JULY 20-21 @ATHLETICSWEEKLY
LYNSEY SHARP won the 800m in
her fastest time for two years as
she confirmed her good form from
Monaco, when she chased Laura
Muir home.
While it looked as if the first day’s
1500m could have been quicker,
that was not the case in the non-
Diamond League two-lapper.
The early pace set by Aneta
Lemiesz was over ambitious as she
rocketed through 400m in 56.91 with
Sharp a well-placed third in 57.3,
just behind Natoya Goule.Whether a 1:54 tempo was
necessary without Caster Semenya
is debatable but Goule kept the fast
pace going to lead through 500m in
72.5 and 600m in 87.7.
The Jamaican, who ran 1:57.90 in
Monaco, paid for her boldness and
not surprisingly faded in the closing
stages which saw Sharp kick ahead
with 100m to go.
She lost a little momentum at
the end of a painful 15.4 last 100m
but her reward was a fine 1:58.
which might have been evenquicker but for the fast early pace.
The Scot said: “It was a good race.
It’s so nice to be in this stadium in
London. Everyone has been saying
how fast the track is so it was good
to make the most of it today with a
season’s best.I’m happy with my
time. Last week was good but it
was so nice to back myself up
here as well.”
Behind her, Catriona Bisset
was just over a metre back in an
Australian record of 1:58.78 to finally
remove Charlene Rendina’s 19761:59.0 mark from the record books.
It might not last long though as
under-20 and compatriot Carley
Thomas ran 2:01.01 back in ninth.
In third, Alex Bell improved her PB
to 1:59.82 just ahead of European
indoor champion Shelyana Oskan-
Clarke who advanced her season’s
best from 2:01.47 to 1:59.83.
In sixth, Hannah Segrave, who
paced the 1500m on Saturday, took
over two seconds off her PB with
2:00.18 though Adelle Tracey fell
and finished ninth.Sharp practice makes perfect
Lynsey Sharp: strong finish
to take victory in the 800m