Former Loughborough College student and sports scholar Robbie Grabarz continued his Olympic success at the Diamond League meeting in Lausanne jumping a new national record.
The newly crowned (equal) Olympic bronze medallist improved on his Olympic high jump performance by 8cm to equal the national record of 2.37m set by Steve Smith in 1992, finishing third behind eventual winner Moutaz Essa Barshim Ahmed of Qatar.
Robbie regularly trains at Loughborough with coach Fuzz Ahmed after studying a foundation degree in Health and Fitness management at the college between 2006 and 2008. His outstanding season has seen him win the European Championship high jump and secure a bronze medal in London, shared with two other jumpers who also cleared 2.29m!
Further Loughborough interest saw college graduate Martyn Rooney finish 6th with a time of 45.52 in the highly contested 400m race. The start list included Olympic champion Kirani James and Belgium track star Kevin Borlee, who against missed out on his attempt to break the European record for the 400m.
The Lausanne meet also boasted the likes of Yohan Blake and triple Olympic Champion Usain Bolt. The training partners, who shared their last show down of the season in London, watched each other compete in the 100m and 200m. Blake secured a meeting record storming the 100m in 9.69 seconds, a feat only Bolt himself has previously achieved. Whereas Bolt showed no trouble securing a 200m victory 19.58 seconds, ahead of Dutch sprinter Churundy Martina.
The next Samsung Diamond League meeting begins in Birmingham on Sunday 26th August with only Zurich and Brussels to follow, and to book your tickets for click this link here!
