With the dust just settled on the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, two back-to-back Diamond League meets offered a series of enticing rematches this past week.
We take a look at some of the African athletes who excelled in Zurich, Switzerland and Xiamen, China as well as at the World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Berlin.
BUDAPEST DÉJÀ VU - WOMEN’S 3000M STEEPLE CHASE, ZURICH DIAMOND LEAGUE
There was a familiar feel to the women’s 3000m steeple chase in Zurich as the three world championship medallists went head to head once again in Switzerland.
Kenyan-born Winfred Mutile Yavi, who has represented Bahrain since the age of 15, and Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech were still neck and neck by the final barrier. But it was newly crowned world champion Yavi who had the superior speed in the final metres to secure the win in 9:03.19 with Chepkoech second in 9:03.70 and fellow Kenyan Faith Cherotich ensuring the top three looked exactly the same as in Budapest after finishing third in 9:07.59.
NEVER IN DOUBT – MEN’S 5000M, ZURICH DIAMOND LEAGUE
After finishing fifth at the World Championships, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha left nothing to chance when he arrived at the track in Zurich. He had built up an impressive 60m lead on the field by the final lap and held on to take the win in 12:46.91. Olympic 10 000m champion Selemon Barego, who took bronze in the longer event in Budapest, completed the Ethiopian 1-2 by finishing second ahead of American Grant Fisher in a season’s best 12:54.17.
SWEET TWO-LAP REVENGE – MEN’S 800M, XIAMEN DIAMOND LEAGUE
Revenge was sweet for Kenya’s world championships silver medallist over 800m, Emmanuel Wanyonyi. The 19-year-old held his nerve to outgun the man who had stormed from the back to the front of the field to pip him for gold in Budapest, Sudanese-born Canadian Marco Arop. The world champion made his move with 200m to go but Wanyonyi was having none of it. The race ended with a fierce sprint down the home straight and the Kenyan just edged in front to win in a personal best and world-leading time of 1:43.20.
WORLD LEAD FOR CLASSY CHEBET – WOMEN’S 3000M, XIAMEN DIAMOND LEAGUE
While the 3000m isn’t a distance that’s contested all that often on the international stage, Beatrice Chebet used her distance acumen to ensure another Kenyan victory. The world cross country champion and bronze medallist over 5000m in Budapest produced a personal best performance to set the fastest time in the world this year on her way to victory in 8:24.05. Her compatriot Margaret Akidor also ran a personal best of 8:29.88 to finish third. In fact, 10 out of the 15 athletes that finished the race ran personal best times.
CONFIRMING HIS WORLD CHAMPION STATUS – MEN’S 3000M STEEPLE CHASE, XIAMEN DIAMOND LEAGUE
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali followed up his world championship gold with another dominant performance in China. He had no trouble finishing out front and even slowed down towards the finish, claiming the win in 8:10.31, with Ethiopia’s world junior silver medallist Samuel Firewu second in 8:11.29 and Kenya’s Amos Serem third in a season’s best 8:14.41.
HAILU HOLDS ON – WOMEN’S 1500M, XIAMEN DIAMOND LEAGUE
The women’s 1500m brought with it a showdown between Kenyan Nelly Chepchirchir, who finished fifth in the final in Budapest, and Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu who was seventh in the 5000m final in the Hungarian capital. The Ethiopian held the lead heading into the final lap, but Chepchirchir made her move with 250m to go. She couldn’t make it count, however, as Hailu had more gas in the tank in the final 100m to outsprint the Kenyan down the home straight to win in 3:56.56. It was nevertheless a personal best time for 20-year-old Chepchirchir who finished second in 3:56.72.
ZANGO’S SILVER LINING – MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP, XIAMEN DIAMOND LEAGUE
Hugues Fabrice Zango claimed Burkina Faso’s first ever gold medal at a world championships in Budapest 13 days ago. The newly crowned triple jump world champion fell just 21cm short of another win in China, however. Zango led after the first round, but Italy’s Andy Diaz Hernandez took the lead with his second-round jump and then bettered that by sailing to 17.43m with his final effort. Zango’s final-round leap of 17.22m was just not enough to regain the top spot but it earned him second place nonetheless.
GIDEY ON HER OWN SPEEDY MISSION – WOMEN’S 5000M, ISTAF MEETING, BERLIN
If Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey had her sights set on regaining the 5000m world record that Kenyan superstar Faith Kipyegon’s took off her in Paris in June, she certainly gave it a good go at the World Athletics Continental Tour meet in Berlin on Sunday. Led by Kenyan pacemaker, Beatrice Chepkoech, the Ethiopian finished almost a minute ahead of the chasing pack but the record remained just out of reach. Gidey nevertheless ran her third best time over the distance, winning in 14:08.79 to shatter the 22-year-old meeting record. She now holds three of the four fastest times in history over the distance behind Kipyegon’s record.
ANOTHER STEP IN TSHITE’S LEARNING PROCESS – MEN’S 1500M, ISTAF MEETING, BERLIN
One of the few South Africans still competing in Europe, Tshepo Tshite, put in a gutsy performance in the 1500m in Berlin. The former 800m runner, who has admitted he’s still learning how to run the longer event, came around the outside of the pack with around 250m to go, moving from fifth place to second to finish in 3:34.97, with Britain’s George Mills taking the win in 3:34.51.