Brazier, Jonathas victorious in Stockholm

Remaining unbeaten since 2019, world champion and American record holder Donavan Brazier topped Team USATF efforts at the Wanda Diamond League meet in Stockholm’s historic Olympic Stadium.
 
Adopting a more conservative approach than usual through the first lap of the men’s 800m, hitting 400m in 51.0, Brazier (Portland, Oregon) bided his time in third place until the final bend. Coming off the turn, Brazier swung wide to sprint past Canada’s Marco Arop and run on to win and stay undefeated at all distances in 2020 with a 1:43.76. His last loss in an 800m final was May 3 last year at the Doha Diamond League meet.
 
Winning for the second time this week, Doha fourth-placer Wadeline Jonathas (Columbia, South Carolina) was chasing Britain’s Laviai Nielsen to her outside for much of the first half of the women’s 400m, and then moved up over the third 100m and pulled ahead coming into the final stretch, holding on to take a 51.94 victory.
 
One lane inside the second-fastest man in history in the shape of Karsten Warholm of Norway, David Kendziera (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) ran well within himself for the first 250m of the men’s 400m hurdles and stayed clear of trouble over the barriers on the way to a fifth-place finish in 49.47, the fastest time by an American this year. Warholm was dominant as expected, with only a clattered final hurdle standing between him and a world record as he won in 46.87. Kevin Young’s long standing WR of 46.78 at Barcelona in 1992 is the only time faster than Warholm’s.
 
World Championships silver medalist Raevyn Rogers (Eugene, Oregon) was second through the bell in the women’s 800m, hitting 400m in 59.9, and briefly moved up on the shoulder of Britain’s Jemma Reekie down the backstretch, but Reekie hit the accelerator and pulled away, leaving Rogers to take second in her outdoor debut in 2:01.02.
 
Reigning pole vault world champion Sam Kendricks (Oxford, Mississippi) had plenty of height on his final attempt at 5.73m/18-9.5, but came down on the bar and bowed out with a best of 5.53m/18-1.75 to place third.
 
Shannon Rowbury (San Francisco, California) tucked into a comfortable position behind the pacers through the first two laps of the women’s 1,500m and was third at the bell. Over the last 400m, she yielded some ground as Britain’s Laura Muir streaked away for a world-leading 3:57.86, crossing the line sixth in a season-best 4:03.04.
 
In the other action involving U.S. athletes, Craig Engels (Portland, Oregon) clocked 3:37.55 for a solid sixth-place finish in the men’s 1,500m, moving up steadily over the final circuit, while Elijah Hall (Houston, Texas) finished seventh in the men’s 200m in 20.90.
 
Official results can be found here.