Jennifer Barringer Simpson
DAEGU, Korea – (Sept 1 – Sept 4, 2011) – The 13th IAAF World Track & Field
Championships came to a close over the weekend with thrilling competition and ended with an emphatic world record by the Jamaican men led by supernova Usain Bolt in the 4x100m relay with the quartet’s 37.04 and the accompanying $100,000 WR bonus. In all, athletes from 41 countries took home medals with Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, who took top honors in the 5000 and 10,000m, the lone double world champion at Daegu 2011.
Men’s 5000m – September 4
Mo Farah arrived in Daegu with plenty of weight on his shoulders, as the year’s fastest at 5000 and 10,000m, and the favorite in both distance events. On Sunday night, the Briton added a second medal to his silver from the longer event, but this time it was gold.
Closing with a sub-53-second final lap, Farah, 28, held of the fierce late race challenge of U.S. record holder and multi-WC medalist Bernard Lagat to win in 13:23.36 vs. 13:23.64 to take his first global title. The strained looks enveloping their faces as the pair battled it out down the home straight will be one of the most indelible images of this 13th edition.
For Lagat, it was his second successive silver after his victory in 2007. Lagat, 36, from Tucson, Ariz. is now the men’s all-time World Championships 5000m medalist with three (gold and two silver). Teammate Galen Rupp (Portland, Ore.) was ninth in 13:28.64.
Men’s Marathon – September 4
With a dominant gold medal win on Sunday morning, Kenyan Abel Kirui became the third man after Abel Anton of Spain and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco to successfully defend a world marathon title and moreover, by the largest margin in the history of these global championships – 2 minutes and 28 seconds. In addition, the historic win was Kenya’s third straight men’s world title for the classic 26.2 mile event.
Under slightly overcast skies, with a finishing temperature of 79F degrees and humidity recorded as high as 65 percent, Kirui, 29, crushed the field as he cruised the multi-loop downtown Daegu course in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 38 seconds, the second fastest World Championships time behind his record of 2:06:54 set in Berlin 2009.
Countryman Vincent Kipruto won the silver medal in 2:10:06 for his first Championships medal, while Feyisa Lelisa of Ethiopia, 21, clocked 2:10:32 and became the youngest ever marathon medalist in WC history.
Kenya placed three men in the top 5 to handily win the World Cup team competition in 6:29:23, more than 11 minutes ahead of runner-up Japan and Morocco third. Team USA, led by Mike Morgan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) in 31st place (2:18:30), was seventh.
Women’s 5000m – September 2
On Friday night, Lauren Fleshman (Eugene, Ore.) got in the mix with the lead pack and stayed mid-pack through ten laps before the leaders made a significant change of gears with 1000 meters remaining. Fleshman, 29, continued to fight and was able to pass Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia right at the finish to take seventh in 15:09.25. That effort matched the highest finish ever in the event by an American woman, with Libbie Hickman and Jen Rhines placing seventh at the 1997 and 2009 World Championships, respectively. Amy Hastings (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished 15th in 15:56.06.
Defending 5000m world champion Vivian Cheruiyot, 27, who last Saturday won the 10,000m gold medal, led a 1-2 Kenyan finish in 14:55.36 with countrywoman Sylvia Kibet second (14:56.21) – the duo was also 1-2 in Berlin 2009. Interestingly, the top 4 women were also the top 4 women in Berlin.
1500m – September 1 (women) & September 3 (men)
Although strictly not considered a distance event, Team USA won two medals in the 1500 meters (metric mile) – the third time at the same Worlds (also Helsinki 1983 and Berlin 2009) – as Jennifer Simpson (nee Barringer), 28, pulled a minor upset with her gold medal win in 4:05.40. Teammate Morgan Uceny, one of the race favorites, was tripped up with about 600 meters left and finished tenth. Simpson’s golden 1500m moment was the first by the U.S. since Mary Decker in 1983.
For the U.S. men, national champion Matt Centrowitz (Eugene, Ore.), just 21, ran a smart race and finished strongly to earn the bronze medal in 3:36.08. Asbel Kiprop, 2008 Olympic champion, won the gold medal in 3:35.69 with countryman Silas Kiplagat the silver medalist (3:35.92) – the first 1-2 country 1500 finish in WC history.
It was another highly successful World Championships for Team USA who topped the country medal count (again) with 25 overall, including 12 golds and eight silvers which also led all nations. Team USA also had the most medals of any men’s team totaling 13 compared to seven by runner-up Kenya. In addition, the 12 medals, including six gold, won by the USA women’s team were the most ever at the World Outdoor Championships.
The 2013 World Championships will be hosted by Moscow, Russia from August 10-18.
13th IAAF World Track & Field Championships
Daegu, KOR, Fri-Sun, Sept 2-4, 2011
Women’s 5000m Final
Friday, September 2
1) Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN), 14:55.36, $60,000
2) Sylvia Kibet (KEN), 14:56.21, $30,000
3) Meseret Defar (ETH), 14:56.94, $20,000
4) Sentayehu Ejigu (ETH), 14:59.99, $15,000
5) Mercy Cherono (KEN), 15:00.23, $10,000
6) Linet Masai (KEN), 15:01.01, $6000
7) Lauren Fleshman (USA), 15:09.25, $5000
8) Genzebe Dibaba (ETH), 15:09.35, $4000
9) Tejitu Daba (BRN), 15:14.62
10) Yelena Zadorozhnaya (RUS), 15:15.48
Other U.S.
15) Amy Hastings (USA), 15:56.06
Men’s 5000m Final
Sunday, September 4
1) Mo Farah (GBR), 13:23.36, $60,000
2) Bernard Lagat (USA), 13:23.64, $30,000
3) Dejen Gebremeskel (ETH), 13:23.92, $20,000
4) Isiah Koech (KEN), 13:24.95, $15,000
5) Abera Kuma (ETH), 13:25.50, $10,000
6) Thomas Longosiwa (KEN), 13:26.73, $6000
7) Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), 13:27.27, $5000
8) Bilisuma Shugi (BRN), 13:27.67, $4000
9) Galen Rupp (USA), 13:28.64
10) Daniele Meucci (ITA), 13:29.11
Men’s Marathon
Sunday, September 4
1) Abel Kirui (KEN), 2:07:38, $60,000
2) Vincent Kipruto (KEN), 2:10:06, $30,000
3) Feyisa Lilesa (ETH), 2:10:32, $20,000
4) Abderrahime Bouramdane (MAR), 2:10:55, $15,000
5) David Tumo (KEN), 2:11:39, $10,000
6) Eliud Kiptanui (KEN), 2:11:50, $6000
7) Hiroyuki Horibata (JPN), 2:11:52, $5000
8) Ruggero Pertile (ITA), 2:11:57, $4000
9) Stephen Kiprotich (UGA), 2:12:57
10) Kentaro Nakamoto (JPN), 2:13:10
U.S.
31) Mike Morgan (USA), 2:18:30
37) Mike Sayenko (USA), 2:22:49
39) Jeff Eggleston (USA), 2:23:33
41) Nicholas Arciniaga (USA), 2:24:06
45) Sergio Reyes (USA), 2:29:15
51 finishers
World Cup (three men score per team on total time)
1) Kenya, 6:29:23, $20,000
2) Japan, 6:41:23, $15,000
3) Morocco, 6:42:18, $12,000
4) Spain, 6:53:41, $10,000
5) China, 6:54:32, $8000
6) Korea, 6:57:03, $6000
7) USA, 7:04:52
