Canada’s Camryn Rogers sets Diamond League hammer throw record

Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers set a Diamond League record Saturday with a 77.76-metre heave at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore.

The reigning world champion finished ahead of her two American competitors.

DeAnna Price placed second with a throw of 76.74, while Brooke Andersen was third with a toss of 76.34. 

Saturday marks Rogers’s third competition of the season. She placed third a week ago at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, site of her Canadian record and 2023 season best of 78.62.

Rogers achieved the 74.00 entry standard for this summer’s Paris Olympics the day after the July 1, 2023 qualifying window opened with a winning throw of 76.95 at the Edmonton Athletics Invitational

She capped a nine-win season (12 events) with world championship gold in Budapest, Hungary, defeating Janee’ Kassanavoid and fellow American Price. 

Kingston, Ont., native Jillian Weir, who now lives in Lethbridge, Alta. finished eighth with her best throw coming at 66.94.

In other action, Anicka Newell, from Saskatoon placed fifth in women’s pole vault. Regan Yee (women’s 3,000m steeplechase, 5:09 p.m.) and Aaron Brown (men’s 200m, 5:27 p.m. ET) are the others Canadians competing. 

Chebet sets world record in 10,000m

Beatrice Chebet of Kenya set a world record in the 10,000 metres at the Prefontaine Classic meet on Saturday, finishing in 28 minutes, 54.14 seconds.

Chebet bested the previous record of 29.01.03 set by Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey at FBK Stadium in the Netherlands on June 8, 2021.

Chebet finished ahead of Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, who finished in 29:05.92 in cloudy and cool temperatures at Eugene’s Hayward Field.

Chebet started to pull away with three laps to go, then poured herself into the final lap.

“My body was responding good and I felt strong,” she said. “I felt like I was very comfortable.”

It was her first 10,000 race since 2020 in Nairobi.

Chebet, 24, won the silver medal at the 5,000 meters at the world championships at Hayward Field in 2022. She won the bronze in the event at the worlds last year in Budapest.

The finish qualified her for her first Olympics this summer in Paris. She said Saturday she hopes to double in the 5,000 and 10,000.

“But my target is to run 5,000 first, then 10,000 comes second,” she said. “Because this is my first 10,000 outside the country to run, and I’m so happy to run 28, a world record.”

Diamond League calendar

• Oslo, Norway — May 30
• Stockholm — June 2
• Paris — July 7
• Monaco — July 12
• London — July 20
• Lausanne, Switzerland — Aug. 22
• Silesia, Poland — Aug. 25
• Rome — Aug. 30
• Zurich — Sept. 5
• Brussels (DL Final) — Sept. 13-14