Kenya’s athletic bigwigs performed dismally at the Memorial Van Damme, the final meeting of the IAAF Diamond League in Brussels, Belgium.
World 400m hurdles champion Nicholas Bett, three-time world 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop and silver medallist Elijah Manangoi –lining up in 800m –and world javelin champion Julius Yego could not take the heat on Friday night, even failing to appear in podium places.
Fortune was also not up for world 3,000m steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng, who lost the water and barriers race crown to world silver medallist Ghribi Habiba of Tunisia, who ran a world leading time and meet record of 9:05.36.
Virginia Nyambura, who finished sixth, consolidated 15 points to lift the IAAF Diamond Race Trophy. She joined Asbel Kiprop (1,500m), world 800m bronze medallist Eunice Sum and Africa 3,000m steeplechase champion Jairus Kipchoge Birech who crowned their Diamond League titles on Thursday last week in Zurich, Switzerland.
Yego bowed to world bronze medallist Pitkamaki, who unleashed 87.37m to crown the IAAF Diamond Trophy. Rohler Thomas (86.56m) and Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott (84.03m) came second and third as Yego finished fourth in 83.82m.
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Yego, who holds the Africa record at 92.72m, said he would not rest on his laurels but prepare for 2016 Rio Olympics. “It was not my day, but I have started my preparations for Olympics,” he said.
World 1,500m silver medallist Faith Chepng’etich gave Kenyans a night to remember when she wore the one-mile crown in a world leading time of 4:16.71.
Dutch former world 1,500m champion Sifan Hassan settled for runner-up spot in a national record of 4:18.20.
Rowbury Shannon (4:22.10), Simpson Jenny (4:22.18) and former world 5,000m silver medallist Mercy Cherono (4:22.67) came in fourth, fifth and sixth Viola Kibiwott (4:24.31) and Nancy Chepkwemoi (4:28.66) faded to eighth and 12th respectively.
Chepng’etich, , said: “The season has been good for me. I now target Olympics.
Despite basking on a world leading time Bett, who stunned the world when he became the second African to win the world 400m hurdles title in Beijing, finished seventh in 49.90 ahead of Boniface Mucheru (50.75).
Ethiopia’s 2013 World Youth 3,000m champion Yomif Kejelcha and Hagos Gebrhiwet, who bagged 5000m silver behind Britain’s triple world champion Mo Farah in Moscow, pulled a fast one on Kenyans in 5,000m.
Kejelcha, who won in Eugene and Rome, won in a world leading time of 12:53.98 ahead of Gebrhiwet (12:54.70) and Iguider Abdelaati (12:59.25).
Olympic bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa (12:59.72) and world silver medallist Caleb Mwangangi (13:05.30) returned fourth and fifth.
Kszczot Adam (1:45.12), Olympic 800m silver medallist Nijel Amos (1:45.25), Tuka Amel (1:45.45), ex-world champion Aman Mohammed (1:45.49) and Belhanbel Nader (1:45.94) swept top-five spots as former Africa Youth champion Robert Biwott (1:46.17) and Gakeme Antoine (1:46.82) followed.
