Defar cruises in 5,000

Ethiopia's Olympic champion and world-record holder Meseret Defar clinched her first outdoor world title with a decisive victory in the 5,000 meters. The 23-year-old was left as the ovewhelming favorite for the race after teammate Tirunesh Dibaba decided to skip the 5,000 meters because of illness following her 10,000-meter triumph. Biding her time in the humid conditions, Defar toook the lead on the penultimate lap and kicked on the final run down the back straight to leave the field for dead, crossing the line in 14 minutes 57.91 seconds. (WCSN, WCSN.com)

Comments

1. The Kenyans are incredible, but what can one say about Defar and Dibaba?
2. ...I now see when vivian and other kenyan women decided that the rule for long distance by ethiopians should end with tirunesh........meticulous study on defar,look at those 3 gals behind defar.....Daegu answered that......any way as a kenyan i still respect our neighbours for their prowess in the track
3. wow
4. Mesi(Ethio Hero) we proud of u..keep it up!
5. oh I see, It's sad..
6. @enderasu Your a sad thing
7. The Kenyan runner in 3rd place with about 50m to go eased off at the end and lost the Bronze Medal!
8. @starcraftiskool, Tirunesh is still the best 5,000m runner at teh moment. There is no doubt that when she is within her element, she is hard to beat. It'll be very interesting if she decides to double and face Cheruiyot in London 2012. I think Defar has finally accepted that Vivian right now is better than her. She's lost the last 4 races that they've competed against together. Yes, Dibaba is still the queen.
9. ..cont. We also swept the men's 5,000m in style in a race that had imane MErga, Bekana daba and Beks junior. Without Kenenisa, Ethipia usually doesn't crack it. WE know that. We also won the men's 4x400m by a margin over Botswana and favourites Nigeria. The youtful Wilson Kiprop opened our golden bank account on Monday, July 26, 2010 with another attack race. He dropped a 27.32.91 AT ALTITUDE! Asbel Kiprop showed why he is the olympics games gold medallist with a strategic front running style.
10. Wow! Kenya wins big time in Nairobi!!!! We lost to Dibaba as well as an Algerian in the 800m. Everything else fell in our basket. We had two clean sweeps. The Men's 800m was a classic display of our mid distance prowess. Rudisha dropped a 1.42.88. It was jaw dropping. The entire stadium rose to salute his gallant performance. He was followed by the indefatigable Alfred Yego Kirwa who never disappoints and the youthful Jackson Kivuva won bronze. We also swept the men's 5,000m in style...
11. a lot of galla
12. Mrembo87, I can't seem to find it. Nimejaribu but I can't find it. Sorry kababie. I was dying too to see that video. By the way, I did watch the last day of the World junior Championships in Moncton, Canada. Kenya rocked! I missed the first six days but I managed to catch the final day. We led the medals table. We are with it baibe. Our juniors are charged up. All these young guys will be ripe fo rthe Brazil Olympics in 2016. HOngera Kenya!!
13. I think it's hard to deny Maseret and especially Tirunesh are the greatest talents we've seen since probably Wang Junxia in the mid '90s. Of course, in close, tactical races anything can happen but I don't think any Kenyan runners are capable of a 14:10 5k at this moment in time.
14. my fault and my sincere apologies. The women's world record is held by Tirunesh Dibaba, NOT Meseret Defar. Defar's PB which is also a former world record is 14:12.88.
15. ....cont. PARIS, FRANCE, results continued. Iness Chepkesis Chenonge 14:39 for sixth. Mary Wanjohi 14:50 for seventh. Molly Huddle, USA 14:51 for eight. Sylvia Kibet, 14: 52 for ninth Sylvia Jebet Kibiwott, 14:54 for tenth. Vivian Cheruiyot is with it!
16. Vivian Cheruiyot ran a 14:27.41 5k in Paris, France on Friday, July 16, 2010. Ejigu SEntayehu ran 14: 28.39 for second. Former Ethiopian Elvan Abylgesse (Turkey) 14: 31.52 for third. Meselech Melkamu 14: 32.73 for fourth. Augusto JEssica of Portugal 14:37 for fifth. ....cont.
17. ....cont In response to Starcraftiskool, Dibaba beat Masai in the Beijing Olympics. Since then, Masai beat Dibaba in New York in '09 I believe as well as Bydgoszcz, Poland World Cross Country Championships early this year. My point Starcraftiskool is that the way these two Ethiopians reigned in the period between '02 and '08 is gone. They have real competition and occasionally, they'll lose to these two girls or even other athletes (who also include fellow Ethiopians.)
18. ....cont This is in response to Starcraftiskool, ....while Cheruiyot was in school preparing for her exams. In Kenya, one normally graduates from High school at 18 earliest. Most students are usually 19 or 20. Today, there is no much difference between the two just like there is no much difference between Dibaba and Masai. Dibaba's problem is more complex in that she is 25 years old while Masai is only 20. In their last 4 meets, the outcome is 3-1 in favour of Masai. Cont....
19. @starcraftiskool, I concur. There is an almost 12 second difference between their personal bests. I don't for a moment disagree that Defar was at her best in '05, '06 and '07 when she ran a World Record (14:11.15). These girls are the same age but Defar bloomed earlier. Also, Cheruiyot put aside her running career to concentrate on her education in Kenya. She has gone up to form four (the final year in high school in Kenya) which was her goal. By then, Defar was burning the track ...cont.
20. @cavarre, We, (the KEnyans) have figured out the Ethiopian women. We are at par right now if not better. Between '02 and '06, the Ethiopian women used to break away in the last lap setting a furious pace and leaving the Kenyans far behind. Not any more. Dibaba is still good but so is Masai. Any race that involves Defar/Cheruiyot and/or Dibaba/Masai will always come down to the wire and can go any way. That is how good Kenyan women have become. Berlin 2009 was no fluke.