Pole vault star soars to 6.16m Diamond League record in Stockholm on a night that sees Lorraine Ugen and Dina Asher-Smith among the British winners

Mondo Duplantis may have vaulted higher indoors with 6.20m in Belgrade earlier this year, but his 6.16m clearance in Stockholm on Thursday (June 30) was the best ever height outdoors.

In addition to being an outdoor world best, it was a Diamond League, meeting and Swedish record. Will we see an outright world record at the World Championships in Eugene next month? He certainly seems in shape to have a go and notably did not try it here after clearing 6.16m at his second attempt.

“I wanted to come here and try to do something special,” he said after adding 1cm to the best outdoor vault in history. “I felt I was in shape and that I have a great support here in Stockholm, where I live now so that means so extra more.

“I had a huge advantage of competing on my home turf. It is hard to describe it really. I feel like I am definitely in shape to win my title and maybe to do something special in Eugene. I am in a great shape and it is all about building to the world champs.

“I don’t really feel the pressure but only the pressure I put on myself. I think I could go high in Oregon.”

Another athlete in the form of his life is Alison dos Santos. The Brazilian 400m hurdler was third behind Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin in the Olympic final last year but with Warholm sidelined with injury he is putting himself in the frame for gold in Eugene.

In Stockholm he stormed to a 46.80 clocking – the sixth fastest performance in history and quicker than Warholm’s meeting record – and said: “I was expecting such a time and I feel ready for the championships now and it will be very exciting in Eugene. I think about the world record every day, every night. I dream of that.”

The women’s 400m hurdles was almost as impressive as the men’s as Femke Bol ran the 10th best performance in history in addition to it being a Diamond League and Stockholm meet record of 52.27.

A few athletes had a post-national championships hangover but that certainly wasn’t the case for Lorraine Ugen as she posted one of several British victories on the night with an impressive 6.81m (-0.8).

Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk of Romania was runner-up with 6.76m (-1.1) and local Swedish favourite Khaddia Sagnia third with 6.74m (0.0) as Olympic and world champion Malaika Mihambo of Germany was fifth with 6.72m.

“I did leave it late today with my fifth jump but that tends to be my way,” said Ugen. “I do best as I build the pressure on myself as the competition builds. I need to know it is now or never almost.”

For Ugen it was her first Diamond League win for four years and she added: “I am going to get some good training in now before the Worlds and I really think I can get on the podium there. It is great to be going on the back of this win.

“I am building nicely on my indoor success and feel I can do well in Oregon. After that I have the Commonwealths so it is a busy year. I have not decided about the Europeans as three championships is a lot in one season.”

Dina Asher-Smith bounced back from her defeat to Daryll Neita in the UK Championships over 100m when she won the 200m in Stockholm. She only beat Mujinga Kambundji by the proverbial thickness of a vest, though, as both athletes clocked 22.37.

Asher-Smith ran a good first 100m around the bend and held a slim lead into the home straight. She maintained her form well in the closing stages as the Swiss record-holder tried to run her down and just held on to win.

Keely Hodgkinson suffered a defeat in the women’s 800m as Mary Moraa, the recent Kenyan world trials winner, clocked 1:57.68 to the Brit’s 1:58.18.

Hodgkinson was boxed mid-race and managed to get herself out of trouble and on to the shoulder of Moraa with 100m to go but the Kenyan had too much for her in the home straight.

The Briton will now dive back into a mini-training camp before Eugene in an effort to hit her peak when it matters next month.

“It was solid … I gave it my all,” says Keely Hodgkinson after finishing runner-up to Mary Moraa at 800m in Stockholm. pic.twitter.com/U7BzymCEk4

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) June 30, 2022

The throws also saw some terrific performances. The men’s javelin saw an Indian record of 89.94m for Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra in the javelin in Stockholm but world champ Anderson Peters of Grenada hit back with 90.31m in the third round to take the win, whereas Julian Weber of Germany was close behind in third with 89.08m.

Daniel Stahl was the big local favourite in the men’s discus but the giant Swede was only third in a top-class competition that was won by Kristjan Čeh of Slovenia with 70.02m. The story of the competition, though, was the performance of youngster Mykolas Alekna. Just 19, the son of two-time Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna held the lead with 69.81m from the first round until Čeh beat his mark in round five.

In the women’s shot put, meanwhile, Chase Ealey won comfortably with 20.48m. Ealey won the US title a few days earlier in Eugene but decided to return to Europe to see her coach in England before travelling back to the US for the World Championships.

Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, a refugee athlete from South Sudan, pipped Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda in the men’s 3000m to take the win in a fast 7:29.48.

In the absence of Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs – the Italian was a late withdrawal due to a leg niggle – Akani Simbine of South Africa clocked 10.02 (-0.5) to beat Reece Prescod’s 10.15.

There was an upset in the women’s high jump too as Yaroslava Mahuchikh was only fifth in a competition won by Eleanor Patterson of Australia with 1.96m.

Further British winners on the night also included Ben Pattison with 1:46.06 in the non-Diamond League 800m; Jacob Paul won the non-Diamond League 400m hurdles with 49.80; while Matt Stonier ran 3:36.60 for a close second to Filip Sasinek in the 1500m.