Hooker Sixth in Diamond League Debut
WAIS pole vault star Steve Hooker has jumped 5.50m in his Diamond League debut in Shanghai, missing out on victory.
In a surprise result, the Australian team captain and title favourite suffered a rare loss on the opening leg of his five-month international competition phase.
Entering the action at 5.50m, Hooker cleared the bar on his second attempt then sat out the following round before making an unsuccessful return to the competition at 5.70m, bowing out with sixth place. World indoor championships silver medallist Malte Mohr (GER) took victory with a season-high clearance of 5.70m.
On the track, national one-lap champion Ben Offereins placed fifth in the men’s 400m in a time of 46.08.
The 24-year-old Western Australian athlete said he was happy with the result at the end of a long, successful, season.
“I’m very happy with that, I’m feeling good,” Offereins said.
“I went out well and picked up two guys outside me. Being in lane seven I had to take it to them and it was the worst lactic I’ve felt all season. It’s been a very long season.”
World championships silver medallist Jeremy Wariner (USA) took out the event in a season’s best time of 45.41 ahead of fellow American David Neville (45.70) and Briton Michael Bingham (45.84).
On the long jump runway, 26-year-old Lapierre continued his stellar start to the year by posting a season’s best leap of 8.30m (w:0.0) to take out his maiden Diamond League crown ahead of world title-holder Phillips (8.18m, w:-1.3) and Chinese representative Xiongfeng Su (8.06m, w:0.2).
Opening his account with a leap of 8.24m (w:0.7), Lapierre went on to record jumps of 8.27m (w: -1.4)and 8.02m (w:-0.9) before hitting the winning mark in Round 4 of the competition. He followed up the winning leap with a foul, pulling out of the jump after slowing to a halt down the runway. Lapierre passed up his sixth and final attempt.
Lapierre, who claimed the IAAF world indoor title in Doha (QAT) in March and took out the Australian crown in Perth last month with a jaw-dropping leap of 8.78m (w:3.1), said the result continued what was shaping up as a standout season.
“Each of my four attempts was over eight metres so it was a great series,” he said.
“It was my first Diamond League meet so I wanted to get a win. It was pretty hard jumping into a headwind but it was a good result, my jumps were all very consistent so I’m happy.”
Lapierre now rockets to the top of the Diamond League rankings with four points to his name.
Fellow Australian Chris Noffke, who will join Lapierre and world championships bronze medallist Mitchell Watt in action in the men’s long jump at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India, in October, placed sixth with a leap of 7.74m (w:-2.5).
– Athletics Australia