Zakithi Nene ran the second-fastest 400m of his season so far, but he had to settle for fifth at the Diamond League meet in Monaco on Friday night.
Nene, who won in Stockholm in 44.48 last month and pushed out a 43.89 season’s best in Paris a couple of weeks ago, crossed the line in 44.24.
Botswana’s world champion Collen Kebanitshipi won in 43.44 to break his own Diamond League record, as well as the 43.73 meeting record held by Wayde van Niekerk.
American Jacory Patterson was second in 43.96, his compatriot Benjamin Rai was third in 44.13 and Olympic silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith of Britain finished fourth in 44.22.
Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane du Plessis returned to competition after a three-month hiatus with a 56.64m best effort in the women’s javelin, ending seventh.
Du Plessis, who underwent surgery on a damaged disc in her lower back in April, was 0.98m behind fifth-placed Australian Mackenzie Little, her main competitor at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
She is planning to have a few more competitions before heading to Scotland, where the women’s javelin final is scheduled for August 1.
Bradley Nkoana was eighth in the men’s 100m in 10.06, behind winner Oblique Seville, Jamaica’s world champion, in 9.88.
