Kara Winger reclaims American record in javelin with win at Brussels Diamond League meet...
BRUSSELS, Belgium--Vancouver native Kara Winger's (photo courtesy Wanda Diamond League) farewell tour continued at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme meet Friday night with an unlooked for American record in the javelin.
Winger, who announced her intention to retire from world class competition at the beginning of the season, provided one of the highlights of the evening in the sixth and final round of throwing in the twelfth meet of the season-long Wanda Diamond League series.
Coming off a sub-par performance a few days earlier in Luzern, where she failed to throw over 60 meters (196-10) for the first time all season, Winger started strong with a first round throw of 204-11 (62.47m).
In round 4, she extended her lead to 209-4 (63.82m), as Serbia's Adriana Vilagos crept within striking distance of Winger with a toss of 206-8 (63.00m).
Japan's Haruka Kitaguchi, the bronze medalist at the world championships in Eugene, struck back to reclaim second with a throw of 208-2 (63.45m) to set up an exciting sixth round, where only the top three at the end of the fifth round get another throw in the Diamond League format.
Winger, the first thrower in round 6, shut the door on Kitaguchi and Vilagos as she launched the spear into the night sky, and watched it land 223-5 (68.11m).
Courtesy of NBC Olympics, here is video of Winger's American record throw.
Kitaguchi improved to 208-2 (63.45m) to maintain her hold on second place, with Vilagos' 206-8 (63.00m) from round four good for third.
With that throw, Winger reclaimed the American record that she held but lost to Maggie Malone last year when she threw 221-1 (67.40m) before the Olympics.
Her mark of 223-5 (68.11m) was also a personal best, surpassing her old PB of 218-8 (66.67m) set way back in 2010. It also set a meet record, and was the furthest throw in the world this season. She also became the 12th furthest performer all-time.
With the win, Winger moved to second from seventh in the Wanda Diamond League standings in the javelin with 18 points, 12 behind series leader Kitaguchi.
Should Winger win the Diamond League finals in Zürich next week, she would earn an automatic bye into next year's world championships in Budapest. Whether a win in the Diamond League finals will be enough of an incentive for Winger to unretire remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Washington State alum CJ Allen thought he had qualified for the Diamond League finals in the 400 hurdles and set a new personal best with a third place finishing time of 47.96, as world champion Alison dos Santos of Brazil continued his winning ways with a time of 47.94.
However, Allen was disqualified for a trail leg violation.
Allen is currently seventh in the Diamond League standings with 13 points, so it will apparently be up to the Zürich meet organizers to decide if he gets to run next week.
In Budapest, Marta Pen Freitas of the Brooks Beasts finished fourth in the 800 at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix meet Friday night in Budapest.
Pen Freitas ran 2:02.74, as Bianka Bartha-Keri of Hungary won in 2:01.21.
In Middletown Township, New Jersey, Washington State alum Paul Ryan won the Monmouth Mile race Thursday night, as he ran a personal best 3:52.41, nearly two seconds clear of runner-up Vince Ciattei of the Nike Oregon TC's 3:54.07.
The time eclipses his previous personal best of 3:55.91 set on August 20th in Falmouth, MA.
SEATTLEU WOMEN FINISH SECOND AT VIKING RUST BUSTER...
In its season opener, the Seattle University women's cross country team finished second at the Portland State Viking Rust Buster race at Westmoreland Park Friday afternoon.
Host Portland State won with a low score of 31 points, followed by SeattleU with 43, and the University of Portland with 51 points.
Tatum Miller of Portland State won the 5k race in 17:52.
Seattle University was led by Azalea Groleau, who finished sixth in 18:51, followed by McKenna White in seventh at 18:54.
In the men's race, which was not scored, Hezekiah Goodwin led the Redhawks with his 29th place finish in 20:27 for 6k.
Henry Mong of the University of Portland won in 18:34.
Seattle Pacific will be the first of Washington's Division II schools to open competition, as they head south for the Puget Sound Invitational, hosted by the University of Puget Sound at Fort Steilacoom Park in Steilacoom, just southwest of Tacoma.
This will be the second straight year that SPU has begun its campaign in Steilacoom, but this time, both Falcon squads will be there.
Both races are 5 kilometers. The women answer the starting call at 11:00 a.m., followed by the men at 11:30.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League, Hungarian Athletics, the Monmouth Mile, and the sports information offices of Seattle University and Seattle Pacific contributed to this report.
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