Meseret Defar is successfully defied by Vivian Cheruiyot over 3000m at the 2012 Samsung Diamond League in Doha (© Jiro Mochizuki)
With champions leading virtually all the fields of the longer events on the programme, it's crystal clear that next Thursday's Compeed Golden Gala, the third stop of the 2012 Samsung Diamond League series, won't only be about the eagerly-anticipated sprint face off between Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Christophe Lemaitre.
A quick event-by-event rundown:
Women’s 5000m –
This will be the much-awaited show in the longest race on the programme. The line-up includes Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot (PB 14:20.87, the third fastest time in history), the gold medallist in the 5000m and 10,000m in Daegu, up against Ethiopian Meseret Defar (14:12.88, second fastest runner in history and former World record holder), who won gold at the 2004 Olympic Games, bronze in 2008, the World title in 2007 and four World Indoor titles.
Also in the field is Ethiopian Gelete Burka (14:31.20), twice World Cross Country champion and World Indoor 1500m gold medallist and Kenyan Sylvia Kibet, the 2009 and 2011 World silver medallist.
In their previous clashes Defar clearly prevails over the others. The Ethiopian leads 11-4 over Cheruiyot, 12-2 over Kibet and 8-0 over over Burka. Cheruiyot prevailed 18 times over Kibet in 20 meets and only once over Burka who often runs over shorter distances, but leads 3-1 over Kibet.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase –
Four Kenyan standouts -Paul Kipsiele Koech, Ezekiel Kemboi, Richard Matelong and Brimin Kipruto - will be under the Rome spotlight.
The remarkably consistent Kemboi (PB 7:55.76) won the Olympic title in 2004 and has won a medal at each of the last five editions of the World Championships, capped by successive golds in 2009 and 2011. Koech (PB 7:56.37 clocked in Rome 2005) won Olympic bronze in 2004 and has produced eight of history’s 32 sub-eight minute performances. Kipruto won the 2008 Olympic title and was Olympic silver medallist in Athens and won the world title in Osaka. Last year he narrowly missed Saif Shaheen’s World record (7:53.63) by just one one-hundredth of a second. Matelong is the latest specialist able to dip under the eight minutes barrier after clocking 7:56.81 in Doha on 11 May. He boasts three major medals: the Olympic bronze in Beijing, and a silver and bronze at the World Championships.
They will take on Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi Banabbad (8:02.09, the second fastest time by a European), who’s won three major medals: European gold in 2010, Olympic silver in Beijing and World bronze in Daegu. He also holds the world all-time best performance in the 2000m Steeplechase with 5:10.68.
In the previous clashes Kemboi won over Kipruto 25 times in 35 meets and also leads 27-19 over Koech and 24-10 over Matelong. Koech leads 24-15 over Kipruto and 26-7 over Mateelong who lost 21 races to 16 against Kipruto. Mekhissi lost three races to 1 against Koech aid is 7-0 against Kipruto but won 5 races to 2 against Kemboi and prevailed in 5 races to 3 against Mateelong.
Women’s 800m –
This is one of the highest quality races with four formidable athletes in the line-up. Leading the charge is Kenyan Pamela Jelimo, who won the Olympic title when she was just 18 and set five World junior records. She holds a 1:54.01 PB, the fastest time for 29 years. This year she returned to her best form winning the World Indoor title. The other Kenyan standout will be Janeth Jepkosgei, who holds a 1:56.04 PB set when she won the 2007 World title. She is used to winning medals in major events: Olympic silver in Beijing, World silver in Berlin and World bronze in Daegu. The other African star will be Caster Semenya, who followed in the footsteps of Jelimo by winning the World title in Berlin 2009. Still a junior, she won the world title in a PB of 1:55.45 backing up this medal two years later in Daegu with silver. Last but not least is Russian Mariya Savinova, the reigning World and European champion, who set her 1:55.87 PB when she won the 2011 World title. In previous clashes between these athletes Savinova leads over the Africans.
Men’s 800m –
The most awaited athlete is Pole Marcin Lewandowski, the 2010 European champion with a PB of 1:43.84. Lewandowski ran two of his four fastest times on Italian soil (in Rieti), where he has never won during his career. He will take on strong British middle distance runner Andrew Osagie, who won the 2012 World indoor bronze. In his season’s debut he improved his PB to 1:44.64 in the first leg of the Samsung Diamond League in Doha. Lewandowski won all four previous clashes over Osagie.
Women’s 1500m –
The new generation of middle distance running will clash in the women’s 1500m. At the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba won the event and Kenyan Hellen Obiri clinched the women’s 3000m. They’ve met four times and are tied in their previous clashes, although Dibaba won the last two races, most recently with her 3:57.77 world lead in the recent Samsung Diamond League meeting in Shanghai where Obiri who finished fourth. The third big name is Maryam Yusuf Jamal (PB 3:56.18), the star from Bahrain who won back-to-back World titles in 2007 and 2009. Jamal is tied in previous clashes with Obiri, but lost 2-1 against Dibaba. 2011 World leader Morgan Uceny from the USA is in the lead over all other rivals thanks to her outstanding 2011 season.
Organisers for the IAAF
A quick event-by-event rundown:
Women’s 5000m –
This will be the much-awaited show in the longest race on the programme. The line-up includes Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot (PB 14:20.87, the third fastest time in history), the gold medallist in the 5000m and 10,000m in Daegu, up against Ethiopian Meseret Defar (14:12.88, second fastest runner in history and former World record holder), who won gold at the 2004 Olympic Games, bronze in 2008, the World title in 2007 and four World Indoor titles.
Also in the field is Ethiopian Gelete Burka (14:31.20), twice World Cross Country champion and World Indoor 1500m gold medallist and Kenyan Sylvia Kibet, the 2009 and 2011 World silver medallist.
In their previous clashes Defar clearly prevails over the others. The Ethiopian leads 11-4 over Cheruiyot, 12-2 over Kibet and 8-0 over over Burka. Cheruiyot prevailed 18 times over Kibet in 20 meets and only once over Burka who often runs over shorter distances, but leads 3-1 over Kibet.
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase –
Four Kenyan standouts -Paul Kipsiele Koech, Ezekiel Kemboi, Richard Matelong and Brimin Kipruto - will be under the Rome spotlight.
The remarkably consistent Kemboi (PB 7:55.76) won the Olympic title in 2004 and has won a medal at each of the last five editions of the World Championships, capped by successive golds in 2009 and 2011. Koech (PB 7:56.37 clocked in Rome 2005) won Olympic bronze in 2004 and has produced eight of history’s 32 sub-eight minute performances. Kipruto won the 2008 Olympic title and was Olympic silver medallist in Athens and won the world title in Osaka. Last year he narrowly missed Saif Shaheen’s World record (7:53.63) by just one one-hundredth of a second. Matelong is the latest specialist able to dip under the eight minutes barrier after clocking 7:56.81 in Doha on 11 May. He boasts three major medals: the Olympic bronze in Beijing, and a silver and bronze at the World Championships.
They will take on Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi Banabbad (8:02.09, the second fastest time by a European), who’s won three major medals: European gold in 2010, Olympic silver in Beijing and World bronze in Daegu. He also holds the world all-time best performance in the 2000m Steeplechase with 5:10.68.
In the previous clashes Kemboi won over Kipruto 25 times in 35 meets and also leads 27-19 over Koech and 24-10 over Matelong. Koech leads 24-15 over Kipruto and 26-7 over Mateelong who lost 21 races to 16 against Kipruto. Mekhissi lost three races to 1 against Koech aid is 7-0 against Kipruto but won 5 races to 2 against Kemboi and prevailed in 5 races to 3 against Mateelong.
Women’s 800m –
This is one of the highest quality races with four formidable athletes in the line-up. Leading the charge is Kenyan Pamela Jelimo, who won the Olympic title when she was just 18 and set five World junior records. She holds a 1:54.01 PB, the fastest time for 29 years. This year she returned to her best form winning the World Indoor title. The other Kenyan standout will be Janeth Jepkosgei, who holds a 1:56.04 PB set when she won the 2007 World title. She is used to winning medals in major events: Olympic silver in Beijing, World silver in Berlin and World bronze in Daegu. The other African star will be Caster Semenya, who followed in the footsteps of Jelimo by winning the World title in Berlin 2009. Still a junior, she won the world title in a PB of 1:55.45 backing up this medal two years later in Daegu with silver. Last but not least is Russian Mariya Savinova, the reigning World and European champion, who set her 1:55.87 PB when she won the 2011 World title. In previous clashes between these athletes Savinova leads over the Africans.
Men’s 800m –
The most awaited athlete is Pole Marcin Lewandowski, the 2010 European champion with a PB of 1:43.84. Lewandowski ran two of his four fastest times on Italian soil (in Rieti), where he has never won during his career. He will take on strong British middle distance runner Andrew Osagie, who won the 2012 World indoor bronze. In his season’s debut he improved his PB to 1:44.64 in the first leg of the Samsung Diamond League in Doha. Lewandowski won all four previous clashes over Osagie.
Women’s 1500m –
The new generation of middle distance running will clash in the women’s 1500m. At the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba won the event and Kenyan Hellen Obiri clinched the women’s 3000m. They’ve met four times and are tied in their previous clashes, although Dibaba won the last two races, most recently with her 3:57.77 world lead in the recent Samsung Diamond League meeting in Shanghai where Obiri who finished fourth. The third big name is Maryam Yusuf Jamal (PB 3:56.18), the star from Bahrain who won back-to-back World titles in 2007 and 2009. Jamal is tied in previous clashes with Obiri, but lost 2-1 against Dibaba. 2011 World leader Morgan Uceny from the USA is in the lead over all other rivals thanks to her outstanding 2011 season.
Organisers for the IAAF
