NAIROBI, Kenya, July 20- He promised it at the Kenyan National Championships last month and boy, didn’t he deliver! On a magical night of athletics at the Herculis Diamond League meet in Monaco, world men 1500m champion, Asbel Kiprop, blasted to a huge 3:27.72 lifetime best to become the fourth fastest runner of all time at the distance.
With the sport reeling from the positive drug busts of leading sprinters, Tyson Gay (America) and Asafa Powell (Jamaica) among others, Kiprop delivered one of the seven world leading performances registered in Monaco to underline why athletics is loved in the first place and most importantly, deliver the most telling of cautions to pretenders to his world title in Moscow next month.
If only he did not spectacularly bomb at the London Olympics last year when he set his then career best of 3:28.77 at the same meeting three weeks to the finals, there would have been no doubt that the lanky Kenyan would collect gold in Russia early next month.
However, Kiprop is a man on a mission this time around and he did not mince his words when he said this at the Nationals on June 23.
“I cancelled running in Oslo (June 13) in order to prepare for Monaco. When I’m looking forward to trying and break my personal best. I went there and did 3:28 and it was exciting, I was happy to have run the fastest time since 2004.”
It may not have been a Diamond Race event here, but the men’s 1500m was a diamond of a race. Kiprop had been effectively launched into a last-lap lead as his fellow Kenyan pacer, James Magut, dropped off shortly after the bell, and he had a 20-metre lead over the rest of the field, led by the smaller figure of Farah, as he came around the final bend.
But the Briton closed up in the finishing straight to finish only a few strides adrift of the tall and upright Kenyan, thus breaking the European record of 3:28.95 set by Spain’s Fermin Cacho in 1997, and the British record of 3:29.67 set just along the coast in Nice in 1985 by Steve Cram – commentating here for BBC TV.
For Farah, who had been hoping to match or narrowly better the 1500m best of 3:33.98 he set on this track in 2009, it was an astonishing result – and one which will give his potential rivals in Moscow more to worry about.
Kiprop, meanwhile, was “happy and excited” about his performance, adding: “I’m very surprised about Mo Farah and his mark of 3:28.81 – that’s crazy! Now I want to give my best in Moscow.”
On a night to savour for Kenya, Beijing Olympics 5000m bronze winner, Edwin Soi, who also punched his ticket for Moscow rocketed to the world leading time in the 12 and a half lap-race.
The men’s 5000m was won in dramatic style by Soi, who passed Bahraini junior Albert Rop as they came into the final straight and maintained his lead under heavy pressure to cross in 12:51.34, the best in the world this year and a meeting record.
Rop’s reward for his persistence was a senior Asian record of 12:51.96 as he finished more than four seconds clear of Soi’s Moscow teammates Isiah Koech, who ran a season’s best of 12:56.08 ahead of countryman Thomas Longosiwa, who clocked 12:59.81, also a season’s best.
Lawi Lalang ran a personal best of 13:00.95 for fifth place, and Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp took sixth in a season’s best of 13:05.17.
The Monaco good times did not end there for Kenya.
As expected, the women’s 3000m Steeplechase came down to a battle between the two Kenyans currently setting the pace in the Diamond Race, and on this occasion it was Milcah Chemos who came through in a meeting record of 9:14.17 as she held off the challenge of the woman who had come into this competition two points ahead of her in the Race, Lydia Chepkurui, who finished in 9:15.18 for silver with both in the national team for Moscow worlds.
In a week when it was finally confirmed world 800m record holder, David Rudisha will miss Moscow, the country can dare to dream.
RESULTS
Men
100 m (wind: -0.4 m/s):
1. Justin Gatlin (USA) 9.94
2. Dentarius Locke (USA) 9.96
3. Jimmy Vicaut (FRA) 9.99
4. Michael Rodgers (USA) 10.07
5. Kim Collins (SKN) 10.08
6. Kemar Bailey-Cole (JAM) 10.10
7. Nickel Ashmeade (JAM) 10.13
8. Charles Silmon (USA) 10.20
800 m:
1. Duane Solomon (USA) 1:43.72
2. Pierre-Ambroise Bosse (FRA) 1:43.76
3. Kevin Lpez (ESP) 1:43.93
4. Marcin Lewandowski (POL) 1:44.20
5. Rafith Rodríguez (COL) 1:44.33
6. Tyler Mulder (USA) 1:44.34
1500 m:
1. Asbel Kiprop (KEN) 3:27.72
2. Mohamed Farah (GBR) 3:28.81
3. Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku (KEN) 3:29.50
4. Bethwell Birgen (KEN) 3:30.77
5. Ilham Tanui Özbilen (TUR) 3:31.30
6. Collins Cheboi (KEN) 3:31.53
7. Bouabdellah Tahri (FRA) 3:32.73
8. Matthew Centrowitz (USA) 3:33.58
5000 m:
1. Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (KEN) 12:51.34
2. Albert Rop (KEN) 12:51.96
3. Isiah Kiplangat Koech (KEN) 12:56.08
4. Thomas Pkemei Longosiwa (KEN) 12:59.81
5. Lawi Lalang (KEN) 13:00.95
6. Galen Rupp (USA) 13:05.17
7. Augustine Kiprono Choge (KEN) 13:11.02
8. Ben True (USA) 13:13.98
400 m hurdles:
1. Jehue Gordon (TRI) 48.00
2. Johnny Dutch (USA) 48.20
3. Javier Culson (PUR) 48.35
4. Mamadou Kasse Hane (SEN) 48.50
5. Justin Gaymon (USA) 48.64
6. Felix Sanchez (DOM) 48.83
7. Kerron Clement (USA) 48.93
8. Mickal Franois (FRA) 51.61
Triple jump:
1. Christian Taylor (USA) 17.30 m
2. Daniele Greco (ITA) 17.25
3. Pedro Pichardo (CUB) 16.94
4. Fabrizio Donato (ITA) 16.84
5. Aleksey Fedorov (RUS) 16.72
6. Yoann Rapinier (FRA) 16.57
Polevault:
1. Renaud Lavillenie (FRA) 5.96 m
2. Brad Walker (USA) 5.78
3. Björn Otto (GER) 5.70
4. Lázaro Borges (CUB) 5.70
5. Jan Kudlicka (CZE) 5.70
6. Steven Lewis (GBR) 5.70
Javelin:
1. Vitezalav Vesely (CZE) 87.68 m
2. Dmitri Tarabin (RUS) 84.33
3. Andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) 83.71
4. Roman Avramenko (UKR) 83.52
5. Kim Amb (SWE) 80.71
Women
200 m (wind: -0.5 m/s):
1. Murielle Ahoure (CIV) 22.24
2. Tiffany Townsend (USA) 22.26
3. Shelly-Ann Fraser (JAM) 22.28
4. Kimberlyn Duncan (USA) 22.46
5. Jeneba Tarmoh (USA) 22.72
6. ChaRonda Williams (USA) 22.77
400 m:
1. Amantle Montsho (BOT) 49.33
2. Stephanie McPherson (JAM) 49.92
3. Francena McCorory (USA) 49.96
4. Rosemarie Whyte (JAM) 50.86
5. Floria Guei (FRA) 51.58
6. Anyika Onuora (GBR) 51.63
1500 m:
1. Jennifer Barringer (USA) 4:00.48
2. Hellen Onsando Obiri (KEN) 4:00.93
3. Brenda Martinez (USA) 4:00.94
4. Shannon Rowbury (USA) 4:01.28
5. Gabrielle Anderson (USA) 4:01.48
100 m hurdles (wind: -0.5 m/s):
1. Queen Harrison (USA) 12.64
2. Yvette Lewis (USA) 12.69
3. Kellie Wells (USA) 12.70
4. Tiffany Porter (GBR) 12.70
5. Sally Pearson (AUS) 12.75
6. Nia Ali (USA) 12.79
7. Cindy Billaud (FRA) 12.91
3000 m steeple:
1. Milkah Chenos (KEN) 9:14.17
2. Ludia Chepkurui (KEN) 9:15.18
3. Fancy Cherotich (KEN) 9:36.82
High jump:
1. Brigetta Barrett (USA) 2.01 m
2. Anna Chicherova (RUS) 1.98
3. Blanka Vlasic (CRO) 1.98
4. Emma Green Tregaro (SWE) 1.95
5. Ruth Beitia (ESP) 1.92
6. Ana Simic (CRO) 1.92
Long jump:
1. Blessing Akagbare (NGR) 7.04 m
2. Darya Klishina (RUS) 6.98
3. Shara Proctor (GBR) 6.74
4. Lauma Griva (LAT) 6.64
Discus:
1. Sandra Perkovic (CRO) 65.30 m
2. Yarelis Barrios (CUB) 64.24
3. Gia Lewis (USA) 63.63
4. Zinaida Sendriute (LTU) 61.67
5. Dani Samuels (AUS) 61.32
