Once again, Ethiopian runners were the highlights of the IAAF Golden League Meeting in Rome. Having already won this summer in Oslo and Paris, reigning world champion Tirunesh Dibaba took the 5,000 meters in Rome, and proved that, for now, she has the edge against Meseret Defar, the world record holder and Dibaba’s countrywoman. After a moderate early pace, Dibaba was unbeatable during the last-lap sprint, beating Defar by more than a second, 14:52.37 to 14:53.51 minutes. If Dibaba wins her races at the upcoming IAAF Golden League Meetings in Zurich, Brussels and Berlin, she’ll get at least a share of the US$1 million jackpot.

Having lost his first race of the series in Oslo, Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele is racing for the smaller version of the jackpot. He won in Paris and Rome, so he is still in contention for a $500,000 jackpot. Against the deepest 5,000m field in history, Bekele prevailed in 12:51.44, the fastest time in the world this year. Among those beaten were steeplechase world record holder Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Qatar/12:51.98) and Isaac Songok, who had beaten Bekele in Oslo. The Kenyan clocked 12:52.39 for third place. In all, the top 10 finishers broke 13:00.

While Kenya’s Paul Kipsiele Koech took the 3,000m steeplechase in 7:59.94, American Dan Lincoln broke a 21-year-old national record with his fourth-place finish of 8:08.82. Morocco’s Amine Laalou surprised at 800m; he won in a world-leading 1:43.25, which is a national record as well. American Khadevis Robinson took second in 1:43.86.

At the German championships in Ulm, Irina Mikitenko produced the best result in the distance events. Just a couple of months after returning to competition after giving birth, she won the national 5,000m title, beating Sabrina Mockenhaupt. Mikitenko ran away before the second half of the race and clocked 15:28.00, while Mockenhaupt had to be content with second place and 15:40.55. “I have trained well, but I am not yet in the same shape as in former times,” said Mikitenko, who placed seventh in the 2004 Olympic 5,000m final. At the European Championships in Gothenburg next month, she’ll run the 10,000m. “My aim is a time of sub-32:00,” she said. The men’s 5,000m in Ulm was won by Jan Fitschen in 13:52.37.