Another 1500m triumph for Abeba Aregawi

Oslo, Norway – Abeba Aregawi extended her lead in the 1500m Diamond Race as she won here in 4:02.42 ahead of the fellow Ethiopian who is now second in the Diamond League standings, Genzebe Dibaba, who clocked 4:03.28. Anna Mischenko of Ukraine was a fast-finishing third in a season’s best of 4:03.33. Behind her Norway’s Ingvill Makestad Bovim, who had sent a buzz through the crowd as she led into the bell and only lost her lead as the field entered the final bend, finished seventh in 4:06.31. Britain’s Stephanie Twell was ninth in a season’s best of 4:07.49 and Lucia Klocova of Slovakia was 11th in a national record of 4:07.99.

Gebremeskel strikes in the 5000m, Kenenisa Bekele back in fifth
Kenenisa Bekele’s prospects of retaining, or even defending his Olympic 5000m title are looking a little bleak following his relative failure here in what was one of the key trial races for the massively strong Ethiopian team. Bekele ran a marginal season’s best of 13:00.54, but it was only enough to earn him fifth place, one behind younger brother Tariku, in a race where Ethiopians filled the first five places.

Dejen Gebremeskel’s swift finish earned him victory in 12:58.92 as he held off Hagos Gebrhiwet, who ran a personal best of 12:58.99, with Imane Merga, the defending Diamond Race champion, third in 12:59.77.

Chemos claims African Steeplechase record
Chemos produced one of the performances of the evening in the 3000m Steeplechase as she eclipsed the previous African record of 9:07.41 set by her fellow Kenyan Eunice Jepkorir in earning silver at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. It was also, unsurprisingly, a meeting record.

The diminutive Kenyan, who has now won all three of this season’s Diamond League races, was pushed all the way by a strong Ethiopian challenge from Sofia Assefa and Hiwot Ayalew, whom she only managed to detach over the final 50 metres as they had hit the bell in an even line. Assefa, second to the Kenyan in Eugene, earned another runner-up position in a national record of 9:09.00, with Ayalew third in a personal best of 9:09.61 which, before tonight, would have been the fastest time of 2012 by four seconds.

Kiprop on cruise control
Kiprop, the World and Olympic 1500m champion, still appears the man to beat in this year’s Diamond League after bettering the 2012 world-leading mark of 3:49.40 he set in winning at Eugene.

The leggy Kenyan had a crowd at his back as he reached the bell, but 400 metres later he had floated clear, with fellow countryman Caleb Ndiku taking second place in a season’s best of 3:50.00, two hundredths of a second clear of Ethiopia’s Mekonnen Gebremedhin, for whom it was also a season’s best.

Results

Women’s 1,500m

1          AREGAWI Abeba ETH              4:02.42                                    

2          DIBABA Genzebe ETH              4:03.28                                    

3          MISHCHENKO Anna UKR          4:03.33 SB

4          OBIRI Helen KEN                       4:04.42

5          LAKHOUAD Ibtissam MAR        4:04.45

Women’s 3,000m

1          CHEMOS Milcah KEN                9:07.14 AR,MR

2          ASSEFA Sofia ETH                  9:09.00 NR       

3          AYALEW Hiwot ETH                 9:09.61 PB       

4          NJOROGE Mercy Wanjiku KEN  9:25.21 SB

5          CHEPKURUI Lidya KEN 9:27.40

6          KRAUSE Gesa Felicitas GER     9:33.10 SB

7          ROTICH Lydia Chebet KEN        9:33.19

8          ADAMU Birtukan ETH               9:36.40 SB       

9          MCCOLGAN Eilish GBR 9:38.45 PB

10         BEKELE Mekdes ETH               9:39.09

Men’s 5,000m

1          GEBREMESKEL Dejen ETH      12:58.92           

2          GEBRHIWET Hagos ETH          12:58.99            PB

3          MERGA Imane ETH                   12:59.77          

4          BEKELE Tariku ETH                  13:00.41          

5          BEKELE Kenenisa  ETH           13:00.54            SB

6          KIPSIRO Moses Ndiema  UGA   13:00.68

7          SIHINE Sileshi ETH                  13:01.39           

8          DEMELASH Yigrem ETH          13:03.30           

9          ALAMIREW Yenew ETH            13:08.12           

10         ZERIHUN Yitayal Atnafu ETH    13:08.13            PB

11         BETT Emmanuel Kipkemei KEN 13:08.35

12         KUMA Abera ETH                       13:09.32

Source: IAAF.org