LaShawn eases to 400M gold; Defar triumphs in 3000

India's Gowda finishes sixth in discus

American La­Shawn Merritt eased to vict­ory in the 400 metres as one of several newly-crowned world champions to shine at the Stockholm Diamond Le­ague meeting on Thursday.

Fresh from his success in Moscow earlier this month, Merritt (44.69 seconds) was slower by nearly a second than his time at the World Championships but still won by more than half a second from Dominican Republic's Luguelin Santos.

Compatriot David Oliver, the 110 metres hurdles world champion, also triumphed in his event, while women's 800 metres runner Eunice Sum, women's 400M hurdler Zuzana Hejnova and shot putter Valerie Adams were other successful world champions.

Ethiopian women's 5,000M world and Olympic champion Meseret Defar stormed to victory in the 3,000M to win in 8:30.29, the world's fastest time this year.

The women's high jump event featured eight of the top nine finalists from Moscow and once again Russia's Svetlana Shkolina came out on top to remain unbeaten this season.

Another world champion Russian, men's long jumper Aleksandr Menkov, leapt to victory on a chilly night in Stockholm.

Three women earned one-carat diamonds after setting Olympic Stadium records with Czech Republic's Hejnova running the 400 hurdles in 53.70 seconds, New Zealand's Adams throwing 20.30 metres in the shot put and Russia's Mariya Abakumova setting a mark of 68.59 metres in the javelin.

There was an upset in the men's 1,500M where Kenyan world champion Asbel Kiprop could only finish sixth as Djibouti's Ayanleh Souleiman took the victory in 3:33.59 in a race that was much faster than in Moscow.

Vikas sixth

India’s Vikas Gowda finished sixth in discus throw, with an effort of 61.66 metres. World championships silver medallist Piotr Malachowski of Poland won the gold with a throw of 65.86 metres.

Reuters
Men: 200M:  Serhiy Smelyk (Ukraine) 20.54 seconds, 1; Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (Norway) 20.58, 2; Rasheed Dwyer (Jamaica) 20.64, 3. 400M: LaShawn Merritt (US) 44.69 seconds, 1; Luguelin Santos (Dominican Republic) 45.25, 2; Pavel Maslak (Czech Republic) 45.33, 3. 1500M: Ayanleh Souleiman (Djibouti) 3:33.59, 1; Silas Kiplagat (Kenya) 3:33.92, 2; Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba (Kenya) 3:34.05, 3. 110M hurdles: David Oliver (US) 13.21 seconds, 1; Sergey Shubenkov (Russia) 13.35, 2; William Sharman (Britain) 13.36, 3. 3000M steeplechase: Hillary Kipsang Yego (Kenya) 8:09.81, 1; Gilbert Kiplangat Kirui (Kenya) 8:11.55, 2; Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya) 8:12.35, 3. Long jump: Aleksandr Menkov (Russia) 8.18 metres, 1; Godfrey Khotso Mokoena (South Africa) 8.06, 2; Eusebio Caceres (Spain) 8.00, 3. Discus throw: Piotr Malachowski (Poland) 65.86 metres, 1; Ehsan Hadadi (Iran) 63.64, 2; Martin Wierig (Germany) 63.20, 3.
Women: 100M: Kerron Stewart (Jamaica) 11.24 seconds, 1; Alexandria Anderson (US) 11.25, 2; Barbara Pierre (US) 11.29, 3. 400M: Francena McCorory (US) 51.03 seconds, 1; Libania Grenot (Italy) 51.44, 2; Novlene Williams-Mills (Jamaica) 51.48, 3. 800M: Eunice Jepkoech Sum (Kenya) 1:58.84, 1; Alysia Johnson Montano (US) 1:58.96, 2; Malika Akkaoui (Morocco) 1:59.74, 3. 3000M: Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) 8:30.29, 1; Mercy Cherono (Kenya) 8:31.23, 2; Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) 8:32.53, 3. 400M hurdles: Zuzana Hejnova (Czech Republic) 53.70, 1; Kaliese Spencer (Jamaica) 54.88, 2; Dalilah Muhammad (US) 55.74, 3. High jump: Svetlana Shkolina (Russia) 1.98 metres, 1; Anna Chicherova (Russia) 1.98, 2; Mariya Kuchina (Russia) 1.94, 3. Pole vault: Silke Spiegelburg (Germany) 4.69 metres, 1; Yarisley Silva (Cuba) 4.59, 2; Fabiana Murer (Brazil) 4.59, 3. Triple jump: Caterine Ibarguen (Colombia) 14.61 metres, 1; Olha Saladuha (Ukraine) 14.07, 2; Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko (Israel) 13.95, 3. Shot put: Valerie Adams (New Zealand) 20.30 metres, 1; Christina Schwanitz (Germany) 19.26, 2; Michelle Carter (US) 18.56, 3. Javelin throw: Maria Abakumova (Russia) 68.59 metres, 1; Linda Stahl (Germany) 63.75, 2; Christina Obergfoell (Germany) 62.36, 3.