Justin Gatlin ran the slowest Diamond League 100m of his career, recording his worst 100m result in years, if ever, as one of several American stars handed defeat in Shanghai on Saturday.
Gatlin, the 36-year-old who beat Usain Bolt for the 2017 World 100m title, clocked 10.20 seconds for seventh place into a slight headwind in rainy conditions Saturday. Great Britain’s Reece Prescod won in 10.04.
Gatlin’s slowest previous 100m time in 28 Diamond League starts dating to 2011 was 10.14 into a stronger headwind in Doha last year. Gatlin had never finished seventh or worse in a 100m in his career, according to Tilastopaja.org.
“I got stuck in the little in the blocks tonight, and I just had too much ground and distance to make up,” Gatlin said, according to the IAAF.
Full Shanghai results are here.
In other events, world-record holder Kendra Harrison lost a Diamond League 100m hurdles for the first time since 2015, ending an 11-race win streak. She finished third in 12.56, trailing Olympic champion Brianna McNeal (12.50) and Sharika Nelvis (12.52).
In the pole vault, world champion Sam Kendricks of the U.S. shockingly failed to clear 5.61 meters, finishing ninth, his worst placement since the 2015 World Championships. World-record holder Renaud Lavillenie of France went on to win after clearing 5.81.
American Paul Chelimo fell at the finish line in a failed attempt to win his first international race in a deep 5000m. The Olympic silver medalist led for the entire final lap until Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew edged ahead in the final 20 meters. Balew prevailed in 13:09.64, .02 ahead of Chelimo, who looked over his shoulder several times before being passed.
In the long jump, world champion Luvo Manyonga of South Africa recorded a sixth and final jump of 8.56 meters to overtake Chinese 19-year-old Shi Yuhao. Olympic champion Jeff Henderson of the U.S. was fourth.
Olympic 400m champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo took the 200m in 22.06, beating a field that did not include Olympic gold and bronze medalists Elaine Thompson and Tori Bowie.
Jamaican Omar McLeod won in his first 110m hurdles race since adding the 2017 World title to his Olympic gold. He clocked 13.16 seconds, edging Olympic silver medalist Orlando Ortega of Spain by .01.
Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad held off Jamaican Janieve Russell by .01 in the 400m hurdles, clocking 53.77. The race lacked world champion Kori Carter and 18-year-old Sydney McLaughlin, the fastest in the world this year at 53.60.
Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas took the men’s 400m in 43.99, his second sub-44 clocking in the last week. Gardiner is the only man to break 44 seconds this year. Olympic and world triple jump champion Christian Taylor finished fifth in 45.24 as he focuses on the 400m with no world championships this year, hoping to break 45 seconds.
The Diamond League next moves to Eugene, Ore., for the Prefontaine Classic, live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold on May 25-26.
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