Thompson third in first 100m of season

DOHA, Qatar (AP):

Jamaica's double Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson ran her first 100m race of the season but could only manage third in a time of 10.93 seconds at the Doha, Qatar, leg of the IAAF Diamond League yesterday.

The women's 100m, expected to be a showdown between Thompson and World 200m champion Dafne Schippers, was won by Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast. She stopped the clock at 10.85 seconds. Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor of Nigeria was second at 10.90, and Schippers sixth at 11.03 seconds.

Caster Semenya's quest for a title double in the Diamond League started well when she won the 1,500m in a South African record time. Semenya, the two-time Olympic and three-time World

champion in the 800m, won the 1,500 comfortably by more than a second in 3:59.92. Kenya's Nelly Jepkosgei was second, and Ethiopia's Habitam Alemu third.

Semenya came to Doha after her 800-1,500 double at the Commonwealth Games in Australia last month, and begins the defence of her 800 Diamond League title in Eugene, Oregon, on May 26.

After setting her personal best and a national record in the 1,500, she said: "It's always a dream to set the national record and I want to continue to push beyond my personal best. We definitely achieved that here.

"I wanted to go faster, but had to slow down a little. I will go back and watch the race and see where we can improve."

The loudest cheers at Qatar Sports Club, however, were reserved for local high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim, the World champion and 2017 IAAF Athlete of the Year. He won with 2.36m, then cleared 2.40m at his first attempt.

Barshim, who was undefeated in

11 competitions last year, however, failed at 2.42m, three centimetres off the world record.

"2.40 is my best season-opener ever, and it comes in front of my mother and my home crowd. I feel really blessed," Barshim said.

"I really was not fit for so many jumps today. I was feeling a bit tired after my fourth, but I just carried on because of the support of everyone here. I wanted to break a record today. That did not happen, but still very ambitious for the rest of the season."

Also winning in front of his home crowd was Abderrahman Samba, who took the 400m hurdles ahead of Bershawn Jackson of the United States. Samba's 47.57 seconds was more than a second better than Jackson, and a Diamond League record.