Peters, the reigning world champion, broke his own national record on his opening throw of 88.96m but lost the lead when Jakub Vadlejch hurled the javelin out to a new world lead of 89.87m in the fourth round.
Spurred by the challenge, Peters uncorked his first ever 90m throw in the penultimate round, hitting a new personal best of 90.19m only to see Vadlejch surpass him once more with a personal best of 90.88m.
Undaunted the Grenadian, who once wanted to be a sprinter, flung his best-ever throw, 93.07m to put victory beyond Vadlejch’s reach. It was a new national record and personal best for Peters, and the fifth-best throw in history.
Meanwhile, Ricketts, the 2019 World Championships silver medalist produced a winning mark of 14.82m in challenging conditions caused by blustery winds as high as 6.5m/s that aided her winning jump.
Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuck took second place with her best effort of 14.73, her fourth jump of the competition that was helped by a gale force wind of 6.3m/s.
Dominica’s Theo LaFond took the final podium spot with her fourth-round jump of 14.43m assisted by a 3.6m/s wind.
Miller-Uibo last lost a 400m on this track back in 2019 when Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Nasser stunned the world with a 48.14 run at the World Championships. This time it was the Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist who stormed home in a season-best 51.20.
Stephenie-Ann McPherson trailed the imperious but clearly winded Bahamian up until the last few metres before overtaking her to clock a season-best 51.69. Miller-Uibo trudged across the line in 51.84 for third.
Barbados’ record holder Sada Williams (52.09) and Tokyo Olympic finalist Candice McLeod (52.37) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
Shericka Jackson, who won the 100m at the National Stadium in Kingston last weekend, lost her first race of the outdoor season clocking 22.07 in the 200m after getting caught late by the USA’s Gabby Thomas, who ran a season-best 21.98 that equalled the meet record set by Allyson Felix back in 2015.
Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning world champion, clocked a smart 22.37 in her 200m opener, which was good enough for third place.
There was a blanket finish in the 100m hurdles that Kendra Harrison won in 12.43 but can count herself lucky to win. Brittany Anderson led off the last hurdle but appeared to stumble and faded to third in 12.44, the same time awarded to Nigeria Tobi Amusan who was awarded second place.
Bahamas’ Devyne Charlton was some distance back running 12.61 for fourth place while Megan Tapper hit the first hurdle and finished eighth in 12.92.
The 400m hurdles offered a glimpse of what to expect in the event this year as Alison Dos Santos, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist out-paced silver medallist Rai Benjamin down the home stretch to win in a world-leading 47.24, which was also a new meet record.
Benjamin was timed in 47.49.
The rest of the field was far behind but Thomas Barr of Ireland was the next best running 49.67 for third while Kyron McMaster finished fourth in 49.93.
Jaheel Hyde was fifth in 50.23.
The three women have met at this meeting on two previous occasions. Thompson-Herah triumphed over 200m in 2017, clocking 22.19 into a -2.3m/s headwind with Schippers finishing second and Ta Lou placing third.
They clashed again one year later, this time over 100m, and Ta Lou came out on top, running 10.85. Thompson-Herah was third on that occasion and Schippers was sixth.
But the last time they were in the Khalifa Stadium was for last year’s World Championships, where Ta Lou took 100m bronze, just 0.03 ahead of Thompson-Herah. Schippers, meanwhile, was forced to withdraw from the final through injury.
Thompson-Herah’s season’s best of 10.88 set in Kingston on August 8 is the second-fastest of the year to date.
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to race at home over the summer, but nothing beats the thrill of lining up in an overseas, international meet,” said the Jamaican. “I can’t wait to get back on the circuit, especially as part of a quality field in Doha where I’ve really enjoyed competing in the past.”
Ta Lou will be looking to build on her Wanda Diamond League performances in Monaco and Stockholm where she finished fourth (11.39) and third (11.32) respectively, while Schippers will make her season’s debut over 100m in Doha.
Doha’s Qatar Sports Club will host the revised 12-event programme – the final competitive meeting of the truncated 2020 Wanda Diamond League season – which includes sprint hurdles and 800m for both men and women; 100m, 3000m and long jump for women; and 200m, 400m, 1500m and pole vault for men.
During a media session with media, earlier today on the eve of her Diamond League 100m race in Doha on Friday, the two-time Olympic 100m champion and four-time World Champion was asked what she hopes to get out of the Olympic Games.
“Having been on the podium so many times, if I am honest, I am really looking forward to being on the podium, which is good for me, but I think this time around I am looking forward to running below 10.70. That is definitely a big dream and something that I am working hard towards,” she said.
“To have both (medal and time) would definitely be a blessing, but if you ask me which one I would rank higher I would definitely say I want to run 10.6 or even faster. That is definitely what I want but to have the combination would be good so I am working towards the combination as well.”
Chasing times, she explained, would not be detrimental to her goals of bettering her personal best (10.70), a national record that she shares with double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, because she believes the quality of her competitors will help her achieve the time she seeks as well as medals.
“The harder the competitions are the better I am at performing,” said Fraser-Pryce, who has run some of her fastest time in the finals of global competitions.
“I like a challenge, I like when the competition is hot because, at the end of the day, that is what the Diamond League is about as well because when you are at a Diamond League you know the field is going to be good and it’s going to be solid,” she said.
“When you’re in a race and you’re the sole competitor that is doing well, the pressure is not there as if you if have competitors that are doing exceptionally well just like you, so for me, I think the bigger the field is the bigger I perform because I love the opportunity to rise and I think those are the opportunities I get when I compete in a field that’s stacked.”
However, the American has withdrawn from the meet leaving the four-time world champion facing the likes of Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare and the USA’s Javianne Oliver, two women who have run below 11 seconds so far this year.
Both women have similar times of 10.97 so far this season.
In fact, in what must be a rare occurrence, in the field of eight women, the two-time Olympic gold medalist has run the slowest time this season, the 11.51 she ran in driving wind and rain at Gateshead four days ago.
Going into tomorrow’s race, Fraser-Pryce is not planning to take anyone for granted as she hunts her first 100m win of 2021 on the track where she won an unprecedented fourth 100m world title less than two years ago.
“I wouldn’t say I view a specific athlete as a threat. I have always said that whenever it is that you line up to compete in a 100m you have to be ready for anybody,” she said.
“I don’t spend my time focusing on any individual athlete. I know that at the end of the day an athlete is not standing at the line to shower me with flowers or escort me to the line. They’re there to compete and they’re there to compete aggressively.
“So for me, I am not paying attention to pay attention to an individual athlete. I am paying attention to my lane and paying attention to making sure that when I get in the blocks I’m ahead of everybody else. I know that every single female athlete that steps to the line, they’re ready.”
Thompson-Herah blitzed a field that included World Championship silver-medalist Marie-Josee Ta Lou, to stop the clock at 10.87 seconds. Although slightly slower than the 10.85 recorded in Rome last week, it maintained an impressive run of form for the sprinter. The time was the fifth sub-11 mark for the athlete this season.
The Jamaican, whose 10.85 seconds is the fastest time in the world this season, also owns four of the top six times in the world with compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce having the second and third best times.
The athlete, who has been plagued by Achilles issues in recent years, had a fair start before seizing control of the field before the midway point of the race and later pulling clear down the stretch. Talou was a distant second behind Thompson, stopping the clock at 11.21, with American Kayla White finishing third in 11.25.
In the men’s 200m, Julian Forte ran a season's best 20.39 seconds to place second in the men's 200m. The race was won by the Ivory Coast’s Arthur Cisse who ran a new national record 20.33 seconds, France's Christophe Lemaitre was third in 20.68 seconds.
This according to MVP International on its website today.
Since then, the 2018 CAC champion has been suffering from back pain, which was addressed Friday. Doctors expect her to make a full recovery in about four weeks and are optimistic about her return for the 2021 season.
The athlete is said to be in good spirits.
Smith was sixth in the 100m final in Doha in 2019 after being called in as a replacement for Briana Williams.
