China bag two golds in Shanghai Diamond League
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E-mail Xinhua, May 19, 2019
China collected two gold medals and four silver medals as well as one Asian record at the IAAF Diamond League series in Shanghai on Saturday.
Lyu Huihui successfully defended her javelin throw title while Wang Yu pulled off the men's high jump victory as he promised before the competition.
China's top sprinter Su Bingtian just finished 5th in men's 100m race but clocked 10.05 seconds to meet the entry standard for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Lyu, 2017 world championships bronze medalist, improved her own meet record set last year by 4cm to lift the victory in 66.89 meters.
"I still have room for improvement on today's 66.89m. I will adjust myself and get well prepared for the Doha World Championships," said Lyu.
Lyu, 29, got her season off to a promising start as she just recorded her personal best of 67.72 meters in April's National Athletics Grand Prix series in Huangshi, Hubei province en route to set a new Asian record.
Latvia's Lina Muze, 26, took silver in 64.87 while Germany's Christin Hussong, 2018 European champion, was third in 64.10.
The 27-year-old Wang proved he is a man of his words as he created a season best of 2.28 meters to take the high jump victory.
"This is the fourth time I will compete here and in the past three years my place moved up one slot each year. I finished fourth in my debut in 2016 and I believe this year I can win," Wang said before the competition.
China's ace sprinter Su admitted that he lost his rhythm in the final meters of the race which saw American duo Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman had a one-two finish with 9.852s and 9.858s respectively.
"I lost my rhythm in the last 40 meters as Noah was so fast in the race. I am not satisfied with my race tonight but 10.05 is OK for me. I will adjust and try to do better in next competition," said Su.
World No. 1 ranked shot putter Gong Lijiao of China conceded her first defeat in more than 14 months as a two-time winner Diamond Prize winner finished second with 19.44m behind Chase Ealey of the United States on 19.58.
Newly crowned Asian champion Li Ling set a new Asian mark in pole vault as she cleared 4.72 meters to improve her own Asian record, set in Doha in 2016 by 2cm.
The 29-year-old took a silver medal on her second attempt to jump over 4.72. Greek Katerina Stefanidi cleared the same height on her first attempt and finished first. Another Greek jumper Nikoleta Kiriakopoulou also took a silver.
The men's 110m hurdles saw Xie Wenju, 28, bag a silver medal and a new personal best of 13.17s behind winner Omar McLeod of Jamaica in 13.12 while Wang Jianan secured second place in 8.16 in men's long jump where Jamaica's Tajay Gayle was first in 8.24.
Qatar's rising star Abderrahman Samba opened his 2019 Diamond League season in style with a world leading time of 47.27 to set the men's 400-meter hurdles meet record.
But the 23-year-old's winning time in Shanghai is nearly half a second shy of his continental record of 46.98 set last year in Paris, which also stands as the Diamond League record.
