Kenyans shine in Qatar

By Omulo Okoth in Doha, QATAR

Kenyans ran away with four titles at the inaugural IAAF Diamond League circuit in this Gulf State on Friday night.

Watched by a roaring crowd inside Doha’s Qatar Sports Club stadium on the West Bay skyline, the meet, the first of its kind in a new series that will take the lucrative circuit from Asia, Europe and America, saw nine world leading times recorded.

powerful victory

Although Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell stole the show with his powerful victory in 100m, world champion Ezekiel Kemboi tactfully raced past early leader Patrick Lang’at and challenger Paul Kipsiele Koech in the last lap to win the 3,000m steeplechase in a new world leading time of 8:06.28. Koech was second and Lang’at third.

African champion David Rudisha began the charge in the evening as he led a Kenyan one-two in the 800m. Rudisha won in a world leading 1:43.00, which also beat the previous best time of 1:43.09 recorded inDoha by Sudan’s Abybaker Kaki Khamis. Olympic 1,500m champion Asbel Kiprop came second in 1:43.45 and Moroccan Amine Lalou was third in1:43.71.

But South Africa’s world champion, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi and Sudan’s Olympic silver medallist Ahmed Ismail Ahmed failed to live up to expectations. Mulaudzi could only finish fourth despite his effort of 1:43.78, while the vocal Sudanese crowd failed to inspire Ismail who finished a disappointing 10th.

Stay consistent

"I was expecting to run a fast time and I did. I want to stay consistent throughout the entire season," Rudisha told reporters.

In the absence of 5,000m world champion Kekenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, Eliud Kipchoge won the race in a world leading time of 12:51.21.

Vincent Kiprop Chepkok pushed Ethiopia’s Jida Imane Merga to take second place in personal best 12:51.45. Joseph Ebuya finished a poor ninth in 13:33.37.

Kenyan-born Qatar’s Essa Ismael Rashed (Daniel Kipkosgei) completed the race in fifth place, while another Kenyan-born Qatari Ahmed Hassan Abdullah (Albert Chepkurui) was seventh.

Olympic champion Nancy Jebet Lagat easily won the women’s 1,500m after beating Ethiopia’s Gelete Burka in the final stretch with a devastating kick. Lagat, who had a bad season last year, timed 4:01.63 and Burka 4:02.16. Shanghai will be the nest stop on the Diamond League circuit on May 23.