Anavia Battle Battles to Commanding 200m Victory in Rome to Send Stern Warning to Gabby Thomas And Co

Anavia Battle

Anavia Battle Battles to Commanding 200m Victory in Rome to Send Stern Warning to Gabby Thomas And Co

Mark Kinyanjui 23:00 - 06.06.2025

Anavia Battle stormed to her third career Diamond League victory by clinching the 200m title at the 2025 Rome Diamond League classic, while Quincy Hall sailed to victory in the 400 meters.

Anavia Battle continued her hot streak this season with a commanding win in the women’s 200m at the Rome Diamond League, clocking a swift 22.53 to hold off a strong field.

The American sprinter, who came into the race with the fastest personal best of 21.95, showed her class by pulling away late in the race and improving on her season’s best of 22.38.

Great Britain’s Amy Hunt ran a solid race from lane 8 to take second in 22.67, a season's best for the 22-year-old, while Côte d'Ivoire’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, competing in just her second 200m of the year, settled for third in 22.75—also a season’s best.

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Fellow American McKenzie Long was fourth in 22.81, while Maia McCoy of Liberia rounded out the top five in 22.91.

Ta Lou-Smith, who owns a personal best of 22.08, looked strong in the curve but couldn’t quite match Battle’s finishing power in the final 50 meters. The result leaves her with plenty to build on ahead of the Olympics.

Italy’s Dalia Kaddari and Spain’s Paula Sevilla both ran 23.12, with Sevilla matching her season best.

Quincy Hall Sails To Dramatic 400m Win

In the 400 meters, Olympic champion Quincy Hall managed to see out the threat of South African Zakizi Nene to clinch the title, finishing on 44.42 seconds.

Hall’s dive got him over the line, as it took an incredible photo finish to beat Nene by 0.01 seconds despite losing his form towards the final stretch while Nene accelerated to the end. Busang Collen Kebinatshipi was last on 44.51 seconds.

Britain’s Charles Dobson was fourth on 44.64, ahead of Vernon Norwood on 44.86 seconds, while 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James finished sixth on  44.92 seconds