Report21 Jan 2018


Saruni clocks world indoor 600m best in Albuquerque – indoor round-up

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Michael Saruni after clocking 1:14.79 for 600m

Competing at the same meeting in which college teammate Emmanuel Korir set a world indoor 600m best last year, Kenya’s Michael Saruni replicated the feat at the Martin Luther King Invitational in Albuquerque on Friday (19).

The 22-year-old, who is a student at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), ran a well-judged race, covering the first 200-metre lap in 24.2 before hitting the front just before the 400-metre mark, which was reached in 49.7. With a final lap of 25.2 seconds, Saruni continued to effortlessly pull away from the rest of the field, stopping the clock at 1:14.79.

His time took 0.12 off the world best that was previously held by Casimir Loxsom. The US runner had set the mark in January last year, just one week after Korir recorded a world indoor best of 1:14.97.

Elsewhere in Albuquerque, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan clocked a PB of 7.89 in the heats of the women’s 60m hurdles. She went on to win the final in 7.95 from Dior Hall (7.98), who had also clocked a lifetime best of 7.94 in the preliminary rounds.

As he prepares to defend his title at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018, USA’s Marquis Dendy won the long jump with 8.13m.

World 110m hurdles record-holder Aries Merritt continued to show good form at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational in Iowa City. The 2012 Olympic champion won the 60m hurdles in 7.54.

Fred Kerley, the revelation of the 2017 indoor season, contested his first 400m of the year and won in 46.25 to finish 0.21 ahead of Aldrich Bailey. At the same meeting, Aleia Hobbs won the women’s 60m in a PB of 7.14 and 2012 Olympic 400m hurdles finalist Georganne Moline won the 400m flat in 52.35.

Competing at a low-key competition in Toronto, world indoor pole vault record-holder Jenn Suhr opened her 2018 campaign with a 4.81m clearance off a shortened run-up.

In Jablonec, Czech record-holder Petr Svoboda opened his season with a 60m hurdles victory in 7.51, his fastest time since winning the European indoor title seven years ago.

World silver medallist Danil Lysenko set his second high jump PB of the year, winning in Moscow with a leap of 2.36m. Four days after leaping 2.01m in the Russian capital, world champion Maria Lasitskene won the women’s competition with 1.99m before taking three unsuccessful attempts at 2.03m.

In Dortmund on Sunday, Gina Luckenkemper provided the highlight of the meeting by winning the 60m in a PB of 7.11.

Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

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