2015 Lausanne Men’s Recap: Mo Farah Dominates & Nijel Amos (1:43.27) Takes Down David Rudisha
By LetsRun.com
July 9, 2015
Another entertaining Diamond League meet is in the books. Tonight’s competition in Lausanne saw Mo Farah confidently defeat all comers in a slow men’s 5,000 (13:11.77), Nijel Amos beat David Rudisha in the final straight in a not-so-slow 800 (1:43.27) and another dominating win by Justin Gatlin in the 100 (9.75). Christian Taylor and Pedro Pablo Pichardo also waged an epic war in the men’s triple jump, with Taylor’s 18.06-meter final jump — moving him to fourth on the all-time list — holding up for the win. We recap the meet below with results and analysis, including detailed looks at the men’s 5,000 and 800.
Full results can be found here.
Miss the meet? Re-live all the action here on our messageboard: Official 2015 Lausanne Diamond League Live Discussion Thread.
Our women’s recap is here: Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn Get Beat.
5,000: Farah blows away Kejelcha in a vintage performance
Three-time defending global champion Mo Farah reaffirmed his status as the world’s greatest 5,000-meter runner with a dominant victory in Lausanne on Thursday, breaking 17-year-old Yomif Kejelcha with 50 meters to go and showboating his way to the finish line to win in 13:11.77. This race — Farah’s first since the BBC/ProPublica story about his coach Alberto Salazar broke on June 3 — was clearly an important one for Farah, and after beating his chest in the final meters, he unleashed a savage fist pump as he crossed the finish line.
A couple of Farah’s top rivals weren’t in this one at the end. 2014 world #1 Caleb Ndiku went down with 600 to go and only wound up 11th in 13:32.35, while 2013 world silver medalist Hagos Gebrhiwet was a late scratch. But it would have taken something special to defeat Farah tonight. Kejelcha was the only man within five seconds of him at the finish line, and Farah blew by him with ease in the final straight to finish off a 25.4 final 200.
The race
Commentators Tim Hutchings and Steve Cram noted that this race served as the Ethiopian trials for the World Championships (which if true makes Gebrhiwet’s withdrawal even more curious) and that, combined with swirling winds on the track, meant that most of the field was reluctant to go with the rabbits (who went out on 12:55 pace). The only man to give chase was Spain’s Antonio Abadia Beci (13:28 pb), and at 400 meters (for the rabbits), they had around 10 meters on Abadia Beci, who in turn had a gap on the rest of the field. Farah, in the middle of the main pack, came through 400 in just 66 seconds.
By 1k, Abadia Beci was still right on the rabbits and had a gap of over 40 meters on the field. Uganda’s Commonwealth Games 10,000 champ Moses Kipsiro led the chase pack (2:44), followed by Kenya’s World XC runner-up Bedan Karoki.
By 2k, the final rabbit stepped off and Abadia Beci quickly began to fade (he would eventually DNF). The main pack came through in 5:21, with Karoki leading, followed by Kipsiro and Farah lurking in third. At halfway, the pace remained slow (about 6:43) and after coming through 3k in 8:04, Karoki decided to inject some pace into the race, running 61 for his next lap. That broke up the field a bit, but there was still a group of seven men in it when Farah took the lead with three laps to go.
At that point, it was Farah, Kejelcha, Yenew Alamirew, Imane Merga, Ndiku, Edwin Soi and Yasin Haji in the lead pack, and the group would remain the same, with Kejelcha and Ndiku sitting on Farah’s shoulder, as they hit two laps to go (64.97 lap). Farah was employing the strategy he’s used on so many occasions before, controlling the race over the final few laps before detonating his explosive kick at the bell.
With 600 to go, tragedy struck for Ndiku, who was running his first race of the year. Entering the turn, Ndiku was running on the outside of two other runners and as he moved from lane 2 to the outside of lane 1 to save ground on the curve, he was clipped from behind by Alamirew, who also went down. Both picked themselves up, but any hopes they held for victory evaporated when their bodies hit the track.
Farah began to wind it up with 500 to go. At the bell (62.86 lap), Kejelcha was perched on his shoulder, so close to the Brit that he was almost touching him. Behind those two, there was a slight gap to Haji and Soi.
It quickly became clear that this was a two-man race and midway down the backstretch, Kejelcha attacked, moving into the lead and putting a couple steps on Farah by the time they entered the final turn clear of the field.
Farah’s form still looked good however, and coming off the final turn, he made a hard acceleration, immediately shrinking Kejelcha’s lead. Halfway down the homestretch, they were level, and as soon as Farah pulled by his rival, he knew he had it in the bag; allowing Kejelcha to take the lead on the backstretch had seemingly been part of the plan — it didn’t seem to trouble Farah in the slightest.
With 40 meters to go, Farah was looking at the crowd, and with 30 to go, he extended his arms in celebration. Farah began to emphatically beat his chest and as he neared the line, he cathartically punched the air, the pent-up emotions of the past month spilling into the Swiss night.
Kejelcha, who could not match Farah’s 54.4-second last lap (25.3 last 200) ran 13:12.59 to finish a well-beaten second, with Soi a distant third in 13:17.17. 19-year-old World junior XC champ Yasin Haji of Ethiopia — who was runner-up to Kejelcha in the 5,000 at World Juniors last year on the track — ran an eight-second PR of 13:18.18 to finish fourth.
After the race, there were some fireworks as well as Farah had some choice words for Andy Vernon: More Mo Farah – Andy Vernon drama – Farah tells Vernon to “F*** off” after Lausanne win.
Results
1 Farah , Mohamed GBR 13:11.77 4
2 Kejelcha , Yomif ETH 13:12.59 2
3 Soi , Edwin Cheruiyot KEN 13:17.17 1
4 Haji , Yasin ETH 13:18.18
5 Edris , Muktar ETH 13:19.17
6 Karoki , Bitan KEN 13:21.26
7 Ayalew , Aweke BRN 13:21.72
8 Alamirew , Yenew ETH 13:22.68
9 Tamire , Getaneh ETH 13:24.63
10 Iguider , Abdalaati MAR 13:25.09
11 Ndiku , Caleb Mwangangi KEN 13:32.35
12 Merga , Imane ETH 13:33.00
13 Mead , Hassan USA 13:37.30
14 Kipsiro , Moses Ndiema UGA 13:44.47
15 Vernon , Andrew GBR 13:47.97
16 Hiss Bachir , Youssouf DJI 13:56.50
17 Gelant , Elroy RSA 14:04.71
Abadía , Antonio ESP DNF
Barusei , Geoffrey Kibet KEN DNF
Kombich , Ismael Kipngetich KEN DNF
Gebrhiwet , Hagos ETH DNS
Longosiwa , Thomas Pkemei KEN DNS
Quick Take #1: Farah is the firm favorite for Worlds in the 5,000, but a few questions remain
Farah’s final 400 has won him a pile of gold medals, and he showed it’s as potent as ever at age 32, covering the final lap in 54.4 seconds. That’s not quite in line with his championship-winning closes, but when you consider he ran 25.4 for the final 200 — while celebrating for half the home stretch — it’s almost as impressive. Based on how he looked tonight, it’s hard to envision anyone topping Farah in Beijing.
As Gebrhiwet proved in Doha, Farah’s not unbeatable, especially if the field works together (Gebrhiwet took him down in part because Kejelcha attacked Farah on the penultimate lap). But Gebrhiwet was mysteriously absent tonight (his second straight DL withdrawal, following NYC on June 13) and that could mean that he might not run in Beijing if it’s true that this race doubled as the Ethiopian World Championship trials, as reported by Hutchings and Cram.
As it stands now, the Ethiopian team would be Kejelcha, Haji and 2014 world leader Muktar Edris, but with Gebrhiwet absent and Alamirew going down with 600 to go, it might be subject to change as the Ethiopians often change their minds.
Ndiku, who many viewed as Farah’s top competition coming into 2015, also didn’t get a chance to show his fitness as his fall derailed any chance he had of toppling Farah. Perhaps he’s close to Farah’s shape right now, but we won’t know until he races again — and he may not face Farah again until Worlds.
Here is an update on Ndiku: LRC After fall in Lausanne, Caleb Ndiku has to go to hospital, receives 3 staples and will miss some training, still hoping to race in Monaco
Quick Take #2: If you let Mo Farah dictate the race, you’re going to lose
Farah was well within his comfort zone tonight, and even when Kejelcha took the lead on the backstretch, it didn’t seem to affect him as he blew by Kejelcha with 50 to go. Farah’s preference is to run under control from 1200 to 400 before ratcheting it up at the bell. Check out the leader-to-leader splits tonight for the final 1600:
63.72 (from 4 to 3 laps to go).
64.97 (3 to 2)
62.86 (2 to 1)
54.44 (25.3 final 200)
That adds up to a 4:05.99, but they were only on 4:15 pace until the final lap. Farah has proven time and again that if he’s allowed to control the race from the front, he will take advantage of running the shortest line and run away with it over the final lap. Someone needs to try something different at Worlds if they want to dethrone the Brit.
Of course, Farah could be so much better than everyone else that it won’t matter what tactics the rest of the field use. But it’s better to test Farah in a different way than employ the same losing tactics time after time.
Quick Take #3: The Ethiopian federation needs to seriously consider taking Gebrhiwet to Worlds despite tonight’s result — if he’s healthy
We don’t know why Gebrhiwet didn’t run tonight, but if he’s healthy, he is probably the Ethiopian most likely to beat Farah. Gebrhiwet is the reigning world silver medalist and is the only man in the past two years to have beaten Farah on the track. As well as Haji ran tonight, does Ethiopia really want to pin its hopes on a 19-year-old with a 13:18 PR? Admittedly, Gebrhiwet was 19 when he took silver in 2013, but by that point he had already broken 13:00 three times, including a 12:47.
800: Nijel Amos Takes Down Rudisha and Aman
In a battle between the Big 3 of men’s 800 meter running, Olympic champ and world record holder David Rudisha, Olympic silver medallist and 1:41.73 performer Nijel Amos, and 2013 world champ Mo Aman, the winner ended being the 21-year old from Botswana. Amos pulled clear of David Rudisha in the homestretch to win a seasonal best 1:43.27 to Rudisha’s 1:43.76. Aman had his second stinker of the year as he faded to 8th in 1:46.03, only ahead of American Matthew Centrowitz who bombed in 1:49.20.
The Race
Former 1:43 performer Bram Som rabbited this one out in 49.93 with Rudisha a few meters behind in classic fashion in roughly 50.5, with Amos as the third race and Aman just behind him. By 500, the Big 3 were 1-2-3 but on the backstretch Rudisha and Amos started to pull away from Aman and the rest of the field. At 600 (1:16.35), the top 2 were 6-7 meters clear of Amos and that lead was only growing.
Coming off the final turn, the always smooth Rudisha led with the always grimacing Amos just behind him. 1:33 into the race, Amos pulled even with Rudisha and a second later Rudisha had raised the white flag as he was looking over his shoulder making sure he’d still finish second. He would as Ferguson Cheruiyot, who ran 1:42.84 last year, ended up third in 1:44.14.
800 Metres - Men
Pts
1 Amos , Nijel BOT 1:43.27 4
2 Rudisha , David Lekuta KEN 1:43.76 2
3 Rotich , Ferguson Cheruiyot KEN 1:44.44 1
4 Kipketer , Alfred KEN 1:45.14
5 Lewandowski , Marcin POL 1:45.36
6 Kinyor , Job Koech KEN 1:45.53
7 Bosse , Pierre-Ambroise FRA 1:45.62
8 Aman , Mohammed ETH 1:46.03
9 Centrowitz , Matthew USA 1:49.20
Som , Bram NED DNF
|
Quick Thought #1: Did Rudisha lose the battle but win the war?
When this race was over, Rudisha no doubt had to be a little bit disappointed as not only did he lose, but he also ran slower than he did in New York (1:43.58) a month go (June 12th).
However, the BeInsports broadcast then showed a picture of this:
How serious is Nijel Amos injury?
Amos was limping and had to be helped off the track. It will be interesting to see how serious of an injury it is. Worlds are 6+ weeks away so the next 4-5 weeks are critical in terms of training.
Quick Thought #2: Nijel Amos is now 5-1 lifetime against Rudisha and has won 5 in a row.
The commentators seemed concerned that Rudisha might be losing his aura of unbeatability against Amos. The stats show Amos has no reason to fear Rudisha. Rudisha has only beaten Amos once in his life.
Here are the head to head meeting between Amos, Rudisha and Aman.
Rudisha vs. Amos: Amos leads 5-1
| David Rudisha KEN | Nijel Amos BOT | ||
| 800 m | OG London 2012-08-09 | 1:40.91 (1) | 1:41.73 (2) |
| 800 m | Pre Eugene OR 2014-05-31 | 1:44.87 (7) | 1:43.63 (1) |
| 800 m | Herc Monaco 2014-07-18 | 1:42.98 (5) | 1:42.45 (1) |
| 800 m | CWG Glasgow 2014-07-31 | 1:45.48 (2) | 1:45.18 (1) |
| 800 m | WK Zürich 2014-08-28 | 1:43.96 (3) | 1:43.77 (1) |
| 800m | Lausanne 2015-07-9 | 1:43.76 (2) | 1:43.27 (1) |
| Wins: | 1 | 5 |
Aman vs. Amos: Amos leads 7 – 6
| Mohamed Aman ETH | Nijel Amos BOT | ||
| 800 m | AfrC Gaborone 2011-05-15 | 1:46.62 (1) | 1:47.38 (3) |
| 800 m | WY Villeneuve d’Ascq 2011-07-09 | 1:44.68 (2) | 1:47.28 (5) |
| 800 m | OG London 2012-08-09 | 1:43.20 (6) | 1:41.73 (2) |
| 800 m | Athletissima Lausanne 2013-07-04 | 1:43.33 (1) | 1:44.71 (4) |
| 800 m | Diamond Doha 2014-05-09 | 1:44.49 (1) | 1:44.54 (2) |
| 800 m | Pre Eugene OR 2014-05-31 | 1:43.99 (2) | 1:43.63 (1) |
| 800 m | Herc Monaco 2014-07-18 | 1:42.83 (3) | 1:42.45 (1) |
| 800 m | AfrC Marrakech 2014-08-12 | 1:48.74 (2) | 1:48.54 (1) |
| 800 m | WK Zürich 2014-08-28 | 1:45.01 (8) | 1:43.77 (1) |
| 800 m | Cont Cup Marrakech 2014-09-14 | 1:45.34 (2) | 1:44.88 (1) |
| 800 m | Pre Eugene OR 2015-05-30 | 1:44.92 (1) | 1:45.06 (2) |
| 800 m | GGala Roma 2015-06-04 | 1:43.56 (1) | 1:43.80 (2) |
| 800m | Lausanne 2015-07-9 | 1:46.03 (8) | 1:43.27 (1) |
| Wins: | 6 | 7 |
Rudisha vs. Aman: Rudisha leads 7 to 4
| Mohamed Aman ETH | David Rudisha KEN | ||
| 800 m | WC Daegu 2011-08-30 | 1:45.93 (8) | 1:43.91 (1) |
| 800 m | Rieti 2011 Rieti 2011-09-10 | 1:43.37 (3) | 1:41.33 (1) |
| 800 m | VD Bruxelles 2011-09-16 | 1:44.29 (2) | 1:43.96 (1) |
| 800 m | Notturna Milano 2011-09-18 | 1:43.50 (1) | 1:43.57 (2) |
| 800 m | OG London 2012-08-09 | 1:43.20 (6) | 1:40.91 (1) |
| 800 m | WK Zürich 2012-08-30 | 1:42.53 (1) | 1:42.81 (2) |
| 800 m | Diamond Doha 2013-05-10 | 1:44.21 (2) | 1:43.87 (1) |
| 800 m | Pre Eugene OR 2014-05-31 | 1:43.99 (2) | 1:44.87 (7) |
| 800 m | Herc Monaco 2014-07-18 | 1:42.83 (3) | 1:42.98 (5) |
| 800 m | WK Zürich 2014-08-28 | 1:45.01 (8) | 1:43.96 (3) |
| 800m | Lausanne 2015-07-9 | 1:46.03 (8) | 1:43.76 (2) |
| Wins: | 4 | 7 |
Quick Thought #2: The hot and cold season of Mo Aman continues
Coming into 2015, Mo Aman had been one of the most consistent guys on the circuit. Counting rounds, he’d run 43 800s since the start of 2012 and had finished in the top 2 in all but four races. Yes 39 out of 43 races, he was either 1st or 2nd.
He’d won 35 of the 43 and finished second four times when he didn’t win (and had 4 non-top 2 races – a 5th, 6th, 3rd and 8th). So he didn’t finish top 2, just 9.3% of the time.
This year, he’s raced four times and the results have been total extremes. He’s been out of the top seven 50% of the time.
Nijel Amos in 2015 at 800
| 800 m | ||||||
| 1:47.38 | SB | 9 | Diamond | Doha | 15 May | |
| 1:44.92 | SB | 1 | Pre | Eugene OR | 30 May | |
| 1:43.56 WL | SB (3) | 1 | GGala | Roma | 4 Jun | |
| 1:46.03 | 8 | Athletissima | Lausanne | 9 Jul | ||
It’s clearly taking Aman some time to find his footing under the guidance of new coach Mark Rowland.
100: Justin Gatlin wins his 25th straight race
Facing his toughest competition yet this year, Justin Gatlin prevailed comfortably yet again, running 9.75 (+1.4 wind) to handily defeat Asafa Powell (2nd, 9.92) and Tyson Gay (3rd, 9.92). Neither Powell nor Gay had raced Gatlin yet this year, and after Powell’s 9.81 in Paris and Gay’s 9.87 at USAs, it seemed as if they might be able to at least make a race of it in Lausanne. But Gatlin stormed out of the blocks and put them away early; this one was done after 30 meters.
Gatlin has now run 9.75 or faster three times in 2015; no one else in world history has done it more than twice in a single year. He’s also won 25 straight races, including 19 straight 100s.
At the end of this one, it looked like Gay would have beaten Powell for second but he let up at the line.
1 Gatlin , Justin USA 9.75
2 Powell , Asafa JAM 9.92
3 Gay , Tyson USA 9.92
4 Rodgers , Mike USA 10.03
5 Bledman , Keston TTO 10.03
6 Collins , Kim SKN 10.08
7 Young , Isiah USA 10.11
Batson , Deondre USA DNS
Triple Jump: Taylor prevails over PPP in an epic competition
What a year it’s been in the men’s triple jump. Cuba’s Pedro Pablo Pichardo and the USA’s Christian Taylor started the DL season in Doha by becoming the fourth and fifth men in history to crack the 18.00 barrier (and the first to do it in the same competition). Tonight’s competition was almost as good, as Taylor avenged that defeat in Doha with a monstrous 18.06-meter final jump.
With a tailwind for almost every jump, conditions were great, and Pichardo opened with a strong 17.85 before getting out to 17.99 on his third attempt. Taylor responded with 18.02 in the fifth round before adding two centimeters to his personal best with an 18.06 (#4 all-time) in the sixth. Pichardo fouled his fifth attempt and jumped just 15.33 in an aborted final attempt, handing the victory to Taylor. Worlds is going to be truly special with these two in the mix; how close can they get to Jonathan Edwards’ world record?
Top Four All-Time Performers, Men’s Triple Jump
- Jonathan Edwards, Great Britain 18.29 (1995)
- Kenny Harrison, USA 18.09 (1996)
- Pedro Pablo Pichardo, Cuba 18.08 (2015)
- Christian Taylor, USA 18.06 (2015)
Results
1 Taylor , Christian USA 18.06 4 +1.1
2 Pichardo , Pedro Pablo CUB 17.99 2 +1.8
3 Craddock , Omar USA 17.30 1 +2.1
4 Évora , Nelson POR 17.24 +0.6
5 Adams , Lyukman RUS 16.78 +2.2
6 Donato , Fabrizio ITA 16.60 +0.5
7 Florant , Fabian NED 16.16 +0.9
Copello , Alexis CUB NM
Mokoena , Godfrey Khotso RSA DNS
Shot put: Storl over Kovacs
Two-time defending world champ David Storl of Germany took the win with a heave of 22.20 meters on his fourth throw, 15 centimeters off Joe Kovacs’ world leader. Storl and Kovacs have split the five DL shot puts so far this year (Storl has won three, Kovacs two), so it should be a great competition at Worlds.
1 Storl , David GER 22.20 4
2 Kovacs , Joe USA 21.71 2
3 Hoffa , Reese USA 21.30 1
4 Cantwell , Christian USA 20.94
5 Walsh , Tomas NZL 20.86
6 Whiting , Ryan USA 20.73
7 Majewski , Tomasz POL 20.64
8 Clarke , Jordan USA 20.60
9 Martin , Cory USA 20.26
Pole vault: Wojciechowski wins as Lavillenie continues to struggle
2011 world champ Pawel Wojciechowski won his second career DL meet, clearing 5.84 meters — his best height since that win at Worlds. Renaud Lavillenie’s struggles continued as after placing fifth in Paris on Saturday, he only made one successful clearance, vaulting 5.76 for third.
1 Wojciechowski , Pawel POL 5.84 4
2 Holzdeppe , Raphael Marcel GER 5.76 2
3 Lavillenie , Renaud FRA 5.76 1
4 Filippídis , Konstadínos GRE 5.76
5 Kendricks , Sam USA 5.61
6 da Silva , Thiago Braz BRA 5.61
7 Gripich , Aleksandr RUS 5.61
7 Ménaldo , Kévin FRA 5.61
9 Lisek , Piotr POL 5.61
10 Lavillenie , Valentin FRA 5.46
Paech , Carlo GER NM
200: Zharnel Hughes makes history
19-year-old Zharnel Hughes of Anguilla, now representing Great Britain, notched his first career Diamond League victory in a PR of 20.13 seconds. USA runner-up Isiah Young led off the turn but Hughes’ final 50 was the best in the field, allowing him to grab the win.
In fact, @Swift95Hughes is the youngest ever 100m/200m DL winner, man or woman. And the first Briton, period, to win a DL 100m/200m.
— Jon Mulkeen (@Statman_Jon) July 9, 2015
1 Hughes , Zharnel AIA 20.13 4
2 Jobodwana , Anaso RSA 20.21 2
3 Young , Isiah USA 20.27 1
4 Tsákonas , Likoúrgos-Stéfanos GRE 20.40
5 Edward , Alonso PAN 20.48
6 Martina , Churandy NED 20.72
7 Webb , Ameer USA 20.74
8 Ashmeade , Nickel JAM 20.96
400 hurdles: Batman takes it
Bershawn Jackson used his trademark late surge over the final 100 to reel in Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, following up his win at USAs with a win here in 48.71.
1 Jackson , Bershawn USA 48.71 4
2 van Zyl , L.J. RSA 48.92 2
3 Kudryavtsev , Denis RUS 49.01 1
4 Culson , Javier PUR 49.33
5 Tinsley , Michael USA 49.42
6 Hussein , Kariem SUI 49.44
7 Downing , Quincy USA 49.96
8 Gordon , Jehue TTO 50.07
Javelin: Olympic champ Keshorn Walcott wins it with a monster
Earlier in the season, Walcott had a couple of modest PRs, going from 85.77 to 86.20 in Rome and then getting out to 86.43 in Birmingham. That was just the beginning though, as he launched a 90.16 bomb on his first attempt today to win his first-ever DL competition and PR by almost four meters! Walcott only took one attempt after that (he fouled in the third round) but the mark held up for the win. The 22-year-old is the 15th man in history to thrown 90 meters and the second of 2015 after Julius Yego threw 91.39 in Birmingham.
1 Walcott , Keshorn TTO 90.16 4
2 Veselý , Vítezslav CZE 87.97 2
3 Pitkämäki , Tero FIN 87.44 1
4 Yego , Julius KEN 85.50
5 Vadlejch , Jakub CZE 85.15
6 Mannio , Ari FIN 80.80
7 Röhler , Thomas GER 80.73
8 Peacock , Hamish AUS 79.49
9 El Sayed , Ihab Abdelrahman EGY 78.21
10 Wirkkala , Teemu FIN 76.57
11 Frydrych , Petr CZE 71.50
Miss the meet? Re-live all the action here on our messageboard: Official 2015 Lausanne Diamond League Live Discussion Thread
Women’s Recap here: Jenny Simpson and Emma Coburn Get Beat.