Hunter Bell, Dobson and Lake claim wins in London

Britons Georgia Hunter Bell, Charlie Dobson and Morgan Lake claimed victories in front of a sell-out home crowd of 60,000 at the London Diamond League.

Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Hunter Bell stormed clear on the home straight to take victory in the women’s 800m in a season’s best one minute 56.74 seconds.

Dobson could barely believe his victory in the men’s 400m as he burst past the leaders – including compatriot Matthew Hudson-Smith – in the closing stages to clock a personal best 44.14 seconds.

Lake won the women’s high jump as the only athlete to clear 1.96m in a field that included world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Olympic medallist Eleanor Patterson.

But world 1500m champion Josh Kerr, who had targeted his own British record, was made to settle for second as he was upstaged by Kenyan 19-year-old Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech.

Koech passed Kerr on the inside with 200m to go and held on for victory in three minutes 28.82 seconds, as Kerr clocked his best time of the season with 3:29.37.

Former world champion Jake Wightman was fourth in 3:31.58, Elliot Giles finished in sixth (3:32.51) and Neil Gourley 10th (3:33.69) – but George Mills fell after being tripped on the final lap.

There was also a second-place finish for Dina Asher-Smith, who pipped fellow Briton Amy Hunt behind clear winner Julien Alfred in the women’s 200m.

In the absence of Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, who continues to make her way back from a hamstring injury, training partner Hunter Bell starred as she once again displayed her excellent finishing speed over the two-lap event.

The 31-year-old is continuing her exciting progress in her first season as a full-time athlete, having left her job in cybersecurity after completing a spectacular rise from obscurity to the Olympic podium last year.

She drew loud cheers from an energetic crowd as she timed her effort to perfection, replicating the stylish 800m win she achieved at last month’s Stockholm Diamond League.

There was perhaps no better reaction than that of Dobson, who appeared stunned after coming from seemingly nowhere with 100m remaining to beat world-class competition.

Olympic and world silver medallist Hudson-Smith crossed the line second in 44.27, ahead of South Africa’s Zakithi Nene, who has run the fastest time in the world this year with 43.76.

“I don’t know what happened,” Dobson told BBC Sport.

“I got to the last 100m and I felt great. I was catching everyone. I thought to myself, if I just dig really deep then I can get them – and I did!”

Having already clinched victory in the women’s high jump with her second-time clearance at 1.96m, Lake thrived under the gaze of the entire crowd and went close to breaking her British record with three solid attempts at 2m.

While Kerr could not deliver the record-breaking finale he hoped to, he will take lessons from his loss to Koech and has time on his side with two months until his world title defence in Tokyo.

“I should be winning those, so I am frustrated,” said Kerr.

“I really wanted to show up and win for this crowd but all I can promise to them now is in a few months’ time I will be battling for a gold medal for this country.

“I’ll bring it home and then everyone can see what we were working towards today.”

Former 200m world champion Asher-Smith overhauled Hunt as she crossed the line in 22.25 seconds, with the ever-improving Hunt clocking 22.31.

But Olympic 100m champion Alfred proved a class above, recording the joint-ninth fastest 200m of all time as she stormed to victory in 21.71.

Jamaica’s Oblique Seville claimed a stunning victory in the men’s 100m, obliterating a line-up featuring Olympic champion Noah Lyles by finishing in 9.86 secs.

Lyles, whose season has been disrupted by injury, finished second in 10.00, ahead of Britain’s world bronze medallist Zharnel Hughes (10.02).

World indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu was sixth in 10.11, ahead of Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo (10.12) and rising star Louie Hinchliffe (10.21).

Elsewhere, Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi overhauled world champion Marco Arop in a thrilling finish to the men’s 800m.

Kenyan Wanyonyi clocked a meeting record 1:42.00 to edge his Canadian rival, ahead of Britain’s Max Burgin who ran a personal best 1:42.36 to finish third and replace Steve Cram as the third fastest British man in history.

Talented British 19-year-old Innes Fitzgerald smashed Zola Budd’s European under-20 5,000m record by running 14:39.56.

That saw her finish 11th behind Hannah Nuttall, who also recorded a personal best with 14:39.48 – as did Megan Keith (14:43.80).

Revee Walcott-Nolan was the first Briton home in the women’s mile in 4:19.16, ahead of Erin Wallace (4:20.44) and Katie Snowden (4:24.71), as Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay triumphed in 4:11.88

Dutch star Femke Bol cruised to victory in the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.10secs, with Britain’s Lina Nielsen sixth in 55.04.

Molly Caudery placed fifth in the women’s pole vault after failing to go clear with three attempts at 4.73m, as New Zealand’s Olivia McTaggart won on countback as one of four athletes to clear that height.

Katarina Johnson-Thompson was eighth in the women’s long jump with a best leap of 6.48m as she continues to build towards defending her world heptathlon title later this year.

Continuing her recovery from an Achilles rupture last year, European indoor champion Jazmin Sawyers recorded a best jump measuring 6.63m.

Lawrence Okoye was third in the men’s discus with a best throw of 67.24m, while Samuel Khogali leapt 7.19m for seventh in the men’s long jump.

In addition to the Diamond League events, the London Athletics Meet also featured Para and national events.

Paris 2024 gold medallist Ben Sandilands won the men’s Para 1500m in 3:48.95, while Sophie Hahn and Zak Skinner claimed wins over 100m.