Athletics - Diamond League: Malaika Mihambo beaten for the first time in Rome

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Malaika Mihambo at the meeting in Rome

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IMAGO/BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Peter Weber / IMAGO/Beautiful Sports

Long jump Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo's winning streak has ended.

The 28-year-old from LG Kurpfalz had to be content with 6.79 m and second place behind the Ukrainian Maryna Bech-Romantschuk (6.85 m) at the Diamond League meeting in Rome.

Third was the American Quanesha Burks (6.77).

Mihambo managed her longest jump in the first attempt, Bech-Romantschuk countered in the penultimate round.

Germany's Sportswoman of the Year was beaten for the first time in her fifth competition of the season on the way to the World Championships in Eugene/USA (July 15th to 24th) and the European Championships at home in Munich (August 15th to 21st).

At the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham on May 21, Mihambo had won with 7.09 m.

In the third attempt, Mihambo suffered a slight injury to his ankle, but she continued in the fourth.

"My physiotherapist has to look at that," she said after the competition.

The two-time shot put world champion David Storl had to settle for seventh place on his comeback tour after a long injury break with 20.10 m.

Victory went to two-time world champion Joe Kovacs (USA/21.85 m).

At his first competition of the season in Halle/Saale, Storl had achieved his best distance of the year with 20.31 m.

Jonathan Hilbert, who sensationally won silver over 50 km at the Olympics in Tokyo, finished tenth in the 3,000 m walk.

Owen Ansah (20.72 seconds) and Joshua Hartmann (20.78) finished sixth and seventh in the 200m in the win of Olympic silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek (USA/20.01).

Lucas Ansah-Peprah from Stuttgart was ninth in the 10.39 m over 100 m, Hanna Klein took eleventh place over 1500 m with a personal best of the season (4:07.21 minutes).

In the eagerly awaited women's sprint over 200 m, Shericka Jackson defeated both Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah (both Jamaica/22.25) and British world champion Dina Asher-Smith (22.27 ).

Another highlight was provided by double Olympic champion Athing Mu (USA), who set a world best time of the year over 800 m in 1:57.01 minutes.

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