Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse settles for fifth-place finish in 100 metres
DOHA, Qatar — Olympic champion Thomas Rohler threw the javelin farther than anyone else has done for more than 20 years at the Diamond League opener in Doha, while Akani Simbine was the surprise winner of the 100 metres on Friday.
Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse was a disappointing fifth in his first individual race of the season.
Rohler moved up to second in the all-time list of longest javelin throwers, with the sixth best-ever throw. The 25-year-old German recorded a world-leading distance of 93.90 metres to win, leaving him behind only Czech double Olympic champion Jan Zelezny, who holds the top five throws, including the world record of 98.48 in 1996.
Simbine, who ran 9.92 earlier in the year, was the only runner under 10 seconds in windy conditions in the men’s 100. The 23-year-old South African’s 9.99 was almost one-tenth of a second better than Asafa Powell’s 10.08, while Justin Gatlin was fourth with 10.14. Femi Ogunode was third on 10.13.