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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 – COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT: Shawn Price

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS TRACK & FIELD

Online version: https://bit.ly/2YwMwUj

ZURICH, Switzerland – Arkansas alums Tina Sutej and Payton Chadwick finished third and fourth in their respective events during the second day of the Diamond League final held Thursday in Letzigrund Stadium.

Shamier Little, who trains in Fayetteville with Arkansas women’s associate head coach Chris Johnson, placed second in the 400m hurdles.

Sutej cleared 15-3 ¾ (4.67) to place third in the pole vault, missing a height of 15-7 ¾ (4.77) which would have improved her Slovenia national record of 15-7 (4.75) set in 2020. Sutej produced first attempt clearances at the first three bars – 14-8 (4.47), 15-0 (4.57), and 15-3 ¾.

Russian Anzhelika Sidorova, the Tokyo silver medalist, won the pole vault Diamond League trophy for the second time with a world-leading height of 16-5 ¼ (5.01), a career best and Diamond League record. Sidorova also claimed the Diamond League final in 2019.

Katerina Stefanidi of Greece, the Diamond League final winner in 2017 and 2018, finished second with a clearance of 15-7 ¾. Tokyo bronze medalist Holly Bradshaw placed fourth, matching the height of Sutej but needing three attempts at the bar. Bradshaw was a Diamond League final winner in 2016.

American Katie Nageotte, gold medalist in Tokyo and previous world leader at 16-2 ¾ (4.95), had a no height at 15-0.

Chadwick produced a career best time of 12.62 seconds (0.4 wind) in placing fourth in the 100m hurdles, improving the 12.64 she set during the Olympic Trials earlier this season. Chadwick was the top American finisher among three entered in the race.

A 12.42 by Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan claimed the 100m hurdles victory with an African record while Netherland’s Nadine Visser established a European record of 12.51 as runner-up. Tokyo bronze medalist, Megan Tapper of Jamaica, posted a 12.55 for third.

Little, a Diamond League final 400m hurdle winner in 2016, posted a time of 53.35 in placing runner-up to Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who claimed the Diamond League title in a Zurich meet record of 52.80 to better the previous standard of 52.84 set in 1998 by American Kim Batten.

This marked the fourth time this season Bol and Little have finished 1-2 in a Diamond League encounter.