Marie-Josée Ta Lou claimed the scalp of Allyson Felix to light up the Manchester City Games, the Ivorian running the seventh fastest 150m time ever on a straight track.
Running on a special pop-up track in Deansgate, Ta Lou, who won 100m and 200m silver at last year’s world championships, made an explosive start to establish a lead she never relinquished before finishing in 16.60 seconds. “It’s my first time to run 150m so I am really happy,” she said.
Felix, whose 25 Olympic and world medals is greater than any athlete in history, was second in 16.72, with Britain’s Bianca Williams third in 17.09. Not that Felix was too disappointed.
“Obviously she is a fabulous starter in tip-top shape,” she said. “This year for me is about trying to have some fun and stay injury free.”
Meanwhile in the 110m hurdles Britain’s Andrew Pozzi could finish only third behind the shock winner Damian Czykier from Poland.
Pozzi had been hoping to get his 110m hurdles season back on track after a disappointing Commonwealth Games but he clattered the first, third and fourth hurdles and finished in 13.90 – 0.23 sec behind Czykier.
At one stage it looked like the world record holder Aries Merritt was coasting to victory but he tripped on a hurdle and finished last in 14.34 – allowing Czykier to come through.
“I was really surprised to win but I was the only one who kept calm in this race,” explained the Pole. “There were so many fatalities.”
In the men’s 100m Harry Aikines-Aryeetey beat his close friend Richard Kilty, coming home in 10.35 sec – 0.02 ahead of his 4x100m relay team-mate.
However, there was disappointment for Jazmin Sawyers in the women’s long jump when she was pipped by the French athlete Éloyse Lesueur, who won with a season’s best.
