Goule breaks 800m record again

Natoya Goule broke the national 800 metres record for the second time in three weeks when she clocked 1:56.15 at the Monaco Diamond League meet yesterday.

Goule had lowered the previous mark of 1:57.88 to 1:57.69 at the Paris meet on June 30, and yesterday got below 1:57:00 for the first time after a third-place finish behind the event's top star, Caster Semenya of South Africa.

Competing in a strong field, Goule was competitive all the way and kept her form very well in the latter stages, even looking a threat to Semenya who won the event in a meet record 1:54.60. Burundi's Francine Niyonsaba was second in 1:55.96.

Two other Jamaicans, Elaine and Yanique Thompson, had top-three finishes. Elaine Thompson, the Olympic sprint double winner, again found the Cote d'Ivoire pair of Josee Marie Ta Lou and Murielle Ahoure too hot to handle over 100m and she placed third in 11.02 seconds. Ta Lou remained unbeaten in the event this season winning her fourth race in the Diamond League series in 10.89, Ahoure was second in 11.01.

Yanique Thompson was third in the 100m hurdles in 12.92 seconds, behind American Queen Harrison's season's best 12.64. Jamaica's Shimarya Williams ended eighth in 13.36.

The other Jamaicans at the meet, men's sprint hurdler Hansle Parchment and 3000 metres steeplechase competitor Aisha Praught ended fourth and 13th, respectively, in their events.

Parchment clocked a season's best 13.21 seconds as Russia's Sergey Shubenkov, the world leader in the event, won in 13.07.

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Praught was timed in 9:25.48 in the 3000m Steeplechase as Kenya's Beatrice Chepkoech won the event in a world record 8:44.32.

Shauna Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas and American Noah Lyles posted world leading and personal best times in their respective events .

Miller-Uibo turned back Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser in the 400 metres. She went sub-49 seconds for the first time in her career after clocking 48.97 seconds to become the 10th fastest ever female in history over the one-lap event. It was a personal best, world leading , meet record, Diamond League and National record time for the Bahamian. Naser's time, 49.08, was also a personal best. American Shakima Wimbley the World Indoor champion, was third in 50.85.

Nyles continued his impressive form in the men's 200m after a superb personal best 19.65 seconds in winning the event ahead of World champion Ramil Guliyev, 19.99, and Ecuador 's Alex Quinonez, 20.03.