OSLO, NORWAY, June 12 — After racing at a variety of distances this year, Olympic century champ Julien Alfred made her season debut in the 100 as the DL circuit hit Oslo.
The St. Lucian ran an effortless-looking 10.89 (wind: 1.1), well ahead of Marie Josée Ta Lou-Smith (11.00) and Dina Asher-Smith (11.08) at the Bislett Games. “It was my first [100] race of the season so I was a little rusty but I got the win under my belt which is the main thing,” said Alfred, who struck gold in Paris last summer. “As for my season, I am Olympic champion so I am the one to beat, but I really want to add world champion to my name as well.”
In the 400, Bella Whittaker (49.58) stormed home in the final 50m to edge local favorite Henriette Jæger (49.62 NR), who ran an aggressive race and fell at the line just as the NCAA Indoor champ snuck by.
“I was hoping for a fight like that and I had a good feeling I was going to race well tonight, I enjoyed digging deep,” said Whittaker, a Penn grad who finished up her collegiate eligibility at Arkansas this winter. “It is my first time here in Oslo and this is actually my first-ever international meet, so it was very exciting.”
Faith Cherotich prevailed over Winfred Yavi in a thrilling homestretch duel in the steeplechase, clocking a world-leading 9:02.60 to the Olympic champion’s 9:02.76.
“My target for this season is to win the world title but also, I want to run good races,” said the Kenyan, who now has a 3-meet win streak over Yavi dating back to last September. “For now, I need to do well in my training and keep running well towards the World Championships. There are many of us who have the same ambitions. But I am going to fight and I will do all my best to achieve my goal.”
Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani hung with the leaders until the final lap and finished 3rd in 9:06.84. Courtney Wayment was the top American, finishing 6th in 9:13.65.
Dalilah Muhammad’s farewell tour continued with another impressive showing. The ’16 Olympic 400H champion, now 35, was completely unchallenged, winning in 53.34, her fastest since ’22. She finished more than a second ahead of Emma Zapletalová (54.44).
“I was hoping for a faster time but a win is a win so I’m happy enough,” said Muhammad. “The season so far is going really well. I feel fit and strong, and everything…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at Track & Field News…