The Chinese team took home 2 silver and 2 bronze medals at the 2024 Yangtze River Delta International Track and Field Diamond Games held in Suzhou, Jiangsu on April 27th. The highlight of the event was Swedish pole vault star Duplantis, who unfortunately failed to break his own world record.
Duplantis, who set a new world record at the Xiamen Diamond League last week, dominated the competition by jumping 5.92 meters and setting a new competition record of 6 meters. However, he fell short of breaking the world record again as he failed to clear 6.25 meters in three attempts. Despite this disappointment, Duplantis remained optimistic, stating that breaking the record requires perfect conditions which he did not find that night.
Chinese athletes Wang Jianan and Shi Yuhao took second and third place in the men’s long jump competition, while Olympic champion Gong Lijiao finished fourth in the women’s shot put event. American star Allman won the women’s discus throw with a distance of 69.86 meters.
In other events, South Africa’s Simbine won the men’s 100-meter sprint, New Zealand’s Kerr triumphed in the men’s high jump, and American athletes dominated the men’s shot put competition.
The Yangtze River Delta International Track and Field Diamond Games was originally the International Track and Field Gold Grand Prix in Shanghai and the Diamond League Shanghai Station. After a four-year hiatus, the event returned to the Yangtze River Delta region and was jointly hosted by Shanghai and Suzhou. The event was held at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Center, marking an innovative collaboration for hosting international sports events in the region.