Baker wins men’s 100m final
Britain’s Zharnel Hughes was edged out by American Ronnie Baker in a high-quality 100m finale to the first day of the Anniversary Games.
Hughes, 23, came home in 9.93 seconds at London Stadium, beating Commonwealth Games gold medallist Akani Simbine and former world champion Yohan Blake.
Shara Proctor beat British rival Lorraine Ugen by just 3cm in the long jump, leaping 6.91m.
Jamaican great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took victory in the 100m in 10.98.
The 31-year-old, a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the event, is returning to action after the birth of son Zyon 11 months ago.
“It’s hard work racing after having a child but it’s not as though it’s anything I’m not used to,” she said.
“Being a mother is my first priority and to come back and be flexible with my training is wonderful and I’m so excited about next year now.”
Fraser-Pryce powers to 100m victory
Even after the withdrawal of American world silver medallist Christian Coleman following a hamstring tweak, the men’s race delivered a dramatic finish to the day.
Hughes was not fazed by a fast start from Simbine inside him, and drove through to within two hundredths of the personal best he set earlier this year.
Baker, the joint fastest man of 2018 alongside compatriot Noah Lyles, won in 9.90, with Simbine and Blake coming home in 9.94 and 9.95 respectively.
Six athletes finished under 10 seconds, two more than in the World Championship final last summer.
“I am really happy,” said Hughes.
“I ran against a world-class field and I have never ran against these guys before, so it was really good to see I was able to hold my own and to give those guys good competition towards the finish line.
“This season has been going really well. I am not going to get ahead of myself and say this is my year, but I am really grateful for all the work that is being done around me and I am glad all the hard work is paying off.”
Earlier in the day, Britain’s Tom Bosworth strengthened his credentials for 20km race walk gold at August’s European Championships by setting a new world record in the 3,000m.
The 28-year-old, who also broke the mile world record at this meeting last year, took more than three seconds off Giovanni de Benedictis’ 1990 mark to win in 10 minutes 43.84 seconds.
Karsten Warholm also rewrote the record books, setting a Norwegian record in victory on his return to the track where he won a surprise 400m hurdles gold at the World Championships last summer.
However, the 22-year-old is still more than half a second behind times set by Antiguan sensation Rai Benjamin and Qatari breakthrough star Abderrahman Samba this year.
American Sam Kendricks kept up his impressive record at London Stadium by winning the pole vault in 5.92m, after victories on the same stage at last weekend’s World Cup and last summer’s World Championships.
Qatar’s Abdalelah Haroun took 0.2 seconds off his personal best to win the 400m in 44.07 ahead of American Paul Dedewo and London 2012 champion Kirani James, who returned to action in June after more than a year out.
In the finish of the day, American Shamier Little edged out Jamaican rival Janieve Russell by one hundredth of a second, winning the 400m hurdles in 53.95.
Shamier Little wins women’s 400m hurdles
Double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg took the T11 200m in a season’s best of 25.29 seconds, but fellow Briton Richard Whitehead was overhauled by South Africa’s Ntando Mahlangu in the T61 200m.
Sunday’s action features Laura Muir’s attempt to overhaul Zola Budd’s 1985 British mile record, while Dina Asher-Smith will carry her superb 2018 form into a high-class 200m field that includes Shericka Jackson, second-fastest in the world this year, and world champion Dafne Schippers.
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