Zurich Diamond League – Weltklasse Zurich – News – Kenyans Chebet, Kimeli Win Diamond League Final 5000m

KENYANS CHEBET, KIMELI WIN DIAMOND LEAGUE FINAL 5000M
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2022 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with permission.

   NOTE: This story was written remotely –Ed.

(07-Sep) — On the first day of the two-day 2022 Wanda Diamond League Final in Zürich, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli took the 5000m titles on a special 563-meter banked track erected in the Sechseläutenplatz near the city’s waterfront.  Chebet, 22, who won the silver medal in the same event at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene last July, clocked a fast 14:31.03, despite the track’s visibly uneven surface and oblong shape.  Kimeli, who turns 24 at the end of this month, enjoyed a come-from-behind win in the race’s final 200m, clocking 12:59.05.  Both athletes won $30,000 in prize money and earned wildcard entries for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Unlike most championships races, the Diamond League Final uses pacemaking.  On the women’s side Hungary’s Viktória Wagner-Gyürkés had that job and took the leaders through the first kilometer in a not-too-fast 2:50.4.  Wagner-Gyürkés retired just before two kilometers (5:47.08) where reigning world 5000m champion Guday Tsegay held the lead.  She was followed closely by Chebet with American Alicia Monson and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan a few steps back.

Tsegay, who is the World Athletics 1500m indoor world record holder (3:53.09), slowed things down in the third and fourth kilometers, perhaps confident that her kick would be the fastest at the end.  At 3000m (8:43.8) Chebet and Tsegay were together followed closely by Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye and Kenya’s Margaret Kipkemboi.  Hassan trailed the leading quartet by a few steps, and Monson was still further back.

But instead of leveraging their lead, Chebet and Tsegay slowed again allowing Hassan and Monson to catch up.  Six women remained in contention with a little more than a kilometer to go.

With a lap remaining Taye, Tsegay, and Monson were running three across, and Kipkemboi, Chebet and Hassan were right behind. Tsegay waited a little longer, then launched her bid for victory.  Both Chebet and Taye responded quickly, and Kipkemboi did her best to stay close.  Hassan and Monson were already too far back to try for the win and would finish fifth and sixth, respectively.

Coming out of the final bend into the short homestretch, Chebet, Tsegay, Taye and Kipkemboi were running four across the track and it was…