Sha’Carri Richardson blows away rivals in Nairobi

American sprinter showboats in the home straight on way to 22.07 victory over 200m at Kip Keino Classic

Sha’Carri Richardson’s great start to the 2023 season continued in Nairobi on Saturday (May 13) when she coasted to an emphatic win in the women’s 200m in 22.07 (1.7).

Building a big lead over her rivals around the bend, the 23-year-old began aquaplaning in the final 30 metres with both arms held aloft as she finished well clear of fellow Americans Kyra Jefferson and Shannon Ray.

Richardson’s victory at this Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi follows her impressive 100m win over Shericka Jackson and Dina Asher-Smith at the opening Diamond League meeting of 2023 in Doha last week.

Amid speculation that Richardson had been kept out of the 100m due to the presence in that event of world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Richardson said: “After being kicked out of the 100m in Botswana (two weeks earlier) and also here in Kenya, I knew I had to do my best. No one asked me to run the 100m so therefore I did what I knew I had to do in the 200m.”

Sha’Carri Richardson (Getty)

Ultimately Fraser-Pryce pulled out of the 100m in Nairobi on the eve of her race with a slight injury, with Twanisha Terry taking victory in that event in 10.86 (2.5).

Also making use of the high altitude at the venue, Ferdinand Omanyala stormed to a world-leading 9.84 in the men’s 100m on home soil despite a 0.5m/sec headwind. Americans Kenny Bednarek (9.98) and Marvin Bracy (10.03) were second and third.

Ferdinand Omanyala (Sila Kiplagat)

Further victories by athletes from the host nation included Mary Moraa, who won the women’s 800m impressively in 1:58.85, while world under-20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot ran a world-leading 3:32.01 to beat Abel Kipsang in the men’s 1500m.

A fast men’s 800m, meanwhile, saw Emmanuel Wanyonyi beat Wycliffe Kinyamal and Timothy Cheruiyot with a meeting record and world-leading 1:43.32. Beatrice Chebet of Kenya was also in form as she won the women’s 5000m in 15:15.85.

In the men’s 400m, Muzala Samukonga from Zambia set a meeting record of 44.25, while Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine cleared a world-leading height of 2.00m in the women’s high jump.

In the latter event, Laura Zialor of Britain finished runner-up with a good early-season mark of 1.90m, missing her PB by just one centimetre.

Yaroslava Mahuchikh (Sila Kiplagat)

In the hammer, Poland’s Wojciech Nowicki won the men’s event with a world lead of 79.78m while Janee’ Kassanavoid of the United States threw 74.25m to win the women’s event as world record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk finished third with 70.27m in her first competition since last June due to an injury sustained while tackling a thief who tried to break into her car.

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