Alfred ends perfect season, Ingebrigtsen earns revenge

BRUSSELS : Olympic 100 metres champion Julien Alfred completed her perfect season at the finale of the Diamond League series in Brussels on Friday, while Jakob Ingebrigtsen secured victory in the 1,500 metres to make up for his Paris hiccup.
Alfred, the Olympic gold medallist from St Lucia, led most of the women’s 100 metres but was pushed close to the line by Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, to finish in 10.88 seconds. American Sha’Carri Richardson, the silver medallist in Paris, ended a disappointing eighth.
Ingebrigtsen, who won the men’s 5,000 metres in Paris but came in a disappointing fourth in the 1,500 metres, led into the final lap of the middle distance race in Brussels, kicking away from his nearest rivals with 200 metres to go.
Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot was second and Olympic champion Cole Hocker just one hundredth of a second behind in third.
On a cool September evening in Brussels, less conducive to records, the winners in 16 disciplines earned a Diamond League trophy and $30,000. Another 16 events will be held on Saturday.
Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis needed only two jumps to secure victory in the pole vault as fellow Paris medallists Sam Kendricks and Emmanouil Karalis fell short of their seasons bests by failing with the bar at 5.92 metres.
With his 15th victory of the season secure, Duplantis went on to set a new Brussels meeting record, clearing 6.11 metres with ease.
Other winners included women’s 400 metre Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic, who was well clear of the field in 49.45 seconds, from which Paris silver medal winner Salwa Eid Naser was disqualified after crossing into Paulino’s lane.
Olympic women’s 800 metres bronze medallist Mary Moraa of Kenya won her race in her season’s best time of 1 minutes 56.56 seconds.
In the men’s 100 metres, Jamaica’s Ackeem Blake was fastest in 9.93 seconds ahead of American Christian Coleman. Fellow American Fred Kerley was third, the same position as in Paris.
At the end of the evening, Britain’s Charles Dobson was a surprise winner in the men’s 400 metres, his late burst pushing him ahead of Grenada’s Kirani James and Zambian Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga.