Lorraine Ugen wins but GB lie fifth in Athletics World Cup

Lorraine UgenImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Ugen was part of England's gold-winning 4x100m relay team at the Commonwealth Games in April

Athletics World Cup

Venue: London Stadium Dates: 14-15 July Time: 18:45 BST

Coverage: Highlights on Saturday 21 July, BBC One and Red Button

Great Britain lie fifth out of eight nations after the first day of the Athletics World Cup at London Stadium.

Team captain Lorraine Ugen won the long jump with a leap of 6.86m, following up her world-leading leap of 7.05m at this month's British Championships.

Elsewhere Holly Bradshaw won the pole vault, but Britain have ground to make up on the inaugural event's second day.

Jamaica's double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson lost out to the United States' Ashley Henderson in the 100m.

Thompson, 26, was well outside her 10.70-second personal best with a time of 11.09, two hundredths off her American rival.

A United States quartet anchored by Cameron Burrell - the son of former world record holder Leroy - claimed the 4x100m relay in the final event on track as an under-strength British team came in last.

Britain's campaign had got off to an excellent start in the opening field events.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Bradshaw finished sixth in the 2012 Olympics and 2017 World Championships at the London Stadium

Sophie Hitchon finished second in the hammer with a season's best throw of 73.48m behind Poland's world and Olympic champion Anita Wlodarczyk's world-leading 78.74m.

Bradshaw's victory in the pole vault with a season's best 4.75m then put the hosts three clear of France at the top of the standings after two events.

However, after Meghan Beesley's solid second in the 400m hurdles behind Jamaica's Commonwealth Games champion Janieve Russell, the hosts slipped back.

World indoor champion Andy Pozzi was forced out of the 110m hurdles after clattering the third flight.

Frenchman Pascal Martinot-Lagarde topped that high-quality field ahead of Jamaica's Ronald Levy and the United States' Devon Allen.

Elliot Giles finished third behind Poland's European champion Adam Kszczot in the men's 800m in a rivalry that is likely to resume at the European Championships in Berlin next month.

World Cup fever?

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The London Stadium sold out for every session of last summer's World Championships

Back in February, UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos had said he expected a crowd of 55,000 for each day of the competition.

Attendance was short of that at an estimated 30,000 and there were certainly some absentees on the startlists.

British champion and record-holder Dina Asher-Smith missed the evening's final individual race, the women's 100m, opting to race in the Diamond League event in Rabat the previous day instead.

Reece Prescod, Laura Muir and Zharnel Hughes are among other high-profile British names to have skipped the event.

However, the Daily Mail reports that discussions are already taking place about the staging of the next two editions of the event, with China and the United States interested in hosting in 2020 and 2022 respectively., external

The IAAF World Cup - a similar points-based international team event - ran between 1977 and 2006 before being rebranded as the Continental Cup, a straight contest between a Europe and Americas team.

Athletics World Cup standings after day one

1. United States 109 points

2. France 85 points

3. Poland 77 points

4. Jamaica 77 points

5. Great Britain 74 points

6. South Africa 73 points

7. Germany 58 points

8. China 46 points

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