Athletics: De Grasse wins 200m to book Diamond League finals spot

[July 17, 2017]  (Reuters) - Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse claimed the victory he needed in the 200 meters to book a place in the end-of-season IAAF Diamond League finals during the latest stop in the series in Rabat, Morocoo on Sunday.

The Olympic silver medalist stormed home in 20.03 seconds ahead of American Ameer Webb (20.18) and Britain's Zharnel Hughes (20.22).

Like many of the athletes on show, De Grasse was using the event as a warm-up for the world championships in London from Aug. 4-13. He was pleased with his run, but has yet to go under 20 seconds this season.

“It was a good race and a good performance,” De Grasse said. “I was pushed in the bend, but I wanted to finish strong today and to stay relaxed. This was a race to tune-up for the world championships and it went pretty well.”

Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson picked up her 14th victory in a row in the 100 meters, edging Ivorian Marie-Josee Ta Lou.

Thompson's time of 10.87 was an improvement on her run in London last weekend by 0.07, and more success for the double Olympic champion, who has focused only on this distance in 2017.

"I'm pleased with my race," Thompson said. "I'm in the shape that I want to be in and I'm looking forward to the world championships in London."

UJAH VICTORY

With Jamaica's Yohan Blake having pulled out of the men's 100 meters competition, Britain's Chijindu Ujah claimed victory in 9.98 seconds, 0.02 off his personal best.

Ivorian Ben Youssef Meite was second in 10.01, while another Britain, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, was some way off the pace in third in a time of 10.18.

Moroccan rising star Soufiane El-Bakkali claimed the men’s 3,000 meters steeplechase in a personal best of 8:05.12. Kenya's Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto did not finish the race.

The eagerly-anticipated women's 400 meters battle between Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas and South Africa's 800 meters Olympic champion Caster Semenya was a non-event.

Miller-Uib coasted home in 49.80, but Semenya was well back in seventh in a time of 51.53, though that was her best run of the Diamond League series.

American Ryan Crouser claimed a 10th straight win in the shot put with 22.47 meters, while Colombia’s Olympic champion Caterine Ibarguen returned to winning ways in the triple jump with 14.51 meters after defeat by Yulimar Rojas in Rome.

The next Diamond League meeting is in Monaco on July 21.

The two finals meets are in Zurich and Brussels, with half of the 32 events contested in each. The Diamond League title in each event is determined solely by results at the finals.

(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)

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