Pamela Jelimo wins AF Golden League Jackpot. © www.photorun.net
At the start of the 2008 track and field season, 18-year-old Kenyan runner, Pamela Jelimo, was practically unknown. She was a mediocre 400m runner that didn’t make it into Athletics 2008: a publication considered to be the “Bible” of track and field. In fact, Jelimo wasn’t even invited to the first Golden League press conference of the season.
But that has since changed.
Jelimo began to win. Of the thirteen 800-meter races that she’s competed in this year, she’s won them all—including AF Golden League championships in Berlin, Oslo, Rome, Paris, and Zurich. Last month, she won a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Then, Friday night in Brussels, she hit the jackpot: the largest prize in track and field, The $1 million AF Golden League Jackpot.
Until Friday, the $1 million prize looked secure with Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic. But Vlasic had an off night on Friday and failed after three attempts to clear the bar at 2.02m.
Jelimo’s victory in Brussels was as clear-cut as her previous wins. She crossed the line in 1:55.16, setting a meet record. Janeth Jepkosgei (Kenya) placed second, running 1:58.85, and Kenia Sinclair (Jamaica) placed third in 1:59.11.
Jelimo already owns the African and world junior record that she set in Zurich a week ago and with a personal best of 1:54.01 (the third fastest on the all-time list), Jelimo is closing in on the longstanding world record of 1:53.28 held by Czech runner Jarmila Kratochvilova.
“It’s a huge success for me. I feel just as I did when I won at the Olympics,” said Jelimo. When asked about the jackpot, Jelimo responded: “I shall use the money to help my family and others.”
Earlier on Friday in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase, the Kenyan Paul K. Koech ran a strong race, placing first in 8:04.99. Patrick Langat (Kenya) set the pace for much of the race. Finishing behind Koech were Brimin Kipruto (Kenya/8:10.26) and Tareq Mubarak Taher (Bahrain/8:15.32).
Three additional long-distance events took place on Friday evening. Eliud Kipchoge won the 5,000-meter race in 13:06.12 in cool, rainy conditions. Kipchoge edged out fellow Kenyans Isaac Songok (13:06.71) and Mang’Ata Ndiwa (13:07.46). Fourth place went to British runner Mo Farah (13:08.11) who commented that “the weather was just like a cross-country race today, I felt really at home. It was just like being in England.”
Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya) had a surprise win in the women’s 5000-meter race, setting a meet record of 14:25.43. She defeated Meseret Defar (Ethiopia/14:25.52) and Linet Masai (Kenya/14:52.10).
In the men’s 10,000-meter race, the Ethiopian Sileshi Sihine won in 27:06.97, outkicking Kenyans Moses Masai (27:07.36) and Bernard Kipyego (27:08.06).
Meseret Defar Wins Women’s Race in London
Two days after her second-place showing in the 5,000m in Brussels, Meseret Defar was back in the news with a win in London. The Ethiopian won the Adidas Women’s Challenge 5K in Hyde Park on Sunday, running a 15:01. Before the halfway mark, Defar surged ahead of second-place finisher Linet Masai (Kenya/15:31) and Jo Pavey (Britain/15:32).
With a personal best of 14:46, Defar is the world-record holder on the roads at this distance.
“Friday’s race in Brussels was hard. I’m still feeling down about what happened in Beijing. That didn’t make concentrating on the race easy,” explained Meseret Defar, who as defending champion managed to finish third in the Olympic 5,000m. Defar had been going for the course record in London that is held by Paula Radcliffe; she missed it by ten seconds.
Similar races in this women’s series took place at the same time on Sunday in Birmingham and Liverpool. Approximately 19,000 women runners took part in these races throughout England.
