Red-hot Sum wins to tighten grip on series
Eunice Sum leads others to the finishing line on 7th June 2014 during National Athletics Championship cum Trials 800m women finals at Nyayo Stadium. Sum clinched her fourth victory in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday night to consolidate her lead in the IAAF Diamond League Series lead with 16 points. Photo/CHRIS OMOLLO
What you need to know:
- Russia’s 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Yekaterina Poistogova was strong on the final lap but finished second in 1:58.79. Ethiopian Tigist Assefa was third in a personal best of 1:59.24.
- Cherono, who won in New York, moved on to her shoulder coming off the final bend and passed Dibaba with 50 metres to go, to win in 8:50.24.
World 800m champion Eunice Sum clinched her fourth victory in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday night to consolidate her lead in the IAAF Diamond League Series lead with 16 points.
It was Kenya’s night as fast-rising 3,000m steeplechase sensation Jairus Birech and World 5,000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono stumped their authority for a brace of victories. Ronald Kwemoi stunned former World silver medallist Silas Kiplagat in men’s 1,500m race.
Sum, who remains unbeaten since winning the World title in August last year in Moscow, returned a season’s best of 1min,58.48sec after previous wins in Doha (1:59.33), Rome (1:59.59) and Oslo (1:59.02). Kenya’s Agatha Jeruto led through the first lap in 54.96 but Sum got to the front and kept her lead to the finish.
Russia’s 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Yekaterina Poistogova was strong on the final lap but finished second in 1:58.79. Ethiopian Tigist Assefa was third in a personal best of 1:59.24.
Fast-rising Birech
Fast-rising Birech won the men’s 3,000m steeplechase in Lausanne. The race became a one-man show, the Kenyan winning in 8:03.34.
World silver medallist Conseslus Kipruto, who is making a comeback from an injury finished more than eight seconds behind in 8:11.93.
After being led through 1,000m in 2:39.80 and then passing 2,000m in 5:21.62, it appeared as though Birech still had a chance to break the meeting record of 8:01.62, but eased off. Birech, who won in Rome and Oslo, clocking a world-leading 8:02.37 in the latter, stretched his lead to 12 points.
In women’s 3,000m, Ethiopia’s World Indoor champion Genzebe Dibaba kicked hard with 300 metres remaining, opened up a small gap, but couldn’t quite shake off the rest of the field.
Cherono, who won in New York, moved on to her shoulder coming off the final bend and passed Dibaba with 50 metres to go, to win in 8:50.24.
Kwemoi may not be a big name, but the 18-year-old Kenyan has never lost a 1,500m race. He maintained that record in Lausanne, beating a quality field that included 2011 Kiplagat, Ethiopian record holder Aman Wote, USA’s world silver medallist Matt Centrowitz and Morocco’s former world indoor champion Abdalaati Iguider.
Led by the pacemakers through 800m in 1:51.06 and 1200m in 2:50.06, Kwemoi kicked in the final lap to win.
