Paris Highlights Athletics: IAAF Diamond League

with the Diamond League season at us halfway point, last night the action

moved to Paris and the Charlety Stadium deep in the city and with

the World Championships looming, a stellar line-up of Olympic and world

champions gathered, hoping to put down a marker.

So let's join the first race of the night with our commentary team. It

is a good line-up, but there is one with drawl, the Jamaican, Stephanie

Macpherson. There is the line-up. It is a bit disconcerting for

Jackson. Not much in it going into the back straight Williams-Mills

looks comfortable. . But he two going well. Williams-Mills very

close -- Okolo. Williams-Mills is really powering past Jackson. She

will come into the straight heavily in front. . Here comes

Williams-Mills, Okolo on the outside. Williams-Mills is going to

get this, Okolo in second place, Jackson in third. Disappointing for

Jackson. Conditions were perfect. Not much of an excuse, really.

Williams-Mills was second in Rome just recently, she has been around

so much, fifth in the London Olympics, third in Osaka in that

wonderful 400 metres final which she led with just a few yards to go and

then lost it. A very good competitive race in the end.

Disappointing for Jackson. It was, the real Olympic bronze-medallist,

you would have expected her to come through strongly, but all credit to

Williams-Mills. She really took it out hard and aggressively and stayed

well. Courtney Okolo, she has to be tired after her campaign at the US

championships last weekend. But for Williams-Mills, a vintage

performance. And there is the result, Williams-Mills in first

place, Okolo followed by Jackson. 24, the 27-year-old Ukrainian, first

attempt for him. -- Bohdan Bondarenko. He is coming back to his

best. The third highest jumper in history the world champion of 2013

in Moscow, beginning to look like something back to his best. Barshim.

In very good form this season. Coming into the World Championships

and 65-macro has such a record. -- Barshim. He goes into the lead.

Still to come... The Jamaican superstar Elaine Thompson, competes

over the shorter distance. The big guns are out in force in the 110

metre hurdles in a field led by the Olympic champion Omar McLeod and

featuring the British hopeful Andy Pozzi. Ruth Joe Bennett looks to

break her own world record in the 3000 metres steeplechase. There is a

glittering array of stars competing in the field events, including the

Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor and the French

favourite in the poll vault, Renaud Lavillenie. Next on the track, it is

the men's 3000 metres. Unusually, ten different nations

represented in this one. The youngster from Ethiopia has proved

to be such a find for them. Our way they go. The pacemakers are due to

be that Kenyans. That is not hanging about. Kiplangat straight to the

fore. Leads the Diamond League in the 5,000-metre discipline. The

Ethiopian selectors have weird and wonderful ways of making selections.

It is! Was not picked previously. They are moving at a crisp tempo --

if Yomif Kejelcha. No wonder they are stretched out. I think he was on

the button. Ronald Kwemoi. This is a challenge. It looks as though they

are on that base at the moment. Very quick. Ronald Kwemoi. As they come

through below us, they should be on 90 seconds. The rest of them going

through at about 91 seconds. Good pacemaking at the moment. The

Syrian, a second attempt at two metres 32. He has had two attempts.

He has to clear this and if they can get himself into third place. Very

determined young man. Seventh in the Olympic final. He has got it. That

is a season 's best. Look at that, beautiful.

Bohdan Bondarenko has another attempt, this is to tie with

Barshim. That is better for him. Bohdan Bondarenko clear at 2.32.

There it is, 2.32. First attempt. Bohdan Bondarenko goes into the

lead. Barshim from Qatar. And that was a very good clearance. That was

way over 2.32. With his timing like that, that was superb. Muktar Edris

is in third place. The competitor from the United States is perfectly

placed. Ronald Kwemoi is perfectly placed.

How the Spanish competitor is moving up, Mechaal. Muktar Edris in second

place. They go into the final bend. It is Ronald Kwemoi. He is

challenging the tall Ethiopian. A little glance to his right and

Muktar Edris kicks again on the outside for Ethiopia. Can he get

past Ronald Kwemoi? Yes he has, brilliant judgment from Muktar Edris

to take it. The unofficial winning time. Yomif Kejelcha down the home

straight. Five point 06 means the last kilometre and around 2.26, the

place times, they are impressive, let's just double-check. 7.32 is

confirmed as a personal best for Muktar Edris?. Great finish by

Muktar Edris?, he really powered past Ronald Kwemoi. Muktar Edris

really looked strong in the final stages and Yomif Kejelcha really

attacked with 200m to go but did not quite have that strength endurance

down the whole -- home straight. It was a good race in the end. That is

a new personal best for Muktar Edris?. Plenty of them in the top

eight. Good running from the Australian in seventh place. Barshim

in the high jump. The competition now getting into really a

respectable area. And now, 2.3 five. I tell you what, this young man is

on form and that is better than the jumps we saw in Oslo, that is for

sure. Bohdan Bondarenko, third and final attempt, 2.3 five. No, no. He

held the lead for a while in this competition, ahead of Barshim, they

shared the lead early on. 2.32 is his best this season. He is way

below what we expect for this man, approaching a World Championships.

Here is Barshim. 2.3 nine. That was close. Very close indeed. He has got

one attempt left if he chooses to take it, has Barshim. There is his

card. He is indicating, looking at his coach, that is him done for the

day, he has won the competition by a clear height. He has finished.

Elaine Thomson looks on course to add an individual World Championship

title to the two gold medals she won at the real Olympics after

continuing her fine form into 2017, she was just 100th of a second

outside a lifetime best in her recent victory at the Jamaican

Championships, clocking a world leading time of 10.71. The women's

100 metres coming up and it is a very strong field as you can see. We

have the double Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson. There is Blessing

Okagbare-Ighoteguonor. Ta Lou leads the Diamond race, she

was fourth in the Olympic final and fourth in the 100 as well

disappointment in some senses as well. There is Elaine Thompson, she

is the twice Olympic champion 102 macro last year, 10.71, her season

's best as well sourced Ahoure from the Ivory Coast, twice World

Championship silver-medallist. Zahi is in lane one. Ta Lou in the third

lane. Williams is in lane seven. Ahoure got away well but Thomson has

work to do. Here comes Thompson through the middle, Thompson and Ta

Lou are going to take this. It looked like Blessing

Okagbare-Ighoteguonor might have sneaked in to third place at 10.9

to. That was a good race, actually. Did

not get away particularly well. I must say, I thought of Ore got away

particularly well from the start and Palu came into second at 10.90 six.

Okagbare got third, 11.0 nine. Thompson just begins to move away

here. On the far side, Okagbare just held off Ahoure. Thompson looking

very strong indeed, more like the Thompson we saw when she won the 200

metres so impressively, beating the likes of Allyson Felix very

comfortably. Very side following wind, effectively still as she is

running three. Palu 10.96 and the rest a couple of metres back,

frankly, but that looked easy. Sam Kendricks, 5.62, first attempt.

He came in at 5.37, got that, just to be safe, then went clear at 5.62,

won the American trials in six metres, very much on form. Oh, yes!

Lovely clearance by Kendricks. Look at the height he gets over there. If

you can repeat that, of course the psychology of the event comes into

play when you put the bar up that high. Laviillenie now. This is

opening height. Kendricks, 5.62 was his third height, he came in pretty

early. Lavillenie taking one or D chances but pops over 5.62 no

problem at all. When you think he came third on Wednesday in 5.51, he

comes in at a height there way above the best height he could manage in a

domestic meeting a few days ago. Now, Shawn Barber, second attempt at

5.60 two. What can he do here? Two attempts at 5.52, incidentally. Came

in at 5.30 seven. Oh, struck the bar, it stayed there! He thought it

might be following him but it wasn't, in the end and Barber, the

world champion in paging in 2015 -- in Beijing. Lavillenie, we have

seen, came in at 5.62, Kendricks came in with three volts at five

point 52. He has coped with every height up to this first time without

any problems. Up against Lavillenie, Kendricks is unbeaten this year and

might be denied if he maintains this form. Perfect card so far, for

height, for the clearance, and Lavillenie is passing at this

height, having come in at 5.62, taking a bit of a chance, Kendricks

not taking any chances. The 24-year-old Olympic bronze-medallist

from Rio in very fine fettle indeed, 5.70 two.

The athletes are on the track ready for the men's 800 metres, quite a

big field. There is Rotich. 1.42 in Monaco in 2014 is his best. There is

Kipyegon Bett, the winner end Shanghai, easy win in 1:44.07,

second in a tactical race in Rome. Kia Ms Cooper is in red. Willie keep

Botha by and Pierre-Ambroise Bosse of France. He has been injured but

says he is in good shape, he went in well but says he just needs races,

desperate for races, the Frenchman. Job Kinyor was second midweek and

Robert Biwott, youth champion in 2015, seven in the Kenyan 1500

metres trials. An hour to go, World Championship bronze-medallist a few

years ago. -- L Tuka. Amos has had lots of injuries, hoping to come

back to his best. There are four men in this field from the Kenyan trials

and I'm sure the selectors will be watching this one carefully.

Away they go. Expecting this first lap to be 50 seconds exactly. They

have gone off crisply. Interesting to see how Kupers in red handles

himself amongst such exalted company. Look at Amos, we have not

seen much of Nijel Amos, the Botswanan, the white vest.

Silver-medallist, we remember the fabulous race, nowhere near that

since, as you said, and Kipyegon Bett, following him, very

impressive. David would eject rates him highly. Coming towards 400

metres, the bell this time, Amos goes through in probably about 50

seconds exactly, two metres down on the pacemaker. He has world-class

400 metres speed. Kipyegon Bett in second place, Kupers in third. 300

metres to run. As Nigel Amos got the legs to last? Four or five years ago

he was in fabulous form but he is not the same runner now. Kipyegon

Bett is in the front with 200 metres to go. Amos slotting into his

slipstream and being dragged around and Amos has the audacity to pull up

alongside him now on the bend with one to zero to run, this is the

Nijel Amos we were familiar with the a few years ago, Rotich pumping hard

in third place, the gap back to Robert Biwott in fourth place, the

rest of them struggling, Kupers amongst them. Amos takes it and we

can say the man from Botswana is back! That was special from Nijel

Amos, he did a lot of the work mid-race and he said he never lost

the faith, he was quoted in his press conference, he always felt the

running was there, he kept the hunger despite his injury problems

and they are well noted, those injury problems, but he turns back,

some of the very best that East Africa has to offer, the best that

Europe has to offer in Coopers and -- in at Kupers and Bosse. For Nijel

Amos, the Olympic symbol medallist in 2012, still only 23 years old,

this could be a special summer. Look at that, eyeballs out, grimacing,

the line could not come early enough. Rotich and Kipyegon Bett

battling for second place, very good race in the end and well done to

Nijel Amos. Well done. Confirmation of that win for the Botswanan aired

of a trio of canyons. Shoving better form into fifth place, our Malcolm

Tucker. Sam Kendricks has been out there for

a while at the pole vault, he came in very early, 5.77 for the first

time for Sam Kendricks here, should be a formality. But it is not, no,

he gets that all wrong, no penetration across the line of the

bar at all. He kicks up the bar, angry at himself I think, straight

up and straight down. Never close to clearing it. Shawn Barber, by the

way, has had two failures at 5.70 two, one attempt at 5.77, failed

that so he is gone. Lavillenie's first attempt, a chance to take the

lead, and if he does then of course Kendricks will take his next vault

at the next hat, 5.82. No, no. Again, her refusal from Lavillenie,

and the Rio Olympics silver-medallist, the champion from

London, who will head to the London World Championships in five weeks'

time still without a world outdoor title, he has two world indoor

titles, a lot of injury problems this year.

Well, the javelin just getting underway now, this is one of the big

Rovers, Jacopo Sala etch of the Czech Republic. He has a season 's

best of 88.02 in Paris last year so he enjoys being in this city, very

quick on the runway. Hammers that and that looks pretty good to me, it

will be close to 90 metres! What about that for a first round throw?

That is going to set the target of a Vetter and Rohler, that is the sure.

Rate row. -- a great pro. Vadlejch yet to throw, the world number one.

This is Vetter, he throws before Rohler. Fourth in Rio, 85.30 two.

Really gets some good power and range on that. Look at that, that is

just short of 90 metres. Conditions obviously very, very good indeed,

Vetter this season is right on song, he threw second place in Gauhar.

That is a very good target for the rest to follow. Well, the Olympic

champion, the man with a season's best of 93.90 really has got some

power in that arm, a very fast on. Look at that, another one not quite

as close, he will not take the lead because Vetter's 88.74 is the lead.

That will be close to Vadlejch's 88.02. But Rohler is a star act, he

is in third place. We can go back to the pole vault, I

can tell you Sam Kendricks missed his second attempt at 577 so again

the door is pushed ajar for this man, Renault level the against his

great rival. Oh, my word! What is going on -- on? He is clearly very

happy with something. I suppose he can tell several miles out that he

has got his stride all wrong. I have never seen that before, he is going

to impale an official if he is not careful. Sam Kendricks, third and

final attempt at 5.77. Oh, yes! Well, he is performing consistently

as two failures at 5.77 but he got it on the third, got his timing

right, his rhythm right, everything right, straight down the middle.

Lavillenie, he has seen Kendricks go clear. If he fails this, Kendricks

is the winner, you can see Kendricks to the right of the picture there.

Generous spirit from Kendricks. They are great rivals but also great

comrades, so to speak, on the circuit. Lavillenie, third and final

attempt, 5.77. No, it wasn't close. He is just lacking that sparkle at

the moment. He has got enough time, five weeks in which to adjust for

the World Championships but Lavillenie is beating yet again by

Sam Kendricks. Next up, the men's 100 metres. It is

not a Diamond League event but nevertheless some quality in this

field. There is the line-up for you. I wondered whether this will be a

faulty start or someone will be blamed for it. I was at the US

Championships last weekend and I don't think I saw a red card the

whole four days. So many green cards and several false starts. If you

look at the reaction times, Collins apparently did false start. He is

gone. I'm so unhappy about the starting here, it really isn't good

enough. I'm sorry to say that. Who is that? Lane eight is going now, so

gradually the field is diminishing. Lane seven and eight gone, they are

the nearest of the crowd on the left, which is a bit unfortunate.

There is a lot of noise there. Away this time. Yunier Perez is

storming away. Ben Youssef Meite and Yunier Perez. Ben Youssef Meite gets

it, Yunier Perez in second. The time 9.99. That is a very good run

indeed, a season 's best for Ben Youssef Meite. He has been promising

that. Yunier Perez got second place, 10.0 five. Ben Youssef Meite really

stormed home. Ben Youssef Meite is running pretty well, considering all

the delays beforehand. His experience helped him cope with

those. There it is. Personal best for Yunier Perez. Run a bit faster

than he did a few days ago. Sam Kendricks is up next and this is a

second attempt we are going to see at 5.82. Renaud Lavillenie is not

happy, he is really upset, by the look of it, but Sam Kendricks,

second attempt, 5.8 two. Six metres to win the US trials to go to the

World Championship. A tough man to beat. Can he get theirs. Yes he can.

The bar state. He says it was close. Never the less, that is the winning

vault. Absolutely, with Renaud Lavillenie in second place, but only

at 5.62. That was the only height that Renaud Lavillenie cleared and

he is shaking hands with the officials. I think Sam Kendricks is

calling it a day. He has won the competition by two clear heights.

Renaud Lavillenie really looks as though he is psychologically down on

himself this evening. You have to get on top of this event

psychologically. Top left of picture you can see the athletes lined up

for the steeplechase. If I tell you that the top five from the Rio

Olympic Games are here, this is probably the strongest field I have

seen in the steeple chase, it has the Olympic champion in Beatrice

Chepkoech. It has Emma Cockburn. It has the Commonwealth Games champion

as well. It was at this meeting last year that the world record was set

by Ruth Jebet. She was the second athlete ever to go under nine

minutes. You have given all the credentials of these athletes and it

is truly a preview of the World Championship final but this is a

young event and it is developing fast. It entered the Olympic Games

in Beijing in 2008 and it entered the World Championships in Helsinki

in 2005 and when it comes to London, that will be the seventh occasion

that it will be run. You really are seeing the very best of the best

here and we would expect some work, something pretty quick as well,

because someone will want to impose themselves. Looking at a nine minute

pace, we will look at that as they come through. His best was in the

first round, he is down in third place and he needs another couple of

metres, this is Rohler. He does not find it there, that is around 87, he

is already thrown 87 point 18. It is not quite happening for Rohler.

Still a chance. Jakub Vadlejch, fifth round. He has equalled his

personal best. What can he do here. He is getting some really good,

close to 90 throws and this is really good. There are 88.74 from

Johannes Vetter is still the target for the rest, including Thomas

Rohler. He is putting a series together. We have two very talented

athlete in front. Beatrice Chepkoech, the Olympic Games

finalist, fourth in the Olympic Games and Ruth Rebet, the Olympic

champion and they do not get beaten easily. The youngster has come

through a season. There is a fall. Now, Celliphine Chepteek Chespol and

Beatrice Chepkoech are going to battle this out. Rebet will not come

back from that. With two laps to run, surely, Jebet is not going to

get back. Beatrice Chepkoech Finnish forward in the Olympic Games in Rio.

She did win the national championships in the 1500 metres,

she has got great speed between the barriers. Bad hurdling technique is

not the be all and end all, because most of the time you are running. A

slight disadvantage to hurdling badly, you can lose a metre or two

but if you are great flat runner, you can still outrun the rest of

them. Yes you can. This young woman leading, not only world junior

champion, but also the record-holder. She is such a talent.

She won the trials. Just to confirm that. She looks so comfortable and

this is quick. She looks so easy and all of a sudden now, Beatrice

Chepkoech has allowed her to take it over and it will be interesting to

see this finish. Celliphine Chepteek Chespol from Beatrice Chepkoech. The

youngster from the 25-year-old. Beatrice Chepkoech is more

experienced. She has good speed as well. At the moment, down the flat

straight, it is Beatrice Chepkoech who has gone early, Celliphine

Chepteek Chespol perhaps taken by surprise by that surge, the world

champion from 2015 is probably about 15 metres back. Emma Cockburn is

rallying in fifth place, gradually closing on Jebet. Emma Cockburn is

on a charge. Covers that well. Celliphine Chepteek Chespol is under

real pressure from Hyvin Kiyeng. The world champion at senior level

overtakes with 100 metres to go. Beatrice Chepkoech strides towards

the line, it will be quick, not inside nine minutes, but

nevertheless a comprehensive performance from Beatrice Chepkoech

who was led a lot of the way. She did more than her fair share of the

work. She wins it from Hyvin Kiyeng and Celliphine Chepteek Chespol and

Jebet just holding off Emma Cockburn. There is that attack from

Beatrice Chepkoech, kick zone really hard with 300 metres to go, very

decisive, Celliphine Chepteek Chespol did not respond, hardly had

time to respond, so vicious was the serve. But Beatrice Chepkoech does

not look overly stretched there. Big went for a Beatrice Chepkoech.

Taking the win in Paris from Hyvin Kiyeng and Celliphine Chepteek

Chespol with Jebet in fourth place. Emma Cockburn, and other big-time in

fifth place. Christian Taylor is in good form this season as well and

not quite finding that form on the first-run with 17 .1 one. Twice

world champion as well. The triple jump in Beijing. That looks better.

It is a rhythm event this. When you watched Jonathan Edwards in those

early days, it was like a stone skipping across the water. This is

Max Hess from Germany. His third jump, he had no jump in the first.

The second one was a personal best. C with the wind is here. That was

good. That looked good. Over 17, by the look of it. Christian Taylor

leading that last job, it was 17 metres. Still a little bit to come

from him. That is certainly over 17, gave a little bit away on the board.

This is the third round jump for Will Claye. Jumping in tight, he

opened that play with and no jump and pass and the second round. That

did not look a fool effort from Will Claye. Last week he was quite

supreme in the absence of Christian Taylor, but he jumped 17.91.

This Olympic champion Omar MacLeod is the man to beat in the 110 metre

hurdles. Having set the standard in 2017 with the fastest times in the

world. The Jamaican is undefeated this year and has set his sights on

breaking the world record. Could tonight be the night. The next event

on the track is 110 metre hurdles. There is the line-up. It is a class

act right the way through. That looked like Devon Alan. We have had

so many difficulties here and looking at that, Devon Allen, not

.003. I don't know they will get away with that. He was on the sixth

lane. That was absolutely clear-cut. That is a shame. Good athlete,. Away

this time, Omar McLeod gets away well. Omar McLeod hit the hurdle.

Levy was so quick in the end. Omar McLeod was all over the place. I

think Levy got that. He did get it. Personal best and what a time to do

it. Omar McLeod stumbled. I will take you through the race in a

moment. Pozzi was going really well and did he get second? Yes he did,

13.14, a new personal best and it gets better and better for Andrew

Pozzi and Omar McLeod looks like he has a problem. What about that?

Garfield Darien did well. 75-macro was under pressure. Look at Levy,

Pozzi falters and then comes back in touch, a Sergey Shubenkov. Very good

race. Controversial really, what happened to be Olympic champion,

looks as though he has a problem and if that is a real problem, then that

alters the script for the World Athletics Championships, that is for

sure. Let us see what Thomas Rohler can do. He has been beyond 90 metres

so far this season and he needs one now. This is the sixth and final

round and he has got to get past 88 metres, which is the score from

Johannes Vetter. He really got behind that, but is it enough? Not

quite this time. That was the worst of all and he has stepped over in

fact in the end. He could not manage it today. The red flag race, but

this man is going to be tough to beat. It shows he can be beaten.

Third place is unfamiliar for Rohler. But here is Vadlejch.

Producing 88 point 02. The best of his series his opening effort, that

one in round six coming down at 82 metres. Well, there it is, that was

the sixth and final effort from Vadlejch. Johannes Vetter has won

this competition, can he go one better? I don't think so, I don't

think he looked... That is about 82 or 83, the poorest of his

performances, apart from the fifth round when he had sold 80. But he

has had a very good competition, 88.70 four. It goes to prove the

event is open, we have big throws every so often and the Olympic

champion on this occasion was vulnerable, couldn't quite get to

the level that we had seen. The women's 1500 metres. There are

15 starters here and it is very, very high calibre field. The fastest

three women in world this year go here. This is a significant clash

between the big names. Away they go. Sifan Hassan, the world number one,

against Faith Kipyegon, the world champion. Remember, this is the

occasion where Laura Muir of Great Britain set the British record last

year in Paris. It has got a history of fast times, this.

When you look at the pace they are looking at, 3.56 or thereabouts,

which is very quick and they are spreading out very early in this

race and I would expect the big names in this to push on and make

some attempt at well sold four. They have gone through very fast indeed,

the front end of the pack went through probably in around 46

seconds so way inside 63 tempo. The temptation is so often, so

frustratingly, yes, 60.95, the temptation is to drop down in this

second lap, not the most economical way but Sifan Hassan has had a

reputation in years gone by for being a bit of a theatre and then

kicking in the last part of a race, except these years she has taken on

the burden of leading, pushing the pace mid-race and making her races

very fast indeed. Just before the indoor season she joined Alberto

Salazar in Oregon, based in Portland, and has really improved,

her attitude has become more impressive in the last six or eight

months. But look at Kipyegon, she could not be much closer unless she

climbed into the back of the best of Sifan Hassan! Good job being done

here by Halley Malachi you. The rest of the field spread-eagled by this

very, very quick tempo as they get to 800 metres, 2:05.07. In that

leading group, also Tsegay. It is stretching out, Hassan is

really testing them. Kipyegon hanging on, but they look very easy,

having said, hanging on, probably not the word to use at this stage

but it looks pretty good to me. There is Tsegay, the Ethiopian,

world indoor championship bronze-medallist last year, 4:00.96

this year. These leading three look pretty tough. Hassan leading as they

come to the bell, Kipyegon on her shoulder, Tsegay in third place,

very smooth indeed, being dragged along for the ride at the moment,

these three are well away. In fourth place is Rob Abeera the. The pace

has slowed a bit but still below four-minute tempo. Hassan tries

desperately to take Kipyegon but Kipyegon, as we saw in Rio last

year, has wonderful speed endurance. 200 metres to run, they have shaken

off the attention of Tsegay in third place, who is isolated. Coming

around the final bend, this is where Hassan has got to dig deep, save

something for the last 50 but keep working hard. She doesn't know what

is going on behind, Kipyegon in her slipstream. As the Olympic champion

got the legs?! Hassan eases away and is going to take this one, this is

an massive victory for Sifan Hassan by two metres, 3:57.11, the Olympic

champion beaten, Tsegay in third place, the rest of them, crossed the

line many metres back. Hassan shows that the front running effort around

the final bend and down the home straight was worth it. Make them

work hard, drag this thing out of them, try to stay clear and

Kipyegon, well, different form to what we saw in Rio last year, but

she had the legs run off her with 50 or 60 to go, you could see the

psychological lead, a bit of elastic was stabbed and Hassan went on to a

big, big win. Tsegay as well, Cichocka a brilliant personal best

there as well at the age of 29. Now then, what can he do here? Will

play has had three valid jumps so far and his best, 17.16. Really

hammering it down the runway. Not bad. That looked better, not sure it

will take the lead from Christian Taylor but I have to say that looked

a little bit better. He has made another couple of

centimetres, so will clay in second place. And that is where he will

finish. Slight threat from will clay in the latter stages but Christian

Taylor is a wonderful competitor and a game he jumps big. Very close to

his leading marks there. Remember, Will Claye scraped some decency to

his card in the fifth and sixth round. He is such a great

competitor, gives his all it themes on just about each and every jump

and he wins fairly comfortably this evening with that 17.29 from round

two. There is the line-up for the men's 200 metres. Churandy Martina

of the Netherlands, third place in the 100 metres, won the European

title last year but then got disqualified. Jeffrey John of

France, his best set in Geneva in June. Guliyev, the type, formerly of

Azerbaijan. Ameer Webb of the United States when the trial is over 200

metres. Into a headwind of 2.3 metres per second. Rashid Brier of

Jamaica, second in the Jamaican trials, 20.11 this season. Tsakonas

of Greece, he has been around a while. 20.33, price semifinalist in

the World Championships. Dead Rick Dukes of the United States, six in

their trials, 20.50, former American wide receiver. And Bassaw are

friends, 20.45 this season. A little bit down on his personal best, set

in 2014. Dwyer gets away well, Ameer Webb

getaway brilliantly, really moving as they go towards the bend, on

Guliyev as they come to the straight, Dwyer putting pressure on

to web and it is very even as they come into the home straight. Duke is

going well but here comes Guliyev on the neophyte committee is going to

take this, Guliyev gets there and Martina in second place, 20.15, what

honour happened there?! That did not go to the form books, certainly.

20.15 for Guliyev, he has had a 20.08 this season but the condition

is absolutely Webb and Dwyer left in his wake on that occasion, a big,

big moves by Martina on the outside, he so often does well from the

outside lane, comes into second place, 20.27 and Dwyer hung on to

third in 20.45 and Ameer Webb 20.48, he will be disappointed with that.

They got away from the box, and Ameer Webb got away brilliantly,

Guliyev, pressure on him by Ameer Webb but all of a sudden Guliyev

found new strength, look at that, look at the left of the shot with

Martina coming through very stronger. The two fancied athlete in

four and five well beaten on the day. Look at the aggression on his

face. He did so well, he withstood the pressure off and Ameer Webb

coming off that bend. I don't think it is a coincidence that both Dwyer

and Ameer Webb, the Jamaican and American in four and five, have had

big championships to content with over the last ten days, those

championships are mentally draining, emotionally draining, they have to

travel across from the Caribbean or the USA respectively to Europe, and

it is significant that neither Guliyev nor Martina have had to do

that, both based of course in Europe. I wonder how much

significance will be attached to those two combined factors, I think

a cumulative effect might be quite telling.

STUDIO: That is all from the Diamond League in Paris but there is plenty

of sport coming up on the BBC this and, starting tomorrow, it is that

time of year again. Anyone for tennis?

There is more athletics on BBC Two today as the best of British compete

for places in this summer's World Championships. Join me for the GB

team trials from Birmingham straight after this programme.

Next week the Diamond League moves on to the banks of Lake Geneva and

we will have highlights from 10am on BBC One on Saturday the 8th of July.

And the anniversary games live from London on Sunday the 9th of July,

world-class athletes on show. All this a taster for the main

event, the World Championships in London this August. I can't

waitGoodbye. Usain Bolt, he has done it! A new

British record! It is a mammoth jump. A stunning performance. Sophie

Hitchen, what an effort! Oh, it is huge! Oh, my word, Johnson Thompson!

He is going to win the world title. Beautiful jump! Laura Muir has

smashed the British record. Mo Farah wins the gold!