Photo by: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Bulldog Olympians Win First Diamond League Events
August 31, 2021 | Track & Field
STARKVILLE – In the span of a week, two former Mississippi State track and field athletes won their first Wanda Diamond League events.
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Marco Arop started it off by winning the men's 800m in Eugene, Oregon, on Aug. 21 before claiming his second title in Luasanne, Switzerland on Aug. 26. Two days later, Anderson Peters won the men's javelin at the Diamond League meet in Paris, France on Aug. 28.
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Arop clocked in at 1:44.51 in Eugene then posted a time of 1:44.50 in Switzerland, defeating two Tokyo Olympic medalists in the process. Those times were quicker than both of his runs at the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this month. The Edmonton, Alberta, native came from behind in Eugene to win in the final 200m. Excluding the pacing runner who stepped off the track at the bell, Arop led the entire race in Lausanne.
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"I was a little concerned about going out too fast, but I found the strength to finish well and get a good time," he said. "I see what Aaron [Brown] and Andre [De Grasse] are doing in the sprints, and I´m happy that we can help to make Canada relevant again on the track. My hope is that young kids in Canada watch and get excited about running middle distance events."
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Peters also competed in Switzerland, landing in third place with a throw of 84.32m, which would have qualified him for the Olympic final earlier this month. The St. Andrews, Grenada, native and former World Champion then tossed a season-best 85.98m on his third attempt in Paris.
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The Diamond League has modified the competition format for throwing events. After three throws, the top eight advance to receive two more attempts. After the fifth throw, the top three competitors advance to the "Final Three" with the best mark from that throw winning the competition even if it does not exceed a prior leading mark in the meet.
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"It worked out pretty well for me," Peters said. "The format of the competition is strange. It is pretty hard to throw the longest distance and not to win the competition. You could break the world record and not win it. That is crazy. I started to feel I am coming back like 10 days after the Olympics. I was sad, but it was a lesson for me that nothing is guaranteed. You have to go and work for it."
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Peters' final throw of 84.84m was four meters longer than Johannes Vetter's (GER) final attempt. Vetter had the best mark of the competition at 87.20m.
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Arop finished third in Paris and now ranks second in the Diamond League points standings for the men's 800m (35). Peters is tied with Vetter for the points lead in the men's javelin (23). The former Bulldogs will now turn their focus to the Diamond League Finals in Zurich, Switzerland, on Sept. 8-9. Both men compete on the second day of the meet with Peters throwing at 1:22 p.m. CT before Arop runs at 2:13 p.m.
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For more information on the Bulldog track and field program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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Marco Arop started it off by winning the men's 800m in Eugene, Oregon, on Aug. 21 before claiming his second title in Luasanne, Switzerland on Aug. 26. Two days later, Anderson Peters won the men's javelin at the Diamond League meet in Paris, France on Aug. 28.
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Arop clocked in at 1:44.51 in Eugene then posted a time of 1:44.50 in Switzerland, defeating two Tokyo Olympic medalists in the process. Those times were quicker than both of his runs at the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this month. The Edmonton, Alberta, native came from behind in Eugene to win in the final 200m. Excluding the pacing runner who stepped off the track at the bell, Arop led the entire race in Lausanne.
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"I was a little concerned about going out too fast, but I found the strength to finish well and get a good time," he said. "I see what Aaron [Brown] and Andre [De Grasse] are doing in the sprints, and I´m happy that we can help to make Canada relevant again on the track. My hope is that young kids in Canada watch and get excited about running middle distance events."
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Peters also competed in Switzerland, landing in third place with a throw of 84.32m, which would have qualified him for the Olympic final earlier this month. The St. Andrews, Grenada, native and former World Champion then tossed a season-best 85.98m on his third attempt in Paris.
Â
The Diamond League has modified the competition format for throwing events. After three throws, the top eight advance to receive two more attempts. After the fifth throw, the top three competitors advance to the "Final Three" with the best mark from that throw winning the competition even if it does not exceed a prior leading mark in the meet.
Â
"It worked out pretty well for me," Peters said. "The format of the competition is strange. It is pretty hard to throw the longest distance and not to win the competition. You could break the world record and not win it. That is crazy. I started to feel I am coming back like 10 days after the Olympics. I was sad, but it was a lesson for me that nothing is guaranteed. You have to go and work for it."
Â
Peters' final throw of 84.84m was four meters longer than Johannes Vetter's (GER) final attempt. Vetter had the best mark of the competition at 87.20m.
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Arop finished third in Paris and now ranks second in the Diamond League points standings for the men's 800m (35). Peters is tied with Vetter for the points lead in the men's javelin (23). The former Bulldogs will now turn their focus to the Diamond League Finals in Zurich, Switzerland, on Sept. 8-9. Both men compete on the second day of the meet with Peters throwing at 1:22 p.m. CT before Arop runs at 2:13 p.m.
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For more information on the Bulldog track and field program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateTF" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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