Tirunesh Dibaba. © Victah Sailer
Quite a few world records were missed at the 30th van Damme Memorial meet in Brussels on August 25, but one all-time best was achieved: a team from Kenya set a new world record at the rarely run 4 x 800 meters relay. Joseph Mutua, William Yiampoy, Ismael Kombich and Wilfred Bungei ran the distance in 7:02.43 minutes, crossing the finish line just in front of the American team, which ran 7:02.82. Both teams broke the 24-year-old world record of 7:03.89, which the British squad of Peter Elliott, Garry Cook, Steve Cram and Sebastian Coe had set in London in 1982. Brussels is one of the few meets that consistently offers a world-class men’s 10,000-meter race, and this year was no exception. The opening ceremony had not even been held when one of the deepest 10,000m races ever took place. Winner Micah Kogo was not only the first runner to run under 27:00 this season, with his 26:35.63, but he also ran the tenth-fastest time ever.
Consequently, the 20-year-old Kenyan runner, who made his first international appearance only this year, is now the sixth-fastest runner of all time over the 25-lap-distance. After having passed halfway in 13:19.64, Kogo passed the leader, Zersenay Tadesse (Eritrea), 700 meters before the end. Tadesse came home second, while Boniface Kiprop (Uganda) placed third in 26:41.95. Three runners under 26:45 had been achieved only twice before, both in Brussels.
“I had actually just wanted to break my personal best today,” Kogo said. “I would never have expected to actually win, and now I have even improved by 40 seconds. My next goal for this season is to run the 5,000m in less than 13:00.”
In the women’s 5,000m, Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba kept alive her chance of winning the IAAF Golden League’s big jackpot. After winning in Oslo, Paris, Rome, Zurich and now Brussels, she will need only one more win next Sunday at the ISTAF meet in Berlin to get her share of $1 million. Once again, the two-time world champion focused only on winning. Russian Olga Komyagina led Dibaba and her countrywoman Meseret Defar past the 2,000-meter mark (5:42.01) at world record pace, and even at the 3,000-meter mark, Defar’s record of 14:24.53 was still within reach. Even though Defar seemed to be prepared to go for it, Dibaba however, did not want to participate in taking the lead. Consequently, the race slowed a bit, and Jo Pavey (Great Britain/14:39.96), who finished third, was able to catch up. In the deciding finish, however, Pavey was not involved, as Dibaba began her long, strong final sprint about 400 meters before the finish line. Defar was initially able to keep up, but 150 meters before the end, Dibaba increased the pace once again and clearly left Defar behind. Dibaba won in 14:30.63, while Defar followed in 14:33.78.
Another attempt to break a world record was made by Saif Saaeed Shaheen (Qatar) in the 3,000m steeplechase. His main problem, however, is finding good pacemakers who can run the needed pace long enough. In Brussels, for example, Spain’s Cesar Perez passed the 1500-meter mark in 3:56, but then dropped out with three laps still to run. Shaheen won comfortably in 8:04.32, but was far from his world record of 7:53.63.
Another world-record attempt in Brussels also failed: When his brother Tariku led him past the 3,000-meter mark of the 5,000m in 7:34.12, Kenenisa Bekele was on pace to break his own world record of 12:37.35. But being on his own after that, he slowed significantly, and reached the finish line in 12:48.09, which was still the fastest time of the year. “Since the end of May, I have basically been running one race a week—that is just too much,” said Bekele. “Breaking the world record was impossible today.” Kenya’s Eluid Kipchoge was well beaten in second, with a time of 13:01.88.
Kosgei Wins Crim Ten-Miler
Kenya’s Samuel Kosgei took Saturday’s Crim 10 Mile Race in 46:49. It was the first time that the 20-year-old participated in this race in Flint, Michigan. He took the lead in the fourth mile and was never caught again. Fellow Kenyans Wilson Chebet (47:11) and Ernest Meli (47:31) took the next two places. The women’s race was won by Russia’s Alevtina Ivanova for the third time. Clocking 53:06, she was well ahead of Asmae Leghzaoui (Marocco/53:25) and Lineth Chepkuru (Kenya/54:00).
