Stockholm (AFP)

In the continuity of a week with two world records, the women's and men's 400m hurdles again produced two intense races in the Diamond League in Stockholm on Sunday with the emergence of serious outsiders for the Tokyo Olympics (July 23 - August 8).

Dutchwoman Femke Bol and Brazilian Alison dos Santos, both 21, broke their personal bests in Stockholm in very high-level races, taking advantage of the dynamics of a discipline in full swing.

The women's world record was indeed broken by the American Sydney McLaughlin last Sunday (51 sec 90), imitated by the Norwegian Karsten Warholm on Thursday in Oslo (46 sec 70).

The logical consequence of an explosion of talents in this discipline for three seasons, also with the Americans Dalilah Muhammad and Rai Benjamin.

Two young athletes joined in the fun on Sunday.

Dutch athletic prodigy, Femke Bol became at 21 the 4th best performer of all time with a victory in 52 sec 37.

Pushed to the end by the American Shamier Little (2nd in 52 sec 39, 5th best performer of all time), Femke Bol broke by almost a second her personal best which dated from Thursday (53.33 in Oslo).

The two-time European indoor champion (400m and 4x400m this winter) failed three hundredths of a second off the European record of Russian Yulia Pechonkina (52.34 in 2003), who served as the world record until 2019.

She achieved the fastest time in the history of the Diamond League, the No. 1 world circuit in athletics.

- "Stay in these lap times" -

"I'm surprised, and so happy! I think my personal best streak is going to end this time, but I hope to stay in these times there. I am racing in two days against the same competitors in Hungary, I already have can't wait, ”she said.

The Dutch, coached by the Swiss Laurent Meuwly, has made impressive progress over the past three seasons over the 400m hurdles and flat and forms the figurehead of a strong Dutch team on the lap.

A few minutes later, on the men's side, Brazilian Alison dos Santos won after a spectacular run in 47 sec 34, his 4th South American record in a row since early May, three days after running in 47 sec. 38 in Oslo.

And yet, dos Santos was hampered by a mistake from British Virgin Islands athlete Kyron McMaster, who briefly shifted into the Brazilian's lane after the eighth hurdle, before falling a little further.

The Brazilian has placed 14th overall in all times and in 3rd place in the season, enough to make him a serious outsider for the Olympics.

# photo1

Under sunny Stockholm, 19-year-old Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchick achieved the best world performance of the season with a jump to 2.03m at the height, ahead of Australian Nicola McDermott, Oceania's record with 2, 01 m.

Supported by his public, pole vaulter Armand Duplantis once again proved untouchable by winning the competition with a successful attempt at 6.02 m, his 4th competition in a row above the symbolic 6 m bar.

Like Thursday in Oslo, he tackled three times at 6.19 m in an attempt to improve his own world record (6.18 m in 2020), without success.

He beat the two-time American world champion Sam Kendricks and the 2012 French Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie (5.92 m).

© 2021 AFP