Lagat maintains winning streak as Kipsiele and Brimin tie

By Mutwiri Mutuota

Olympic champion, Nancy Jebet Lagat looks certain to be crowned the IAAF Diamond League winner in women’s 1,500m after delivering yet another victory at Aviva London Grand Prix on Friday.

Lagat (4:07.60) continues to make mockery of statisticians in the sport who point to the fact she is yet to dip under the 4:00 mark in her career as she led world leader, Russia’s Anna Alminova (4:08.22) and Britain’s Lisa Dobriskey (4:09.7) across the line.

A surprise when she won the Olympic crown two years ago with no other international wins during that 2008 season, Lagat is now looking the real deal in that champion’s mould.

After six Diamond League races she now leads the battle for the season long prize with 17 points and no one would begrudge her of victory in a season that has witnessed the Kenya Army officer add the continental title to her CV during Nairobi 2010 continental championships at the back end of last month.

World Leader

In the men’s steeple, the battle between Olympic champion, Brimin Kipruto and bronze winner from Athens four years earlier, Paul Kipsiele Koech will head down to the wire. Tied at nine Diamond League points at the beginning of the 3,000m water and barrier race ahead of London, Kipsiele, the 2010 world leader edged his nose in front in race for top honours.

The brilliant circuit racer defeated 2004 Olympic and 2009 World champ Ezekiel Kemboi and Kipruto over the final lap coming home in 8:17.70 against the 8:19.95 and 8:20.77 clocked by his challengers.

Elsewhere, Mark Kiptoo, 34, who ran to a career best 5,000m in the previous DL race in Stockholm finished third in the men’s 3,000m here with 7:41.56 in a race Kenyan born American, Bernard Lagat (7:40.36) won.

Assassin’s Anti-Dote

There is still no Kenyan antidote yet for a fit Ethiopian ‘Baby Faced Assasin’ Tirunesh Dibaba as she once again did one on world champions, Vivian Cheruiyot (5,000m) and Linet Masai (10,000m) in London in the women’s 5,000m event.

Dibaba, who took the African women crown at her rival’s backyard for Ethiopia’s lone gold in the event registered an impressive 14:36.31 that beat runner-up Cheruiyot’s 14:38.17 and Masai’s 14:32.7 that was good for fifth.

Freshly minted World junior 3,000m champion, Mercy Cherono raced 14:53.61 for eighth