Former Kenyan, now Bahraini athlete Winfred Mutile Yavi secured victory once more, this time at the Zurich leg of the Diamond League, just days after her World Championship triumph in Budapest.
The ranking mirrored that of Budapest, as Yavi clinched first place, followed by world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech in second, and World U20 champion Faith Cherotich in third.
Yavi completed the race at 9:03.19, with Chepkoech finishing at 9:03.70 and Cherotich at 9:07.59.
The race unfolded similarly to the World Championship, where the trio broke away from the rest of the pack with less than three laps to go.
Taking lessons from Budapest, Chepkoech attempted a sprint finish, but Yavi’s strength proved insurmountable.
Over the last water hurdle and the final barrier, Chepkoech and Yavi remained side by side. However, when Chepkoech initiated a kick, Yavi summoned extra energy, surging to the finish line and once again outpacing the world record holder.
Jackline Chepkoech, on the other hand, struggled and finished in 12th place.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 1500m race, Abel Kipsang secured third place in a dramatic contest won by USA’s Yared Nuguse at the very last moment. Nuguse triumphed over recently crowned champion Joseph Kerr by a mere 200th of a second, executing a dip on the finish line after a sprint from the inner lane.
Kipsang’s final 50m sprint was not enough to overcome his opponents. He clocked in at 3:30.85, with Nuguse at 3:30.39, and Kerr at 3:30.41.
Another Kenyan athlete, world U20 champion Reynold Cheruiyot, finished eighth in the same race.
