Mark Carroll set another season's best at the Monaco Golden League meeting last night, clocking seven minutes 33.52 seconds over 3,000 metres - good enough for an impressive fifth place. Paul Bitok led home a Kenyan trio in 7:32.11, the fastest time in world this year.
Less than three seconds outside Carroll's national record, it was an encouraging conclusion to his Grand Prix circuit ahead of the World Championships in Edmonton. The Cork runner returns to Ireland for the national championships, where he runs in tomorrow's 5,000 metres.
In another stunning run over 800 metres, Andre Bucher lowered the Swiss record for the second time in a month, winning in 1:42.90.
Yuriy Borzakovskiy again left his finish a little late, taking second in 1:43.17 - but also improved his Russian record.
Olympic 800m champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique posted the fastest times of the year in the women's 800m in 1:57.11. Mutola's time, including a blistering first 400m in 56.21sec, will send a clear message to her eternal rival, Olympic silver medallist Stephanie Graf of Austria, who was absent here.
In the absence of Marion Jones, who runs in London tomorrow, another American Chryste Gaines won the women's 100m sprint The Golden League resumes after the world championships with the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich on August 17th. , followed by the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels (August 24th) and Berlin's ISTAF (August 31st).
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