Was Chebii's 50.68 the fastest last lap in a distance race ever?

Yifter once threw down a 49.6 last lap in a 5k, no joke!

read wrote:

...last laps of 1500 races aren't relevant.

are irrelevant.

Morceli actually closed a legit 1500m (3:34 winning time) in 50.6 at the '93 world championships. Cacho ran 50.3 for the last lap in the '92 olympics, though the winning time was much slower at 3:40.

speed goggle wrote:

Yifter once threw down a 49.6 last lap in a 5k, no joke!

No he didn't.

Where, when and how did that happen? How fast was the race?

In a fast distance race (5000/10.000), I have not seen anyone go under 53 secs for the last lap. When I say 'fast' I am referring to times in the 13:20/27:40 range for those distances.

Ghost in Korea

Just for grins, some of you may remember the men's 5,000 from the 2001 Goodwill Games. As reported by CNNSI.com:

"The men's 5,000 field of five Kenyans, including world champion Richard Limo, and two Ethiopians, including Olympic gold medalist Million Wolde, made a farce of the race.

"They plodded for the first 4,000 meters and then progressively picked up the pace until an all-out sprint in the last 400 meters, which was run in 51 seconds.

"Two-time Olympic silver medalist Paul Bitok of Kenya won in 15:26.10, slower than women's 5,000-meters winner Olga Yegorova of Russia (15:12.22) and nearly three minutes slower than the world record."

I'm pretty sure Bekele has run 52 at least to close several races in that range. For instance, Athens?

Morceli was effing sick, btw.

what was ryuns last lap at the 19968 trials? I believe it was about 50 and at altitude and he ran about the first 100 in lane 3 or so.

50.7....Cacho......1992 Olympics

50.6....Morceli....1993 WC 25.2, 50.6, 1:49.0, in a 3:34.24 race

51.3....Morceli....1995 WC

53.6....Morceli....1996 Olympics

51.5....ElGuerrouj.1997 WC

53.9....ElGuerrouj.2003 WC

51.9....ElGuerrouj.2004 Olympics (but Silva had 51.3)

54.1....Ramzi......2005 WC (but Kaouch had 53.1)

5000

53.9….Aouita….Oslo 85 13:00.4WR

52.8….Aouita….1987 WC

52.2…Morcelli….1994 Zurich 13:03

10000

53.9….Bayessa…1992 Oslo 27:15

I know bekele ran 53.0x last 400 at the olympics 10k and his last 500 was rediculous as well thats when he turned on the jets

Cram - 50.86

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o31S7_SVIAo

Watch the 1500m

Does anyone else jus love it how he styles his hair after 150m in the 800m

When Lagat ran 12,59 and beat Bekele he had something like 50s on the last lap.

Gonzalez ran 50 in this 1500m - 2:55 at the bell, 3:45 at finish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty6bSDaeVnI

I posted on TFN about the fastest closing segments for winners of WC and Oly races:

http://mb.trackandfieldnews.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=27402&start=120

(scroll to the second to last post)

I think Lagat ran the fastest last 400 and 800 in a WC or Oly (for a winner).

Here are the last 400's summarized:

2007 13:45.87 - 52.3 (Bernard Lagat)

2005 13:32.55 - 54.2 (Benjamin Limo)

2004 13:14.39 - 52.6 (Hicham El Guerrouj)

2003 12:52.79 - 53.4 (Eliud Kipchoge)

2001 13:00.77 - ???? (Richard Limo)

2000 13:35.49 - ???? (Million Wolde)

1999 12:58.13 - 56.0 (Salah Hissou)

1997 13:07.38 - ???? (Daniel Komen)

1996 13:07.96 - 54.9 (Venuste Niyongabo)

1995 13:16.77 - 56.6 (Ismael Kirui)

1993 13:02.75 - 60.0 (Ismael Kirui)

1992 13:12.52 - 56.1 (Dieter Baumann)

1991 13:14.45 - ???? (Yobes Ondieki)

1988 13:11.70 - 60.3 (John Ngugi)

1987 13:26.44 - 53.2 (Said Aouita)

1984 13:05.59 - 55.0 (Said Aouita)

1983 13:28.53 - 57.3 (Eamonn Coghlan)

1980 13:21.0h - 54.9 (Miruts Yifter)

1976 13:24.8h - 55.4 (Lasse Viren)

1972 13:26.4h - ???? (Lasse Viren)

1968 14:05.0h - 54.8 (Mohamed Gammoudi)

malmo wrote:

His winning time in that 3000 was 8:33.42, I don't think it matters what the last lap was.

I agree that the overall time was not fast for an elite, but still 50.68 is a fast last lap nonetheless. thats almost my 400meter pr.

What were Abdi Bile's splits of his 1:46 flat for the last 800m in Rome. He won in 3:36. That doubly more impressive than a quick 400m at the end of a slow 5000/10,000.

I remember Yifter routinely running 23s for the last 200m of his 5-10k races, but I don't remember him kicking until the last 200m.

remember when Daniel "7:20" Komen ran a 59 last second lap in a 3000m race?

AFTER running 59 average from the start. I think this type of lap is more impressive than a 50.xx with a 8:33 finish time.

fermin cacho, in the 1992 Olympics, he ran sub 50 in the last lap of the 1500.