Hamish Kerr leaps to third at Diamond League high jump

RNZ News

16-05-2025

New Zealander Hamish Kerr celebrates after winning the men's high jump final during the Indoor World Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Photo:
AFP
Olympic champion Hamish Kerr has settled for a high jump bronze medal at the Diamond League meet in Doha.
Kerr produced a best clearance of 2.23m in an event won by American Shelby McEwen, who jumped a best height of 2.26m.
McEwen was the man who Kerr beat in a jump-off to secure gold at last year's Olympic Games in Paris.
Japan's Ryoichi Akamatsu finished second in Doha, beating Kerr to the silver medal in a countback after also producing a best of 2.23m..
Earlier, New Zealand sprinter Zoe Hobbs was seventh in a world class women's 100m sprint field, clocking a time of 11.27 seconds.
Imogen Ayris was ninth in the women's pole vault, producing a best clearance of 4.33m.
Jamaica's Tia Clayton edged her twin sister Tina Clayton in the women's 100m while Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo nearly threw away a victory near the finish line in the men's 200m.
Tia clocked a world-leading 10.92 seconds, 0.1 second faster than her sister Tina who edged Amy Hunt by one hundredth of a second after the Briton ran a personal best to deny Jamaica a podium sweep.
"I made the world leading mark, but honestly I didn't do the best possible because I couldn't do the start I always get," Tia said.
"But other than that it was a great race for me. It is very special for me and my twin sister to finish first and second in this event tonight."
The two sisters are training partners and Tina said family ties are set aside when they race.
"When we line up for a race, we are no longer sisters, we are rival competitors," she said.
"But after the race is over, it feels really good to make the top two places."
Twice 100m Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce had to settle for fourth on her return to Diamond League as the 38-year-old failed to defy the odds in Doha, where she won the world title six years ago.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Photo:
photosport
Tebogo started the 200 metres final well out on lane seven but the Botswanan sprinter eased up towards the end and nearly paid the price for a cheeky look over at American Courtney Lindsey in the next lane as he won by a whisker.
Tebogo clocked 20.10 seconds, just 0.01 seconds ahead of Lindsey.
Twice Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra of India breached the 90-metre mark in the men's javelin for the first time in his career but his joy was short-lived when he was pipped to top spot by Germany's Julian Weber.
Chopra warmed up with a world-leading 88.44 metres with his first throw before a monster 90.23 metres attempt in the third round for a personal best and national record.
But Weber's final effort saw the javelin soar into the night sky and land at 91.06 metres to steal victory.
Molly Caudery claimed her first win of the season in the pole vault when the Briton became the only woman to clear 4.75 metres.
- RNZ/Reuters