Daryll Neita stormed to a sprint double with fast albeit wind-assisted times at the British Championships in Manchester this weekend.
Neita won the 100m title in 10.80 (3.8) - the fastest time by a Brit in all conditions - ahead of treble European champion Dina Asher-Smith in 10.87 before winning the 200m title the following day in 22.34 (3.5).
"Making the Olympic final last year was a major achievement for me. Once there, I realised I still had more in me and I wasn’t so happy with the result because I knew I could do more. It is going great with my new coach and I am just super excited for the rest of the season," said Neita after the 100m.
European U23 champion Jeremiah Azu was the surprise winner of the men’s 100m title in a slightly wind-aided 9.90 (2.5) ahead of Reece Prescod and Zharnel Hughes in 9.94 and 9.97 respectively although Nethaniel Mitchell-Blake was more fortunate, winning the 200m title in a wind-legal championship record of 20.05.
Other highlights included Max Burgin winning the 800m in a gun-to-tape 1:44.54 and reigning European champion Laura Muir closing with a sub-1:30 last 600 metres to win the 1500m in 4:12.91.
Luckenkemper returns to sub-11 second form at the German Championships
European silver medallist Gina Luckenkemper recorded her first sub-11 second performance in the 100m in four years at the German Championships in Berlin on Saturday (25).
Luckenkemper blazed to a big season’s best of 10.99 to move to equal third on the 2022 European list behind Mujinga Kambundji (10.89), Dina Asher-Smith (10.89) and equal with Daryll Neita.
"Finally the hard work from the training in the USA paid off. That makes me incredibly happy," said Luckenkemper, who is based for most of the year in Florida.
Malaika Mihambo was in victorious form on the last day of the championships with 6.85m in the long jump while fellow reigning European champion Mateusz Przybylko, who captured the high jump title in this arena four years ago, shared the domestic title with Tobias Poyte at 2.30m.
Other standout performances included Olympic silver medallist Kristin Pudenz setting a lifetime best of 67.10m to win a world class discus and Bo Kanda Lita Baehre clearing a lifetime best of 5.90m in the pole vault.
Zhoya zooms to 13.17 in the 110m hurdles in Caen.
On his 20th birthday, reigning European and world U20 champion Sasha Zhoya won the 110m hurdles title at the French Championships in Caen.
In just his fifth ever race in the senior hurdles, Zhoya sped to a lifetime best and European leading time of 13.17 despite uncharacteristically clipping a few of the hurdles.
"After having little problems everywhere at the start of the season, it was the first time that I could give myself almost 100%. There, I feel completely liberated, it's a real weight that is lifted from my shoulders," said Zhoya.
Renelle Lamote won the 800m in a fast 1:58.71 from former 400m specialist Agnes Raharolahy in 1:59.59 while Thibaut Collet defeated Renaud Lavillenie on countback in the pole vault at 5.75m.
On his return from injury, Marcell Jacobs won the 100m title at the Italian Championships in Rieti in 10.12 ahead of Chituru Ali (10.16) and Filippo Tortu (10.24) while fellow Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi cleared 2.26m in the high jump.
Other top marks at the Italian Champioships included Elena Vallortigara clearing 1.98m in the high jump, Daisy Osakue throwing 63.24m in the discus, Andrea Dallavalle jumping 17.28m in the triple jump and Ayomide Folorunso approaching the national record in the 400m hurdles with 54.60.
Diaz threatens 18 metre-barrier at the Spanish Championships
Cuban-born Jordan Diaz produced an incredible series in the triple jump on the last day of the Spanish Championships in Nerja.
Diaz began his series with a massive 17.87m before going even further with his second effort although his mark of 17.93m was slightly wind-assisted at 2.5 m/s. Diaz also produced three more valid jumps which were measured at 17.80m, 17.66m and 17.55m respectively.
And even though Diaz’s first round mark will be recognised as a Spanish record, he will not be eligible to compete for Spain at the Munich 2022 European Athletics Championships.
Sara Gallego smashed her Spanish record in the 400m hurdles with 54.34 while Maria Perez blasted to a 11.07 clocking in the 100m semifinals, missing Sandra Myers’ long-standing Spanish record by one-hundredths.
Reigning European U23 champion Asier Martinez also won the 110m hurdles in a marginally wind-assisted 13.15 (2.2).
Elsewhere around Europe…
At the Dutch Championships, Jessica Schilder won the shot put title with a national outdoor record of 19.68m, just four centimetres shy of her outright national record.
Lieke Klaver won the 200m title in 22.74 ahead of Femke Bol in 23.05 and Nadine Visser also continued her comeback from injury with victory in the 100m hurdles in 12.77.
Olympic and European champion Miltiadis Tentoglou highlighted the Greek Championships in Thessaloniki with a wind-aided 8.32m and a wind-legal 8.24m in the long jump.
At the Czech Championships in Hodonin, Vitezslav Veseley defeated fellow Olympic medallist Jakub Vadlejch, 85.97m to 83.72m, in the javelin. World record-holder Barbora Spotakova won the women's title for the 15th time with 60.90m ahead of Nikol Tabackova's 59.06m.
The Norwegian Championships in Stjordal were highlighted by Pal Haugen Lillefosse improving his national record to 5.86m in the pole vault and Olympic silver medallist Eivind Henriksen improving his season’s best to 80.17m in the hammer.
At the Danish Championships in Aalborg, Mette Graversgaard improved her national record in the 100m hurdles once again to 12.84 and Caroline Bonde Holm also cleared a national record of 4.51m in the pole vault.
Luca Kozak also revised her Hungarian 100m hurdles to 12.70 at the Hungarian Championships in Budapest and Bence Halasz set a season’s best of 79.86m in the hammer.
Less than a fortnight after breaking the 48 second-barrier in the 400m hurdles for the first time, Rasmus Magi set an Estonian 400m record of 45.35 at the Estonian Championships in Tallinn. Maicel Uibo also won the decathlon with 8289 points ahead of Johannes Erm (8250 points) and Risto Lillemets (8147 points).
Ahead of her heptathlon campaign at the World Athletics Championships, Nafi Thiam recorded a 6.63m long jump at the Belgian Championships in Gent. Ben Broeders also cleared 5.75m in the pole vault and Tibo De Smet also won the men’s 800m in a fast 1:45.32 ahead of Aurele Vandeputte in 1:45.63.
At the Croatian Championships in Karlovac, Filip Mihaljevic achieved 21.05m in the shot put and Marija Tolj won the discus in the absence of Sandra Perkovic with 63.21m.
Multiple world and European U18 and U20 champion Bianca Ghelber achieved the best mark at the Romanian Championships in Craiova with 73.15m in the hammer.
Competing as a guest at the Irish Championships, Perseus Karlstrom just missed the European record in the 10,000m race walk in Dublin. He clocked 37:57.02 to fall narrowly short of Francisco Javier Fernandez's mark of 37:53.09.
At the Israeli Championships in Jerusalem, Diana Vaisman improved her national record to 11.22 in the heat before winning the final in 11.28.