Pamela Jelimo wins again eleven days after the Olympics. © www.photorun.net
Pamela Jelimo continued her record setting pace in Zurich eleven days after her 800m victory in the Olympics. The 18-year-old Kenyan won at the AF Golden League meeting in Switzerland by delivering an African and world junior record as well as the fastest time of the year in this prestigious event. With the help of pacemakers, Kenya’s first ever women’s 800m Olympic champion sped across the finish line in 1:54.01. She was almost four seconds ahead of Maryam Jamal of Bahrain who finished in 1:57.80. Her fellow Kenyan Janeth Jepkosgei was third with a time of 1:58.26. Jelimo remains unbeaten after 12 races in the 800m.
Jelimo’s win ensured she stayed even with the Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic in the race for the AF Golden League jackpot of one million dollars. If both athletes also win in the final meeting of the series in Brussels this coming Friday, they will share the million dollars.
“After this race and the Olympics I feel very tired, so I don’t think I can break the world record this year—perhaps next year is more likely,” said Pamela Jelimo, who ran two laps in Zurich faster than any woman has in the past 25 years. Only the world record holder Jarmila Kratochvilova (Czech Republic/1:53.28 in Munich in 1983) and Nadezhda Olizarenko (Ukraine/1:53.43 in Moscow at the 1980 Olympic Games) have run faster than Jelimo. In 1989 the Cuban Ana Fidelia Quirot ran 1:54.44 to win at the World Cup in Barcelona.
Particularly notable among the men in Zurich was double Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) who already holds the world’s best time this year for the 5,000m. His time of 12:50.18 was well ahead of Moses Kipsiro (Uganda/12:59.48) and Moses Masai (Kenya/13:00.15). Coming off his huge effort in Beijing Bekele decided against attacking his own world record of 12:37.35.
In the 1500m the Olympic champion Rashid Ramzi (Bahrain/3:32.86) finished second to Kenyan Haron Keitany (3:32.06). Paul K. Koech won the 3,000m steeplechase in 8:04.26 ahead of Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad (8:08.95).
Kenyans Win Virginia Beach Half-Marathon
Edith Masai on her way to victory in Virginia Beach. © www.photorun.net
The Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon in Virginia Beach (USA) attracted a strong field yet again. 16,445 runners took part in the eighth edition of the race. Two world-class Kenyan runners, James Kwambai and Edith Masai, who hadn’t run in the Olympic Games won the 21.0975km race.
Ethiopian Tadesse Tola set the early pace in the men’s race. “I had to work really hard to hang on,” said James Kwambai, who was able to go clear of Tola around five kilometers from the finish. The Kenyan finished in 62:11 minutes and 22 seconds in front of Tola. A distant third was McDonald Ondara (Kenya/64:45).
In the women’s competition, Edith Masai, three time winner of the short course title at the World Cross-Country Championships, ran a tactically brilliant race. Katie McGregor (USA) led for much of the race but Masai strategically waited and was able to surpass McGregor and complete a strong finish. The Kenyan, at the grand age of 41, won in 1:12:54 hours, 11 seconds ahead of the American (1:13:04) who in turn was only 1 second ahead of the Japanese Megumi Seike. “That was a thrilling race. It was great for the spectators that an American woman was up front,” said race director Matt Turnbull.
