I covered the Gyulai Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, yesterday (Wednesday, 19 August), the second stop on the abbreviated 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet series. World 200m champion Noah Lyles was the star of the night, producing a commanding win in the 100m and then doubling back 65 minutes later to win the 200m before calling his season to an end.

Like he did at the Diamond League competition in Monaco last weekend, Lyles, a favorite for both sprints at next year’s Olympics Games in Tokyo (should those come to pass), raised a black-gloved fist into the air during his introduction before the 100m to bring attention to African-American struggles in the United States. He said he’s going to keep wearing the glove and raising it high.

“The glove is a sign that we in the African-American community are struggling in America,” he said. “We are being killed, beat by police, we’re still going through systemic racism and it’s getting more prevalent.

“I have a platform and I intend to use it.”

The sprint hurdles races were memorable as well. In the men’s world champion Grant Holloway was on fire, likely en route to a sub-13 performance, until the ninth barrier. Too close to it on his approach, he lost his rhythm, allowing Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega to make up a significant deficit and eek out a narrow win, 13.21 to 13.22.

Nadine Visser of the Netherlands took the women’s 100m hurdles to extend her unbeaten streak in this strange season to five competitions, equalling her 12.68 world lead in the process.

My preview for World Athletics is here and report here.

On the day before the meet, I also spoke with world 800m champion Donavan Brazier who was entered in the 600m, about the prospects of breaking Johnny Gray’s 1:12.81 world best over the rarely run distance – a record which has stood for 34 years. With Wesley Vasquez, a notoriously fast starter, also entered, he seemed more concerned with just winning the race.

It turns out he was right. Vasquez went on hard, led into the home straight and didn’t concede an inch until Brazier gradually began to pull ahead over the final 50 metres. A couple shots from that homestretch battle are below.

This was the second meet I covered on-site in the coronavirus era, but unlike the Triveneto competition in Trieste three weeks ago, spectators were not allowed into the Bregyó Athletic Center after restrictions were recently tightened again on public gatherings in Hungary. Press were forced to keep their distance as well.

Men’s 600m

Men’s 100m

Women’s 100m hurdles

Women’s 400m hurdles

Men’s 400m hurdles

Men’s 400m

Women’s 400m

Women’s 200m

And finally..