Kemboi, Keitany win in Oregon

Eugene

World steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi and former Africa 1,500 metres holder Haron Keitany were among Kenya’s winners at Saturday’s Prefontaine Diamond League athletics meeting in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Kemboi won the 3,000m steeplechase in eight minutes, 8.34 seconds to finish ahead of compatriot Paul Kipsiele Koech (8:10.13) and Ethiopia’s Gary Roba (8:11.34).

Keitany (3:49.09) defeated Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop to third place in the 1,500m, with Silas Kiplagat (3:49.39) second. Kiprop clocked 3:49.55.

Caster Semenya, whose 800m triumph at the 2009 World Championships was followed by a gender controversy, finished second in the women’s 800m, but said she wasn’t disappointed.

She closed from eighth to second on the final lap, but left herself too much to do and couldn’t threaten race winner Kenia Sinclaire of Jamaica, who won in a world-leading time of 1:58.29.

“The time is good. Under two minutes, 1:58,” said Semenya, who was runner-up in 1:58.88. “Now I can train harder so I can run a fast time. It was good to be back — fans — I miss that a lot.”

Kenya’s Olympic silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei was second in 1:59.15.

Meanwhile, David Oliver avenged his loss last month to Liu Xiang and Steve Mullings delivered another stellar 100m performance.

Oliver won the 110m hurdles in a blazing 12.94sec to edge Liu, China’s former world record-holder who had stopped the American’s 20-win streak at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting on May 15.

Oliver’s time was the fastest in the world in this World Championships season, improving on the 13.07 previously posted by both Liu and Cuban Dayron Robles.

(AFP)