CHEPTEGEI TOPPLES BEKELE'S WORLD 5000M RECORD IN MONACO
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2020 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

(14-Aug) -- The pandemic-delayed Wanda Diamond League roared back with a vengeance tonight in Monaco where reigning world 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei took down one of the toughest records in all of athletics, Kenenisa Bekele's 16 year-old 5000m world standard of 12:37.35 set in Hengelo in 2004.  Cheptegei, a 23 year-old Ugandan who also won the 2019 World Athletics Cross Country title, ran the equivalent of three consecutive 4:03 miles, clocking 12:35.36 at the Herculis Meeting in the Stade Louis II in warm conditions (26C/79F).

"I think Monaco is a special place and it's one of these places where I could break the world record," Cheptegei said in his post-race interview.  "It took a lot of mind-setting to keep being motivated this year because so many people are staying at home but you have to stay motivated."

Cheptegei had the benefit of three pacemakers, Dutchman Roy Hoornweg, Ugandan Stephen Kissa, and Australian Matthew Ramsden. Hoornweg got the race off to a solid start, hitting 1000m in 2:31.87, then Kissa and Ramsden took over splitting 2000m in 5:03.77.  By 3000m, Cheptegei was on his own, running sub-61-second laps.  Remarkably, he ran the final five laps in 60.10, 60.18, 60.33, 59.97 and 59.64, meaning his last mile (1609 meters) was covered in about 4:01.5.

"I pushed myself, I had the right staff with me, the right coach," said Cheptegei who is coached by Dutchman Addy Ruiter.  "I'm also usually based in Europe, but being based in Uganda with my family was actually great. I will for sure celebrate the world record when I get home."

There were excellent results behind him, including the 12:51.78 run by second place Nicholas Kimeli of Kenya, and a Dutch record (equaled) by Mike Foppen in fourth place (13:13.06).  Eight men broke 13:24.

The women's 5000m was nearly as exciting, coming down to a last-lap duel between Letsenbet Gidey of Ethiopia and reigning world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya.  Already on pace for a fast time (3000m split of 8:41.67), Obiri shot past Gidey on the inside with about 250 meters to go, and the Ethiopian could not respond.  Obiri clocked a world-leading 14:22.12, a meet record, to Gidey's 14:26.57.  Britain's Laura Weightman ran a personal best 14:35.44, making her the second-fastest Briton of all-time behind only Paula Radcliffe.  Fourth place Jessica Hull, the 2018 NCAA 1500m champion for the University of Oregon, set an Australian record of 14:43.80.

"Because Kenya was in lockdown, I was not able to train properly so I was not well prepared for this race," said Obiri who is also the reigning World Athletics cross country champion.  "For me, I thought I was in a shape for 14:40 and seeing I did 14:22, I am really happy!"

Reigning world 800m champion Donavan Brazier kept up his winning ways, running a world-leading 1:43.15 in the 800m.  His victory didn't come easily, however.  He first had to pass Canada's Marco Arop with about 200 meters to go, then had to hold off hard-charging American Bryce Hoppel who only finished a step behind in a big personal best of 1:43.23.

"It feels good," said Brazier who admitted that he wasn't happy with his tactics.  "It's my first time in Monaco.  I'm happy to get the win."

The men's 1500m would have been the race of the meet if it were not for Cheptegei's world record.  Off of a way-too-fast first 400 meters of 52.59 by the pacemakers, reigning world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya managed to settle himself down and run to a world-leading 3:28.45.  He got a scare from Norwegian brothers Jakob and Filip Ingebrigtsen and Briton Jake Wightman who had caught him midway through the race and were drafting the tall and lanky Kenyan on the bell lap.  Wightman made a strong move with about 250 meters to move into third place, but Cheruiyot was the fastest man in the homestretch beating the younger Jakob Ingebrigtsen by about a quarter of a second.

"The first lap was hard so I tried to close on the last lap because Jakob was coming fast," said Cheruiyot.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who is just 19 years-old, was rewarded with a European record of 3:28.68.  Wightman ran a personal best of 3:29.47 making him the #2 Briton of all-time behind only Mo Farah and ahead of legendary athletes Steve Cram (3:29.67) and Sebastian Coe (3:29.77).

Reigning Olympic 1500m gold medalist Faith Kipyegon of Kenya scorched the rarely-run 1000m in an African record of 2:29.15.  It was also a Diamond League record, the fastest time of 2020, and second-fastest performance in history.  Laura Muir of Great Britain finished second in a national record 2:30.82, and third went to Irishwoman Ciara Mageean who also set a national record of 2:31.06.  Mageean, who recently became the first Irish woman to break two minutes for 800 meters, passed Muir's training partner, Jemma Reekie, in the final meters.

"Having Laura so close to me coming at the front helped me to push myself," said Kipyegon who had to prepare for today's meet in isolation due to the pandemic.  She said that all of the tracks in Kenya are closed.

In the final distance event of the meet, last year's World Athletics Championships bronze medalist Soufiane El Bakkali won the 3000m steeplechase in a world-leading 8:08.04.  The tall Moroccan reeled in Kenya's Leonard Bett in the final kilometer, had a comfortable lead into the homestretch, but won by just three quarters of a second after Bett turned on his sprint in the final 50 meters and El Bakkali relaxed.

"we had no pacemaker here but I am really happy because behind me in the race, there was some level (of competition)," El Bakkali said in French (translated by meet organizers).  He added: "I am very happy to be competing in Monaco, it's a very good meeting, where we have a lot of good times and there is a real pleasure in winning for the 3rd time here in a row."

The next stop of the abbreviated 2020 Wanda Diamond League is the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm on Sunday, August 23.


PHOTO: Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda celebrates after breaking the 5000m world record at the Herculis Meeting in Monaco (photo by Etienne Fiacre, courtesy of Meeting Herculis; used with permission)