SHAOXING, CHINA, May 03 — The 2-meet Chinese leg of the Diamond League concluded with an impressive hurdles win by Cordell Tinch, who shot up the all-time list, and the usual vault heroics by Mondo Duplantis. The Yangtze River Delta Athletics Diamond Gala was held this year in Shaxoing while the stadium in Shanghai, the nominal host of the meet, undergoes renovation.
After a solid start in the 110H, Tinch steadily pulled away from the field and won in a sensational 12.87 (wind +0.6), smashing his PR (12.96 from ’23) and climbing to =No. 4 on the all-time list. Rachid Muratake of Japan took 2nd in 13.10.
“To be honest, I kinda felt like I was gonna run something fast,” said Tinch, who ran 13.06 to win the DL opener in Xiamen a week earlier. “I’d been getting out very well [in practice] all week, but it’s a matter of trying to finish those races when I get out well. I didn’t know it would be 12.8-fast, but I thought at least I’d go faster than 13.06. I think we’re just scratching the surface of this season.”
After finishing a heartbreaking 4th in the historically deep OT final last summer, Tinch is focused on making the squad for September’s World Championships. “My goal this season is I don’t want to miss any more USA teams,” he said. “So regardless of what I gotta do — I thought 13.0 last year was fast enough, but it’s not, so sometimes you gotta go and run 12.8 and figure it out from there.”
As has become habit, Duplantis barely broke a sweat in the vault, opening at 18-5¼ (5.62) then passing the next two heights before returning at 19-5¼ (5.92). After an uncharacteristically sloppy first-time clearance at 19-8½ (6.01), the Swede made it look effortless as he sailed over 20-½ (6.11). He then missed three times 20-7¼ (6.28), which would have added a centimeter to the WR he set in February. “I really liked my last shot at 6.28, especially considering where I felt like my legs were at,” Duplantis said. “This early with a good shot at 6.28, I’ll take that all day.”
Greece’s Emmanouíl Karalís, the bronze medalist in Paris, earned the runner-up spot at an outdoor PR 19-8½.
Newly crowned world indoor champion Chris Bailey reeled in the fast-starting Bayapo Nduri late in the 400 for a PR win, 44.17–44.32, turning the…
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