Kenyans stage sterling shows in Brussels meet

Beatrice Chepkoech celebrates during in the women’s 3000 metres steeplechase during the IAAF Diamond League at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Friday [AFP]

World 3,000m steeplechase record holder Beatrice Chepkoech and 800m US-based runner Emmanuel Korir produced brilliant shows at the Memorial Van Damme meet, the final leg of the IAAF Diamond League series in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday night.

Their wins took Kenyan tally to five trophies after victories from Timothy Cheruiyot (1,500m), Hellen Obiri (5,000m) and Conseslus Kipruto (3,000m steeplechase) at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Zurich on Thursday.

Chepkoech headed to the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels as hot favourite having set a new world record of 8:44.32 in Monaco last month before winning African title in Asaba in Nigeria. And the 27-year-old police officer did not disappoint as she won in 8:55.10, the third fastest performance in history and meeting record.

Norah Jeruto, the 2016 African steeplechase champion, settled for second in 8:59.62, her new personal best, while Olympic steeplechase silver medalist Hyvin Kiyeng came third in a season-best time of 9:01.60.

Having won in Doha, Eugene, Birmingham and London in 1:42.05, which is the fastest in the world in six years, Korir crowned the 800m race. 

Korir held off Marcin Lewandowski of Poland to win in 1:44.72 while the Pole came in 1:45:21 ahead of Ferguson Rotich, the 2016 Diamond League Trophy winner, who clocked 1:45.28. Commonwealth champion Wycliffe Kinyamal finished a distant sixth in 1:47.02.

African 1500m champion Winny Chebet (4:03.37) finished a distant sixth in a race won by Britain’s Laura Muir. The European Muir took the lead as she entered the homestretch, stepping up the pace to close in on Sifan Hassan who controlled the race early on. Behind her, Shelby Houlihan’s of America moved into third midway through the final lap as she entered the final straight, but couldn’t beat the Briton who went on to clock 3:58.49 to Houlihan’s 3:58.94.

Two-time African high jump champion Mathew Sawe, who made his debut in Diamond League in Monaco in July, posted 2.23m to finish the eighth. Starc Brandon of Australia won in 2.33m.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian Selemon Barega’s broke world U-20 record in 5000m finals. He broke away from compatriots Hagos Gebrhiwet and Yomif Kejelcha with 250 metres to go and the 18-year-old went on to a 12:43.02 run to become the fourth fastest ever over the distance, trailing just Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie and Daniel Komen whose performances stood as world records.

With the performance, Barega knocked more than four seconds from the previous world U-20 mark of 12:47.53 set by Gebrhiwet in Paris six years ago.