xxxx competes in the xxxx during the Muller Grand Prix Birmingham – IAAF Diamond League 2018 on August 18, 2018 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Diamond League: Samaai and Manyonga lose ground on Cuban rival
Long jumpers Luvo Manyonga and Ruswahl Samaai lost ground on their Cuban rival Jose Etchevarria at the Dimaond League meeting in Lausanne.
xxxx competes in the xxxx during the Muller Grand Prix Birmingham – IAAF Diamond League 2018 on August 18, 2018 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
South African long jumper Luvo Manyonga finished third at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne Switzerland while countryman Ruswahl Samaai came in fifth.
Diamond League Long Jump standings leader Jose Echevarria finished first with a jump of 8,32 metres to take his total points tally up to 23 points.
Manyonga is now second in the standings outright having previously occupied the spot jointly with Samaai and Jamaica’s Tajay Gayle, whose fourth place finish sees him occupy third in the Diamond League standings.
21-year-old Greek athlete Miltiadis Tentoglou took the lead in the first round with a jump of 8.14. The European Champion would better that with an 8.19 that would be enough to earn him second and see him move into fifth on the standings.
Tentoglou’s early lead was made possible by a foul jump from Echevarria first up but the Cuban made amends in the second round with the best jump of the night. After three jumps Echevarria appeared to believe he had the competition sewn up and he eased of with his efforts.
Samaai had been ahead of Gayle until the final jump when the Jamaican snatched fourth with a mark of 8.13 to split the South African atheletes who had been second and third after the first round.
Manyonga and Samaai were the only South African athletes on the card at Lausanne and there are not expected to be any entered into next week’s Monte Carlo meeting.
How the Diamond League stands
It has been a difficult Diamond League season for South Africa’s top athletes with most focused on being in peak condition for the World Championships in Doha in September.
Caster Semenya is currently fourth in the Diamond League qualification standings for the Women’s 800 metre after two wins from two races. The USA’s Ajee Wilson. The Birmingham and Paris meetings will be the final two stops for the women’s 800 metres path to the Diamond League finals in Brussels.
Akani Simbine is eighth in the men’s 100 metre standings having finished third in his only Diamond League appearance of the season so far in Doha.
Clarence Munyai has also only run once and is currently 13th in the men’s 200 metres rankings. Hurdler Antonio Alkana, long jumper Zarck Visser and Discus thrower Victor Hogan are the other male athletes from SA to have competed in the League this season.
Women’s 400 metre hurdlers Wenda Nel and Zeney van der Walt and veteran javeling thower Sunette Viljoen have also carried the South African flag in Diamond League events.
