STOCKHOLM — Germany's Christina Schwanitz effectively wrapped up her first Diamond Race shot put title with a winning throw of 20.13 meters on the eve of the main IAAF Diamond League meeting here Wednesday. Schwanitz, who has 18 points and a nine-point lead over American Michelle Carter after four successive Diamond League wins this season, needs only to show up for the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich on Sept. 3 to end a run of four overall victories for world and Olympic champion Valerie Adams. The 30-year-old New Zealander, voted IAAF Athlete of the Year, is still getting back to full fitness after returning to competition this month following operations last year to her elbow and shoulder. Despite heavy rain in the Swedish capital's Kungstradgarden square Wednesday, Schwanitz fouled only one of her six throws with her final effort of 19.24 matching the best distance achieved by second-placed Carter. European champion Schwanitz has now thrown over 20 meters in her last six competitions. Adams fouled on her last four efforts and had to settle for fourth place with a best of 18.69m. A fifth round throw of 18.74m took Hungary's Anita Marton ahead of the frustrated New Zealander, who has yet to win in her three IAAF Diamond League outings this year. Felix to run 400m and relays at worlds Olympic 200m gold medalist Allyson Felix has chosen to run the 400 meters at next month's world championships, her coach said Wednesday. “We wanted to do both (the 200m and 400m) but the schedule will not allow it, so it's the 400,” Bob Kersee said in a telephone interview from Oregon. “It's more of a challenge for us,” Kersee added when asked why the longer race. Had the 29-year-old American attempted both races, as she did at the 2011 worlds, she would have had to run the semifinals of the 200m an hour before the 400m final on Aug. 27. The 200m final is the next day. Felix will also compete in both the 4x100 and 4x400m relays in Beijing, Kersee said. The year's fastest at 200m, Felix could have run either the 200m or 400m or both in the world championships. She had a bye into the 200m as the 2014 Diamond League winner and won the 400m at June's US world championships trials. Fraser-Pryce could run both sprints at worlds Jamaica's double Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce may change her plans and defend both her 100 and 200m titles at next month's world championships in Beijing. The 28-year-old had said she would concentrate on the 100m and 4x100m relay at the worlds but at a news conference on the eve of the Stockholm Diamond League meeting she said her coach Steven Francis had indicated she could still compete in both. “I was down to do the 100 and relay, but the 200 is still possible,” said a grinning Fraser-Pryce. “My coach did say earlier that I was not running the 200, but last week I was in practice and he said I should do a 100, a 200 and a 250. “I said ‘why am I going all that way? I'm not running 200 at the world champs?' And he said ‘who says you're not running?' so I said ‘you did!' and he said “I've changed my mind. I'm not sure.' “The thing is, I've already earned a spot in the 200 as champion, so I wouldn't be taking it away from anybody else,” she was quoted as saying on the website of the sports governing IAAF (www.iaaf.org). “The 200 for me is definitely more strategic. When I get to the start line I am thinking ‘Do I go hard for the first 50, do I go 80 per cent and then blast the last 100?'” — Agencies
