Running News Daily

Donavan Brazier Keeps Win Streak Alive, Runs 1:15.07 For 600m in Hungary

Meet organizers for today’s Gyulai Memorial meet in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, the second World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet of 2020, were hoping that 800m American record holder and world champion Donavan Brazier would be able to beat Johnny Gray‘s 1:12.81 world best for the 600 meters, which has stood since 1986. But Brazier, who won the 800 at last week’s Herculis meet in Monaco, never had the same intentions and didn’t attack the mark in today’s race.

Brazier actually barely won the 600 in 1:15.07, as he had to come from way behind to beat Puerto Rico’s Wesley Vázquez (1:15.31). Vázquez, the Puerto Rican record holder at 800 who was 5th at Worlds last year, had close to a five-meter lead when he hit the homestretch but tied up on the way home and Brazier got the win, passing Vázquez with roughly 20 meters to go. Vázquez remains the world leader at 600 as he ran 1:14.85 in Puerto Rico on August 1

Race organizers said Brazier’s splits were 24.07 for 200 and 48.43 for 400 (Gray’s pace averages out to be 48.54 per 400). Brazier’s time today was well off his pb for 600 as Brazier owns the fastest time ever indoors (1:13.77 in 2019) and ran 1:14.39 indoors this year as well. For comparison’s sake, when David Rudisha ran his 1:40.91 800m WR, he hit 600 in 1:14.30. Non-US visitors can watch today’s race at this link.

Brazier has now won nine straight races across all distances, dating back to July 2019.

In other action of note in Székesfehérvár, American Noah Lyles won the men’s 100 in 10.05 (+.3 m/s) over Brit Adam Gemili‘s 10.28 and the 200 in 20.13 (+1.3 m/s) as Italy’s Eseosa Desalu was second in 20.35.

The resurgence of 2018 NCAA 400 champ Lynna Irby of the US continued in the women’s 200 as Irby won that in a seasonal best 22.55 (+.7 m/s) over 2015 and 2017 world champ Dafne Schippers (22.94). It was Irby’s best time since May 2018.

There was an upset in the men’s triple jump, as 2019 world bronze medalist Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso jumped a world-leading 17.43m to defeat world/Olympic champ Christian Taylor (17.34). And in the 110 hurdles, Spain’s Orlando Ortega got the best of American world champion Grant Holloway for the second time in six days. Just as in Monaco, Holloway got out to a fast start, but once again, Ortega ran him down off the final hurdle and won in 13.21 to Holloway’s 13.22.