KIRWA NOT WORRIED: Athletics coach not concerned despite Kiprop losing in Monaco

Kenya's Olympic team head coach Julius Kirwa is not worried despite three-time world 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop losing on Friday night in the Monaco Diamond League meeting.

There was a lot of concern among Kenyans after the reigning world champion finished sixth in the ninth in 3:32.03 even though he had gone with the pace setters and was the clock showed 1:50 which showed it was going to be a faster time.

That was not to be though as Ronald Kwemoi destroyed the field in the last 50m to win the race in 3:30.49, which was still good news for Kenyan coaches as Kwemoi is part of the team to the Olympic Games in Brazil next month.

"The results from Monaco has helped us check on certain areas we should fine tune before the Olympics. Asbel Kiprop is hugely talented and we have no worries," Kirwa said.

There had been talk before the meeting of a 1500m world record attempt by Diamond Race leader and world 1,500m champion Kiprop.

Hopes were high for the star-studded field, but after hitting 1000m in 2:18, it was evident that history would not be made.

What happened after that was still a surprise. Kiprop led at that point, closely tracked by 2012 world indoor champion Abdalaati Iguider.

Kwemoi pounced and ran away in the last 50m to take victory. Elijah Manangoi also pulled through late, crossing the line second in 3:31.19, just ahead of Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi, Iguider and middle-distance legend Mo Farah.

Kiprop, who will hope to reclaim his 2008 crown in Rio, finished sixth, which is enough to keep him at the top of the overall Diamond Race standings.

Before the meeting in Monaco, Kiprop has been unhappy with the way his manager Federico Rosa has been treated with the Italian remanded until Monday while he was hoping to travel to Monaco together with his athletes.

Rosa, who runs Rosa Associati is facing doping charges which he has denied and the court remanded him on Thursday pending further investigations.

Since the case started, Kiprop and other athletes who are represented by Rosa Associati have not been able to train well as they have expressed concern as to what could be facing their agent.

Elsewhere, Hellen Obiri led a Kenyan 1-2-3 in the women's 3000m. After being taken through the first kilometer in 2:52.00, Obiri and Mercy Cherono led the group as they went through 2000m in 5:40.89 before winning in 8:24.27.

There were no surprises in the men's 3000m steeplechase, which was the final event on the track. Conseslus Kipruto recorded his fourth straight win on the IAAF Diamond League circuit and now has an insurmountable lead in the overall standings as he won in 8:08.11.

"I could have done a faster time today but I did not want to push myself to the limit," the Kenyan said. "I preferred to smile at the finish line and save some energy for Rio."

Second and third also went to Kenyan athletes. Paul Kipsiele Koech finished in a season's best of 8:08.32, while Barnabas Kipyego recorded a personal best of 8:09.13.

In women 800m, Caster Semenya is an unstoppable force as she held the world lead coming into the race, and with a field also containing Margaret Wambui Nyairera and Francine Niyonsaba, the second and third fastest women in the world in 2016, the pace was likely to be fast. Semenya won in Diamond League record of 1.55.33 as Niyonsaba set national record of 1:56.24. Nyairera came third in 1:56.64.

The eye-catching times did not stop there. Molly Ludlow (1:57.68), Angelika Cichocka (1:58.97) and Gudaf Tsegay (1:59.77) recorded personal bests; Eunice Sum (1:57.47), Lynsey Sharp (1:57.75) and Yuneysi Santiusti (2:00.04) came home in the best times of their seasons.

SELECTED MONACO RESULTS

800m men

1. Alfred Kipketer 1:44.47

2. Adam Kszczot 1:44.49

3. Marcin Lewandowski 1:44.59

1500m men

1. Ronald Kwemoi 3:30.49

2. Elijah Manangoi 3:31.19

3. Taoufik Makhloufi 3:31.35

4. Abdalaati Iguider 3:31.54

5. Mohamed Farah 3:31.74

6. Asbel Kiprop 3:32.03

3000m Steeplechase men

1. Conseslus Kipruto 8:08.11

2. Paul Kipsiele Koech 8:08.32

3. Barnabas Kipyego 8:09.13

4. Soufiane Elbakkali 8:14.41

5. Abraham Kibiwott 8:14.84

6. Andrew Bayer 8:17.39

7. Lawrence Kemboi 8:19.15

800m women

1. Caster Semenya 1:55.33

2. Francine Niyonsaba 1:56.24

3. Margaret Nyairera 1:56.64

4. Eunice Sum 1:57.47

3000m women

1. Hellen Obiri 8:24.27

2. Mercy Cherono 8:27.25

3. Janet Kisa 8:28.33

4. Karoline Bjerkeli 8:39.47

5. Twell Stephanie 8:40.98

6. Nicole Sifuentes 8:46.25