The World indoor champion Ayanleh Souleiman sets a new Djibouti mile record with a world leading time of 3:47.32 at the 40th Prefontaine Classic – [link id=”450″ tax=”post_tag” text=”IAAF Diamond League”] meeting in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.
[link id=”248″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Ayanleh Souleiman”]’s time, which makes him the 10th-fastest performer in history, broke the IAAF Diamond League record of 3:49.09 set by Kenya’s Haron Keitany at this meeting in 2011, and the meeting record of 3:48.28 run by Daniel Kipchirchir Komen of Kenya in 2007.
“My dream was 3:47 or 3:48,” said the 21-year-old Souleiman, who won 800m bronze at last summer’s World Championships. “I’m happy today.”
Kenya’s [link id=”207″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Asbel Kiprop”] looked strong early, running behind the pacemaker in second place through 800m of the Bowerman Mile race.
After the pacemaker stepped off on the bell lap, Kenya’s [link id=”276″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Silas Kiplagat”] surged three meters into the lead approaching the final curve. Kiprop covered the move but could not stave off the hard-charging Souleiman, who flew into the lead and never looked back.
Kiplagat finished second in a personal best of 3:47.88. Aman Wote finished third in an Ethiopian record of 3:48.60, while Asbel Kiprop faded all the way to seventh in 3:50.26.
“I was expecting to run close to 3:47 and unfortunately it wasn’t my day,” Kiprop said. “I don’t know. I wasn’t comfortable. In the last 200m I wasn’t responding. I think this is due to that we came from the World Relays last weekend and came straight here.”
In ninth place, SA’s [link id=”381″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Johan Cronje”] also sets a new South African record of 3:50.70.
In other events, Kenya’s [link id=”386″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Hellen Obiri”] sprinted to victory in a world-leading 3:57.05 to win the women’s 1500m breaking her own US all-comers’ record of 3:58.58 established at this meeting last year.
“I came here looking to run faster than my personal best from last year, which was 3:58, so I am so happy,” she said. “I like this stadium because it has been good to me. Last year I had a PB here. This year I had another PB here.”
Abeba Aregawi of Sweden finished second – ending a winning streak in the 1500m that dated back to August 2012 – in a season’s best of 3:57.57, pushing her leading total in the Diamond Race to six points. Faith Kipyegon, Obiri’s Kenyan relay teammate, moved up a spot down the straight and finished third in 3:58.01.
Ethiopia’s[link id=”258″ tax=”post_tag” text=” Sofia Assefa”] shaved two seconds off Milcah Chemos’s meeting record and nearly eight seconds off the world-leading time in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, winning in an impressive 9:11.39.
Hiwot Ayalew of Ethiopia was second in a season’s best of 9:12.89 and USA’s Emma Coburn lowered her personal best to 9:17.84 in a third-place finish.
In the men’s 800m, [link id=”424″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Nijel Amos”] of Botswana sprinted to victory in a world-leading 1:43.63 to break the meeting record of 1:43.68 set in 2011 by Abubaker Kaki of Sudan.
Ethiopia’s [link id=”256″ tax=”post_tag” text=”Mohammed Aman”], the fastest 800m runner in the world in 2013, finished second in 1:43.99 while Kaki finished third in 1:44.09. Kenya’s World record-holder [link id=”198″ tax=”post_tag” text=”David Rudisha”] finished in seventh-place in 1:44.87.
