13.06.2010
Hooker on the podium in New York
Australian world, Olympic, world indoor and Commonwealth Games
champion
Steve Hooker has collected his first
points on the IAAF Diamond League tour with a podium finish in
Round 5 of the all-new series in New York (USA) overnight.
Hooker was joined by fellow Commonwealth Games nominees
Sally Pearson (100m hurdles) and
Eloise
Wellings (5000m) in action on a hot night in the Big
Apple, the pair placing eighth and 11th in their respective
events.
Opening his account at a height of 5.40m Hooker sailed over the bar
on his first attempt before clearing heights of 5.60m and 5.70m on
his second and third attempts respectively. After missing his first
attempt at 5.75m Hooker passed on that height before requiring just
one trip down the runway to clear 5.80m.
Passing at 5.85m Hooker was unable to clear 5.90m but had done
enough to claim second place and his first two points in the
Diamond Race.
Hooker's result was all the more impressive given he was forced
to jump on poles borrowed from fellow competitor Derek Miles (USA)
after his own poles went missing en route to the meet, the borrowed
set an all-new size and tension to those of his regular
stock.
World championships bronze medallist and Diamond Race leader Renaud
Lavillenie (FRA) took out the event with a meet record clearance of
5.85m.
In other action, Olympic silver medallist Sally Pearson clocked
12.83 (w:2.0) to place eighth in the 100m hurdles on her Diamond
League debut.
Suffering severe jet lag, Pearson posted a solid result against
opposition already well into their 2010 international
campaigns.
Four of Pearson’s likely challengers for a medal in New Delhi (IND)
took to the start line in New York and, showing just how
competitive the event is on the international stage, all nine
competitors crossed the line within .6 seconds of the leader.
America’s Lolo Jones continued her dominance of the event with her
third win from as many starts on the Diamond League tour, taking
victory in a world-leading time of 12.55.
Rounding out the Australian action in New York overnight, national
5000m and 10,000m champion Eloise Wellings placed 11th in the
women’s 5000m in a time 16:11.61. Ethiopian athlete Tirunesh Dibaba
took home the four points with a winning time of 15:11.34.
The 14-meet Diamond League tour now moves to Eugene (USA) for Round
6 of the series on Saturday, July 3.
In other athletics action overnight, world championships
representative and Commonwealth Games nominee
David
McNeill has taken out the NCAA 5000m championship in
Eugene (USA) in a time of 13:44.81.
The Northern Arizona University representative said it was a gritty
effort to get over the line.
“I really wanted to win. I just gritted my teeth and tried to hold
on to the finish line, I was glad to be the first one across and
glad it wasn’t a really, really fast race,” he said.
In a promising sign for Australia’s middle distance hopes at this
year’s Commonwealth Games, fellow Australian Flame athlete and New
Delhi ticket-holder
Collis Birmingham clocked the
second-fastest 5000m time of his career to place fourth at the
Primo Nebiolo Memorial meet in Turin (ITA).
The 25-year-old Victorian stopped the clock at 13:15.92, second
only to the 13:14.53 he posted in Oslo (NOR) in July last year,
crossing the line behind Kenyan Daniel Salel in 13:12.46.
"It's a shame it wasn't a bit quicker but I was left
wanting in that last lap," Birmingham said.
For more details from the Primo Nebiolo Memorial meet in Turin,
click
here.
New South Welshman
Ben St Lawrence, who will join
McNeill and Birmingham in the men’s 5000m in New Delhi this
October, clocked 3:39 over 1500m at a meet in Watford (GBR) to show
he is back to full fitness following a recent back injury.
Also racing overnight, Commonwealth Games hopeful
Kaila
McKnight has boosted her chances for a late call-up to the
Australian team bound for New Delhi this October with a quick 4:08
over 1500m in Sotteville (FRA).
Rounding out a big weekend of track and field action, former world
cross country champion
Benita Willis placed 13th
in the New York Road Runners' Mini 10km event, crossing the
line in 33:42 behind race winner Linet Masia (KEN) in 30:48.