China’s Asian Games silver medallist Zhang Guowei upstaged the favourites to win the men’s high jump at the Bislett Games Diamond League meeting on Thursday.
Zhang cleared 2.36 metres on a cool evening with swirling winds which made conditions difficult for the athletes.
He then failed with three attempts at 2.40 to finish ahead of Italian Marco Fassinotti and Qatar’s world silver medallist Mutaz Barshim, who was joint third with American Erik Kynard.
I tried hard but the pacemakers could not do what I needed. Of course, the cold and the wind also played a part but overall I’m okay with the race
Barshim and Ukrainian Bohdan Bondarenko, who finished fifth, have been locked in a fierce battle to break Javier Sotomayor’s 22-year-old world record of 2.45 metres. The Cuban was watching from the stands on Thursday.
Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba, running solo for the latter part of the 5,000 metres race, failed in a bid to break her sister Tirunesh’s women’s world record of 14 minutes 11.15 seconds, set at the Bislett stadium in 2008.
Dibaba, the world indoor 3,000 metres champion, finished in 14:21.29, more then 17 seconds ahead of second-placed compatriot Senbere Teferi.
