Oslo Diamond League: Jakob Ingebrigtsen dives to beat Timothy Cheruiyot in thrilling men’s 1500m final
There was delight for the home crowd in the 1500m on Thursday as Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen won – just, by three hundredths of a second – from 2019 world champion – Timothy Cheruiyot in an entertaining final event of the night.
Racing his first 1500m of the year following his Bowerman Mile defeat to Josh Kerr five days earlier in Eugene, Ingebrigtsen took over from the pacemakers with 500m to go but had Kenya’s Cheruiyot, Azeddine Habz of France and Elliot Giles breathing down his neck with 150m left. In the home straight the Olympic champion looked like he had it under control but Cheruiyot began to gather momentum and it was only a dramatic dive at the line that earned Ingebrigtsen a narrow victory in 3:29.74.
Habz was third in 3:30.80 with Issac Nader of Portugal fourth in 3:30.84, Giles fifth in 3:31.06 followed by Olli Hoare of Australia in 3:31.08 and George Mills of Britain in 3:31.57.
Hagos Gebrhiwet opened his season on a damp and chilly night in Leicester in March at the Podium Festival 5km event, which he won in 13:19. Just over two months later in Oslo on Thursday he ran considerably quicker in better conditions to clock 12:36.73 – the second fastest 5000m in history.
Only Joshua Cheptegei with 12:35.36 has run quicker, although the world record-holder and Olympic champion was only ninth here in 12:51.94.
The main target had been Jacob Kiplimo’s meeting record of 12:41.73 but Gebrhiwet smashed it as he ran away from fellow Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha on the last lap. Kejelcha still ran a PB of 12:38.95 in second with Kiplimo also clocking a PB of 12:40.96 in third.
Gebrhiwet is only 30 but it feels like he’s been around forever as he was runner-up to Mo Farah in the world 5000m final in Moscow 11 years ago. He is, however, in the form of his life lately as he won the world 5km road title in Latvia late last year too. With the only Olympic medal in his cabinet being 5000m bronze in Rio, could this be his year in Paris?
Mykolas Alekna’s brilliant season continued as the 21-year-old beat a top-class field that included Daniel Stahl, Matt Denny and Kristjan Ceh with a meeting record of 70.91m – a mark that was held by his father – although the young Lithuanian chose not to contest the final round with the top three throwers. Following his recent world record of 74.35m in Ramona, Alekna is the man to beat going into the European Championships and Olympics.
Hudson-Smith’s race wasn’t the only fast 400m of the night. Marileidy Paulino won the women’s race in 49.30 – her best time since the Dominican athlete won the world title last year – as Brits Laviai Nielsen and Victoria Ohuruogu were seventh and eighth in 51.04 and 51.61 respectively.
The night threw up a few surprises too. Georgia Griffith, for example, stormed to an Oceania 3000m record of 8:24.20 as she out-sprinted Ethiopian Likina Amebaw and fellow Australian Jess Hull.
There was another shock in the women’s 200m as Brittany Brown of the United States beat Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast with Britain’s Daryll Neita third in 22.50 as the world champion Shericka Jackson was only fifth in 22.97.
Elsewhere British 800m runner Guy Learmonth ran 1:45.49 for fifth – a season’s best and the fourth fastest time of his career.
It wasn’t a good night for Brits Jeremiah Azu and Jess Warner-Judd. Azu had cramp in the men’s 100m as he finished last in 11.11 (0.4) behind South African Akani Simbine’s 9.94 win.
Warner-Judd ran an underpar 8:59.98 in the 3000m – more than half a minute behind the winner – and revealed she had a mid-race seizure racing over 10,000m in the United States in March. “It’s just not happening this year but I’m hoping it will and it will come good,” she said.
Source: AW
