Kip Keino Classic postponed

Kip Keino Classic, the last event in the World Athletics Tour has been postponed from September 24 to October 3, the organisers have announced.

The meeting director, Barnaba Korir disclosed Wednesday that the event has been deferred owing to the request from both local and international athletes.

Korir indicated that the event would have fallen just a day before Doha's leg of the Diamond League yet some athletes wanted to grace both events.

Turku leg underway

That happened as Paavo Nurmi Games opened the 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour on Tuesday in Turku Finland.

“We want the event to be successful and the most vital ingredient here are the athletes, who are supreme,” said Korir, who hopes that the Nyayo National Stadium will be ready.

Paavo Nurmi Games and Kip Keino Classic are some of seven Gold meeting events in the World Athletics Continental Tour due for this season.

In Turku, Johannes Vetter produced his best throw for more than two years to win the javelin at the Paavo Nurmi Games, providing the highlight of the first World Athletics Continental Tour.

New meet record

In what was perhaps the highest quality outdoor meeting of the year so far – and, with about 6,000 fans, certainly one of the best attended – Vetter’s 91.49m was one of six meeting records set in the Finnish city.

The other standout performance came from world champion Daniel Stahl, who added almost three metres to the meeting record in the discus.

Since opening his season in late July, 2017 world champion Vetter has improved with each competition. The German recorded three fouls in his season opener in Zweibrucken but then found his rhythm in Kuortane on August 1, winning with 86.94m. Eight days later, he won the German title with 87.36m.

It didn’t take him long to settle into the competition in Turku as he sent his spear out to 91.49m in the opening round, adding 21 centimetres to the meeting record set by compatriot Thomas Rohler in 2016, the year in which he won the Olympic title.

Vetter took three more throws, and although he didn’t improve on his opening mark, any one of them would have been enough to win: 87.59m, 88.57m and 86.42m.

European silver medallist Andreas Hofmann, a 90m thrower at his best, unleashed a season’s best of 85.24m in the fourth round to move into second place. Latvian champion Gatis Cakss was third with 82.65m, just ahead of Hungary’s Norbert Rivasz-Toth (82.22m).

“The big throw was a surprise,” said Vetter, who took bronze at the World Championships last year. “I didn’t want to risk too much because I felt a little bit tired.”

Lithuania’s 2017 world champion Andrius Gudzius, who opened with 65.55m before throwing 66.39m in round three, was relegated to second place, marginally ahead of Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh, who threw 66.07m in round three.

In a competitive 100m hurdles final, European indoor champion Nadine Visser emerged victorious in 12.68, her fastest time outside of the World Championships last year.

After impressing in the heats with 13.25, Britain’s world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi was a clear winner of the 110m hurdles final with 13.17, the second-fastest time of his career. It also shaved 0.01 from the meeting record. France’s Wilhem Belocian was second in 13.38.

Additional reporting by World Athletics.