Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga ran a blazing 44.39 seconds to top the men’s 400m at the Rome Diamond League edging out a field featuring Kirani James of Grenada and Bryce Deadmon of the United States.
The Olympic bronze medalist, Samukonga, beat 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James, who finished a close second with a time of 44.30 seconds, marking his first ever Diamond League win.
Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago followed closely securing third place with a time of 44.55 seconds.
Despite not clinching the top spot, Kirani James remained upbeat about his performance.
“I feel good, it was a great race considering that I have not competed for two weeks. I was home back in Grenada to celebrate with my teammates who won medals. I was happy to go home and witness this nice celebration,” he shared in post-race interview.
“I have been running at this high level for a long time. It is really great to represent my country and to give my best for Grenada. To be the best I can be. For the Diamond League, we will have to see about the point standings,” James added.
Just a hair’s breadth behind was Bayapo Ndori from Botswana clocking in at 44.56 seconds narrowly missing the podium by the slimmest of margins.
American runner Vernon Norwood finished fifth recording a time of 44.71 seconds just ahead of Charles Dobson from Great Britain,who completed the race in 44.75 seconds.
Bryce Deadmon, another American hopeful placed seventh with a time of 44.77 seconds, in a tightly contested race where every millisecond counted.
Rounding out the top finishers were Busang Collen Kebinatshipi from Botswana, finishing eighth with a notable time of 45.14 seconds, and Italy’s Luca Sito, who closed the group at 45.25 seconds representing a diverse and competitive field.
