Moon bounces back from LA no-height to win pole vault at Florence Diamond League stop...
Moon rebounded after not clearing a bar at the USATF LA Grand Prix meet last week, clearing 15-5.5 (4.71m) to earn her second win on the tour and take the event lead with 16 points.
The defending world and Olympic champion won on a count back over Arkansas alum Tina Sutej of Slovenia, as both cleared the same height, with Sutej needing three attempts to get over the bar on a cool evening which affected the competitors in the event.
"It was a tough competition for me, I was a little bit inconsistent. After the injection in my ankle after the Doha Diamond League meeting I have not jumped a lot so today, I was just jumping my way back into shape. I was not super consistent but I am happy about how some of my jumps went," she told members of the media in the mixed zone afterwards.
Washington alum Gianna Woodruff finished fourth in the women's 400 hurdles, running a season best of 54.59, with a solid start, though she got behind over hurdles 5 through 7, before rallying down the stretch. Reigning world champion Femke Bol of the Netherlands won in a world leading time of 52.43, with heptathlete Anna Hall finishing third in a personal best of 54.42, just behind Rabat winner Shamier Little's 53.38.
Woodruff stands fourth after two Diamond League meets with eight points.
Former Renton resident Devon Allen finished third in the men's 110 hurdles in a season best 13.19.
The Oregon alum and Philadelphia Eagles practice squad member, normally one of the best starters off the blocks did not get a good start, and was almost doomed, as eventual winner and reigning world champion Grant Holloway won in 13.04, while Switzerland's Jason Joseph finished second in a national record 13.10.
"I am feeling pretty good and I look forward to a couple more races next weeks. The change back to the track and field was difficult. You know, my body was a little bit tired going back to the training (from football-specific work) so it took me a little bit but I feel good now."
Allen is currently second in the Diamond League event standings after two meets behind Holloway by a 15-11 margin.
In the final event of the evening, Olympia native Brooke Feldmeier was the first of the two pacesetters in the women's 1500, helping to set up reigning world and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, as she ran to a world record 3:49.11.
Feldmeier and Colorado alum Sage Hurta-Klecker were asked to take the field through in 3:54 pace, which seemed ambitious on a damp track after early rain.
Feldmeier dropped out after about 600 meters, with Hurta-Klecker taking Kipyegon to 900 before the Kenyan took command. In the process, she took down the eight year old world record of 3:50.07 set by Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia in 2015, and became the first woman to break 3:50.
The elite field of female middle distance runners was overjoyed for Kipyegon, enveloping her in a group hug soon after the race to celebrate her achievement.
The Wanda Diamond League series moves on to Paris for the Meeting de Paris, the fourth stop on the tour, which this year, ends on September 16-17 with the Nike Prefontaine Classic at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene.
The Golden Gala Pietro Mennea meeting will be shown on a delayed basis Saturday on NBC (KING 5 in Seattle).
PORTLAND TRACK CLASSIC BEGINS SATURDAY IN GRESHAM...
With a month to go before the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, a number of Washington athletes are headed to Gresham, Oregon for Saturday and Sunday's Portland Track Festival at Earl Klapstein Stadium on the campus of Mt. Hood Community College.
From a high performance standpoint, the only two significant races in this distance-centered meet contested Saturday are the steeplechase and the 10000s, with the 800s, 1500s, and 5000s run Sunday afternoon, climaxing with the men's 1500 Sunday evening around 9 pm.
The Seattle based Brooks Beasts have a number of entries in the field, led by Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist at 1500 meters Josh Kerr, who is dropping down to 800 meters, along with teammates Devin Dixon, and Isaiah Harris. Seattle residents David Timlin and Derek Holdsworth are in the field, along with Mercer Island HS sophomore Owen Powell, the Washington 3A champ at 1600m, and the son of UW coaches Andy and Maurica Powell.
Other Beasts entered in the meet include Nia Akins in the women's 800, Henry Wynne in the men's 1500, Julia Heymach and Marta Pen Freitas in the women's 1500, and Allie Buchalski in the women's 5000.
In the women's 800, Seattle resident Rebecca Mehra and Eastlake HS alum Brooke Manson are in the field.
World championships team member Johnny Gregorek, UW volunteer coach Sam Prakel, Washington State alum Paul Ryan, and Tacoma native Jack Yearian are in the men's 1500 field, while UW frosh Ella Borsheim, Husky volunteer coach Alli Cash, and Bellingham native Haley O'Connor are in the women's 1500.
Seattle resident Tom Anderson, and Husky freshman Evan Jenkins are in the men's 5000, while UW All-American Haley Herberg competes in the women's 5000.
Washington alum Katie Rainsberger and Washington State alum Caroline Austin are entered in Saturday night's 3000 steeplechase at 7:35 pm. Incoming UW freshman Tyrone Gorze of Oregon's Crater HS is entered in the men's 10000.
The meet will be live streamed on the Tracklnd website ($) both days, with a portion of the proceeds going to the athletes' prize money pool.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League and the Portland Track Festival contributed to this report.
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