Elina Tzengo of Greece by a lone centimetre.
Christos Frantzeskakis of Greece won the men's hammer with 75.92m ahead of Hungary's 2012 Olympic champion Krisztian Pars who reached 73.28m. Tavernier's younger brother Hugo was third with a 72.28m personal best.
Gatis Cakss of Latvia won the men's javelin with 82.19m, Colombia's Mauricio Ortega the discus with 63.61m and Czech Tomas Stanek the shot put with 20.19m.
On the track, Egyptian 100m and 200m record-holder Bassant Hemida took the sprint double, winning the 100m in 11.23 and 200m in 22.91, the performance in the shorter dash clipping 0.08 from the 100m national standard she set in Rabat last year. Both were also meeting records.&nbsp;
Isabelle Boffey of Great Britain won the 800m in 2:01.88, a personal best, with Finland's Sara Kuivisto second in 2:02.28.
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Alexandra Tavernier broke the French record in the hammer to highlight the Kladno Throws and Kladno Memorials, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting in Kladno, Czech Republic, on Wednesday (16).

Tavernier breaks French hammer record in Kladno

An eagerly-awaited win by local star Ajla del Ponte and Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk&rsquo;s first international appearance since 2017 were the key highlights at the 10th edition of the Gal&agrave; dei Castelli in Bellinzona, Switzerland, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Tuesday (16).
But perhaps the most surprising result of the evening came in the women's 800m, where Hedda Hynne took another second off her own recent Norwegian record, winning in a world-leading 1:58.10.
The pacemaker led the field through the first lap in a swift 57.17 with Britain's Jemma Reekie close behind, followed by Hynne and Selina Buchel. Reekie still led as they entered the home straight, but Hynne kicked to the lead, pulling Buchel and Swiss champion Lore Hoffman through too.
The four women all finished inside 1:59 with Hynne winning in 1:58.10, Buchel placing second in 1:58.37, Hoffman clocking 1:58.50 to become the second-fastest Swiss woman ever, and Reekie finishing fourth in 1:58.87. 
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National 800m record for Hedda Hynne in Bellinzona</div>
&nbsp;
Del Ponte&rsquo;s 11.18 victory crowned an impressive season in which she won Wanda Diamond League races in Monte Carlo and Stockholm. World U20 bronze medallist Kristal Awuah finished second in 11.33 ahead of European U20 200m champion Amy Hunt (11.41) and two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers (11.42).
&ldquo;It was completely different to win at home in front of my fans, who gave me a lot of energy,&rdquo; Del Ponte said. &ldquo;This does not happen every day. My first coach was here. If I keep the energy from today&rsquo;s competition, Rome is going to be another nice race.&rdquo;
Van Niekerk made a winning comeback in his first race outside of South Africa since the 2017 World Championships in London. The world record-holder started slow, running fifth going into the final bend. But he clawed his way back to take the win in 45.58 ahead of Dutchman Jochem Dobber (45.78) and Poland&rsquo;s Karol Zalewski (46.03).
&ldquo;The race was challenging,&rdquo; Van Niekerk said. &ldquo;The guys went out from the beginning and I had to stick with them. The 400m is where I belong and I showed that I am still around.&rdquo;
Van Niekerk tested positive for Covid-19 in early August and said he then remained isolated for 25 days. &ldquo;Basically I started from scratch.&rdquo; 
<div id="5f61bcd2533245120cd02bc7" class="dropMedia">
<div style="background-image: url('https://media.aws.iaaf.org/media/Small/d3e9ffd3-8f3f-4f49-9579-b214fd08bc38.jpg');">&nbsp;</div>
Wayde van Niekerk in Bellinzona</div>
&nbsp;
His compatriot Akani Simbine, who was fourth over 100m at last year&rsquo;s World Championships, won his third 100m race this summer in 10.02 into a slight -0.2 m/s headwind holding off Italian record-holder and world finalist Filippo Tortu, whose 10.07 was the fastest by a European this year. Simbine, who clocked 9.91 in March, and Tortu will clash again in Rome on Thursday.
Sweden&rsquo;s Michaela Meijer cleared 4.70m on her third attempt to win the women&rsquo;s pole vault before making one attempt at 4.85m. 2016 world U20 champion and two-time European U23 champion Angelica Moser from Switzerland cleared 4.60m on her third attempt to finish second before making three unsuccessful attempts at 4.70m.
World leader Femke Bol won the women&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 54.33 edging European champion Lea Sprunger from Switzerland, who clocked 54.98. Bol made a big breakthrough earlier this year when she clocked the current world lead of 53.97 in Papendal.
European indoor 60m hurdles champion Nadine Visser won the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles in 12.79, edging out three-time Italian champion Luminosa Bogliolo, who clocked 12.82, just 0.04 shy of her PB. Visser had beaten Bogliolo earlier this year at the Continental Tour meeting in Turku when she equaled the world leading 12.68.
World 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Lamecha Girma produced a thrilling win in a close 1500m race with a PB of 3:35.67, coming close to the meeting record. Piers Copeland from Great Britain finished just 0.02 behind the Ethiopian with a PB of 3:35.69. World 5000m silver medallist Selemon Barega was third in 3:36.07, also a lifetime best.
Finland&rsquo;s Kristian Pulli took an upset win in the men&rsquo;s long jump with 8.08m ahead of 2017 world bronze medallist Ruswahl Samaai (8.04m) and world champion Tajay Gayle (7.99m).
Ludvy Vaillant from France won the men&rsquo;s 400m hurdles in 49.24 beating David Kendziera of the US, who clocked 49.67 after winning the past two editions of this meeting.
Aaron Mallett of the US won the 110m hurdles with a 13.34 lifetime best, beating Swiss record-holder and European U23 champion Jason Joseph (13.40) in a race dedicated to the memory of late local coach Fiorenzo Marchesi.
Dutch sprinter Lieke Klaver took a close win in the women&rsquo;s 200m in 22.96 ahead of Marije Van Hunenstijn (23.01) and Italian champion Dalia Kaddari, who smashed the national U20 record with 23.23.
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics

An eagerly-awaited win by local star Ajla del Ponte and Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk’s first international appearance since 2017 were the key highlights at the 10th edition of the Galà dei Castelli in Bellinzona, Switzerland, a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meeting, on Tuesday (16).

Del Ponte and Hynne victorious, Van Niekerk returns to action in Bellinzona

Daniel Stahl, Khaddi Sagnia, Daniel Rowden and Stewart McSweyn produced the standout performances at the Hanzekovic Memorial, the penultimate stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, in the Croatian capital Zagreb in Tuesday (15).
With Croatia&rsquo;s current pandemic restrictions limiting attendance to just 700 spectators and fields impacted by travel restrictions, the meeting wasn&rsquo;t quite the 70th anniversary celebration organisers had planned, but several performances exceeded expectations to contribute to another memorable evening at the Sportpar Mladost.
<h3>Discus victories for Stahl and Perkovic</h3>
Stahl, the world discus champion, returned to his winning ways in fine style, throwing 68.87m in the second round to add 70cm to the meeting record set by Fedrick Dacres two years ago. The Swede also reached 67.55m in the third round and 67.16m in the fifth.
Andrius Gudzius, the 2017 world champion who ended Stahl's unbeaten streak at 15 in Berlin on Sunday, was second with 68.22m, his third best throw of the season.
"It was a great battle today," said Stahl, the world leader at 71.37m. "This has been a great season even though it was a complicated season - I competed even more this year than last. Next year is an Olympic year and I'm really looking forward to that one.&nbsp;
On the women's side, Sandra Perkovic made the most of her first competition since March, dominating the proceedings with a 64.67m effort to beat Frenchwoman Melina Robert-Michon (60.65m) by more than four metres.
<h3>Sagnia improves to 6.92m</h3>
Another Swede, long jumper Khaddi Sagnia, pieced together the finest performance of her career and even threatened the seven-metre barrier.
Opening with 6.61m leap, the 26-year-old equalled her 6.83m outdoor career best in the third round. With the victory secured, she sailed 6.92m on her final leap to equal the absolute best she set at the 2018 World Indoor Tour meeting in Glasgow.
Alina Rotaru of Romania was second at 6.69m with Serbia's Milica Gardasevic third at 6.60m, season's bests for both.
<h3>Rowden and McSweyn impress on the track</h3>
Rowden and McSweyn produced the most impressive performances on the track with commanding victories in the 800m and 1500m, respectively.
After a 50.39 opening lap, Swede Andreas Kramer took control of the 800m, pushing the tempo to take a two-metre lead as he entered the final turn. But Rowden ate up the gap quickly before making his decisive move just after Kramer entered the final straight. Rowden broke away to finish unchallenged in 1:44.09, a big personal best that fell a scant 0.01 shy of Nijel Amos's two-year-old meeting record.
"It was a great field, and it's great to come out on top," said Rowden, who arrived in Zagreb with a 1:44.74 lifetime best set just 18 days ago in Gothenburg. Ten days ago he raced to his first national title.
Running wide on the outside, Elliot Giles and Jake Wightman finished strong, gliding by US rising star Bryce Hoppel to finish second and third in 1:44.75 and 1:44.85 to round out a British 1-2-3.
McSweyn was even more convincing in the 1500m about 40 minutes earlier.
Running behind pacesetter Azzedine Habz from the outset, the Australian quickly gapped the field to take firm control when the Frenchman stepped aside with just over a lap and a half to go. He poured it on over the last lap, covering the final circuit in about 57 seconds en route to a 3:32.17 performance, the ninth fastest in the world this year, and the fourth fastest by the 25-year-old.
James West of Great Britain was second in 3:34.56, a lifetime best. Australian Matthew Ramsden was third in 3:34.83 with Elzan Bibic of Serbia fourth in 3:35.07, personal bests for both as well.
Wilhem Belocian took a narrow victory in the 110m hurdles, the meeting's signature event, edging Freddie Crittenden of the US in 13.32m. Belocian, who raced to the French title in Albi on Sunday, chiseled his way to a clear lead by the midway point and valiantly defended his ground to prevail by 0.02.
On the women's side, Payton Chadwick of the US closed well to take a come-from-behind 13.01 win in the 100m hurdles, reeling in Cindy Ofili of Great Britain, who was second in 13.10.
Elsewhere, Ukraine&rsquo;s Yuliya Levchenko won the high jump at 1.93m before topping out with three tries at 2.00m. Erika Kinsey of Sweden and Australia's Nicola McDermott produced identical score cards to tie for second at 1.90m.
In the men&rsquo;s 400m, Slovenian record holder Luka Janezic overtook Briton Rabah Yousif in the last five metres to steal the narrow win, 45.93 to 45.99.&nbsp;
Marko Ceko of Croatia won the long jump with a third round leap of 7.92m.&nbsp;
Bob Ramsak for World Athletics

Daniel Stahl, Khaddi Sagnia, Daniel Rowden and Stewart McSweyn produced the standout performances at the Hanzekovic Memorial, the penultimate stop on the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, in the Croatian capital Zagreb in Tuesday (15).

Stahl, Sagnia, Rowden and McSweyn shine in Zagreb

Olympic champion Ryan Crouser continued his unbeaten 2020 campaign at the Hanzekovic Memorial on Monday (14), winning the shot put at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting with a Croatian all-comers&rsquo; record of 22.74m.
As is tradition at this meeting, the men&rsquo;s shot put is staged at Zagreb&rsquo;s City Fountains on the eve of the main competition and is held in honour of Ivan Ivancic, Yugoslavia&rsquo;s 1983 world shot put finalist.
Crouser, who won in Zagreb in 2016 with a meeting record of 22.28m and triumphed again in 2018, opened conservatively today with 21.03m, but it was still enough to take an early lead. David Storl took a short-lived lead in round two with 21.20m, then world champion Joe Kovacs took a turn in top spot with 21.30m, but Crouser jumped back into pole position with 22.10m to close out round two.
The US thrower then unleashed an almighty 22.74m in round three to extend his lead, adding 46 centimetres to his own meeting record.
After a foul in the fourth round, Crouser came close to his leading mark with 22.59m in round five. He rounded out his series with 22.31m, another throw beyond his previous meeting record.
Crouser&rsquo;s winning mark today is the best throw achieved in Europe since 1988. It&rsquo;s also his 31st throw this year beyond 22 metres; a barrier no other man has bettered in 2020.
&ldquo;I was really happy with the night, that&rsquo;s one of my top-10 throws,&rdquo; said Crouser, who has thrown farther on just two previous occasions. &ldquo;I was a little disappointed that I didn't throw a little bit further, I was really hoping for the 23. I think there is still a 23-metre throw there; I just have to let it happen.&rdquo;
Kovacs and Storl didn&rsquo;t improve in the second half of the competition and so remained in second and third respectively. USA&rsquo;s Payton Otterdahl threw 21.06m in the penultimate round to move into fourth, while Nick Ponzio ended with 21.03m to place fifth.
<h3> Perkovic ready for final appearance of 2020</h3>
Speaking at the press conference held earlier on Monday, multiple world and Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic said she is looking to end her season on a high when she competes in Zagreb on Tuesday.
&ldquo;This has been a crazy year and we didn't know how to deal with all the problems from the beginning,&rdquo; said Perkovic, whose only other competition this year was a 65.93m victory in Split back in March. &ldquo;We managed, we had ups and downs. I&rsquo;m happy that this meeting has been organised and that I am returning to the throwing circle. I wanted to mark the 70th Hanžeković Memorial with a throw beyond 70 metres, but that&rsquo;s not realistic to expect now. But a throw beyond 65 metres would prove that I&rsquo;m still at the very top of the world.&rdquo; 
<img src="https://i0.wp.com/zagreb-meeting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Press_Hanzek20-1409-12.jpg" alt="Sandra Perkovic" width="600" height="410" />
 Fellow Olympic champion Sara Kolak, meanwhile, is a late withdrawal from the javelin due to a toe injury, but she intends on watching the action tomorrow evening.
&ldquo;I have had problems with my big toe for several months now,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I missed a lot of training because of it and it has affected my technique and the condition of my whole body.&rdquo;
World silver medallist Amel Tuka, winner of the 800m in Zagreb last year, says he is rounding into good form and hopes to win again when he takes on a strong field that includes the likes of USA&rsquo;s Bryce Hoppel and British duo Jake Wightman and Daniel Rowden.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had just three races this season and now I'm getting back to normal,&rdquo; said Tuka, who has a best of 1:42.51. &ldquo;Given the strong competition, I believe the meeting record (1:44.08) could fall.&rdquo;
Turkey&rsquo;s 2017 world 200m champion Ramil Guliyev is also excited to return to Zagreb.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had only five races this year, but this stadium holds happy memories for me,&rdquo; said the European champion. &ldquo;I set a 200m PB (19.88) here five years ago, and I believe that my result in the 100m tomorrow will be good as well.&rdquo;
The women&rsquo;s high jump has a strong line up, but Australia&rsquo;s Nicola McDermott hopes her Croatian roots will earn her a bit of extra support from the crowd when she takes on Ukraine's 2017 world silver medallist Yuliya Levchenko.
&ldquo;At the age of eight I&rsquo;d watch Blanka Vla&scaron;ić&rsquo;s performances on YouTube with great excitement,&rdquo; said McDermott, whose grandparents are from Blato on Korcula. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why tomorrow&rsquo;s competition is a special event for me.&rdquo;
Jon Mulkeen for World Athletics

Olympic champion Ryan Crouser continued his unbeaten 2020 campaign at the Hanzekovic Memorial on Monday (14), winning the shot put at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting with a Croatian all-comers’ record of 22.74m.

CONTINENTAL TOUR - GOLD

Tokyo

Ostrava

Kingston

Hengelo

Turku

Szekesfehervar

Silesia

Zagreb

Nairobi

More Gold News

Del Ponte and Hynne victorious, Van Niekerk returns to action in Bellinzona

Stahl, Sagnia, Rowden and McSweyn shine in Zagreb

Crouser smashes meeting record in Zagreb with 22.74m