Diamond League: David Rudisha back to form with 800m win
- Published
David Rudisha emphatically won the men's 800m at the Glasgow Diamond League in his first race on British soil since he won gold at London 2012.
The Kenyan, 25, making his comeback from injury, set a world-leading time of one minute 43.34 seconds.
"It's a great feeling and the track is fast. I really like it," said Rudisha, who will return to Hampden Park for the Commonwealth Games later this month.
Jodie Williams ran the fourth fastest 200m in history by a British female.
The reigning national 200m champion, 20, finished fourth and recorded a personal best 22.60, which was the quickest 200m run by a British woman since 2004.
The race was won by heptathlete Dafne Schippers in a national record 22.34. The Dutchwoman, who had earlier won the women's 100m B race in a national record, forced Olympic and world champion Allyson Felix into second.
The women's 800m was won by USA's Ajee Wilson, with Jess Judd the highest-placed Briton in third.
Judd, 19, said she hoped she had done enough to persuade Britain's selectors to award her the third and final 800m spot for August's European Championships.
The Canvey Islander was a disappointing fourth at the British Championships, which doubled as trials for Switzerland, but dipped below the 'A' qualifying standard in Scotland with a 2:00.01 finish.
Selectors will pick the British team over the next few days and must choose between Judd and Jenny Meadows, who was seventh in Glasgow.
Alison Leonard, second at the trials in Birmingham, secured her place in the European team with a personal best 2:00.08.
But it was a day when Olympic champion and world record holder Rudisha returned to form ahead of the Commonwealths after missing last season with a knee injury.
"I'm very happy because I was feeling OK and I was expecting to run the fastest time this year and I'm glad I accomplished that," he said. "This year has been a tough year, a struggle."
Rivalling Rudisha for the performance of the day before a 15,000 crowd was British teenager Matthew Hudson-Smith in the men's 400m.
Botswana's Isaac Makwala (44.71) won the race, but 19-year-old Hudson-Smith impressed by recording the 14th fastest time in the world this year.
BBC athletics expert Steve Cram on Matthew Hudson-Smith |
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"Martyn Rooney and Conrad Williams finished in the top two at the British Championships and they have achieved the qualifying time which means they are going to Zurich. That leaves one place and, it seems to me, Matthew Hudson-Smith will go ahead of Michael Bingham. He's 19, running well and, if it were me, it's an absolute no-brainer - put him in." |
His run, a personal best 44.97, was the second quickest by a European this year and was also under the Euro 'A' qualifying standard.
"I need to ring my mum," Hudson-Smith told BBC Sport. "I've no idea what just happened. I'm in shock. I'm buzzing."
British champion Martyn Rooney was fifth, while sixth-placed Conrad Williams (45.46) also dipped below the qualifying standard to make sure of his place in Zurich.
Trinidad's Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.01) overtook triple Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (11.10) in the final stages of the women's 100m to assert her status as the year's top female sprinter.
Britons Ashleigh Nelson (11.36) and Asha Philip (11.51) were eighth and ninth respectively, while London 2012 silver medallist Carmelita Jeter, also finding form after injury, was sixth in a season's best 11.33.
A hundredth of a second separated world record holder Richard Browne and Olympic champion Jonnie Peacock in the men's T44 100m, with Browne snatching victory in a season's best 10.96.
As expected, double world champion Hannah Cockroft, 21, was untouchable in the women's T34 100m, winning in 18.06.
"It feels so much like London," said Cockroft, comparing the atmosphere in Hampden Park to the Olympic stadium during London 2012.
"It sounds silly, but it smells like London. I'm happy that I can put in a bad performance and still win."
Britain's world bronze medallist Tiffany Porter was fourth in the women's 100m hurdles, a race won by America's Queen Harrison.
Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford pulled out of the men's long jump after injuring his knee during the warm-up. In his absence, US champion Jeff Henderson leapt 8.21m to win.
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