2013 Sainsbury’s Grand Prix: Mo Farah Will Have His Hands Full In A Fantastic Men’s 5000

A Fan’s Guide To The 2013 Birmingham Diamond League Meet

by LetsRun.com
June 29, 2013

The seventh of 14 Diamond League track and field meets takes place this weekend in Birmingham, UK when the 2013 Sainsbury’s Grand Prix is held. The meet will be televised in the US for two hours starting at 10 am ET. It’s on for three hours in the UK on BBC Two starting at 14:00 local time.

Below we preview the mid-d and distance events for you. We start with the headliner – the fantastic men’s 5000 which is certainly a Moscow World Championship preview. We then preview the rest of the Diamond Leauge mid-d/distance action in the order it occurs, before going back and previewing the mid-d action that will takes place before the international tv feed begins (but will be on the BBC) as it’s not part of the Diamond Leauge season.

All times below are ET. Schedule/Results here.

11:38 am ET – Men’s 5000 : Mo Farah Faces A Monumental Challenge

ATHLETE DATE OF BIRTH NATION PB SB
01.01.1994
ERI
13:17.32
13:20.79
27.05.1990
ETH
12:48.77
12:54.95
01.01.1994
KEN
27.12.1984
AUS
13:09.57
13:27.35
05.07.1988
KEN
12:51.45
13:15.51
28.01.1994
ETH
13:03.30
13:13.18
23.03.1983
GBR
12:53.11
13:05.88
23.03.1991
GBR
13:15.31
13:55.47
22.03.1981
GER
13:13.43
13:21.39
09.03.1980
KEN
11.05.1994
ETH
12:47.53
12:55.73
12.06.1989
ETH
13:09.16
13:09.16
15.01.1986
KEN
12:58.58
02.09.1986
UGA
12:50.72
21.06.1976
KEN
12:53.46
13:35.2h
17.04.1981
GBR
13:11.51
14:02.38

Often times when Mo Farah races in Britain, he’s doing nothing more than getting paid to do what is little more than a training run as the field is set up for him to win. Hell, at the 2013 Virgin London marathon, it actually was a training run.

Not this time, however. This field is so full of quality it may make up for all of those other glorified paydays for Farah.

Article continues below player.
Mo will have to work for his money this time

The 2011 World and 2012 Olympic 5000 champ Farah faces a gigantic challenge in this one as he’ll clash with the top two 5000 runners on the year so far.

Doha and New York winner Hagos Gebrhiwet, who ran 12:47 last year at age 18, is in Birmingham ready to challenge Farah as is the man who beat Gebrhiwet in RomeYenew Alamirew. The 23-year old Alamirew is no slouch in terms of personal best himself as he ran 12:48 last year in Rome.

2012 World Junior champion 27:15.51 Yigrem Demelash who set the Ethiopian national junior record last year in the 10,000 (26:57.56) is in the field as well. However, he just ran 27:15.51 in Sollentuna on Thursday so it’s unlikely he’ll be recovered enough to contend here. Plus if you are ‘only’ in 27:15 shape, you are unlikely to win this great race.

Quick Take #1: Given the fact that Farah lost at Prefontaine, it wouldn’t totally shock us if he was beat here, but remember Farah was ill leading into Prefontaine.

Additionally, Farah is FAST as hell so if he’s going to get beat, the pace needs to be honest. Last weekend, Farah set the unofficial world record for fastest last lap in a 5000 at 50.89 in a slow race at the European team champs.

Gebrehiwet has liked to push the pace himself in many of his races this year so that may help keep the pace honest after the rabbits drop. The Ethiopians should consider working together to beat Farah.

10:42 am ET – Women’s Steeplechase – The Top Five In The World To Battle

ATHLETE DATE OF BIRTH NATION PB SB
18.06.1989
ETH
9:28.27
9:35.18
14.11.1987
ETH
9:09.00
9:14.61
06.03.1990
ETH
9:09.61
9:17.60
05.05.1988
USA
9:51.33
9:51.33
03.10.1987
ROU
9:25.70
9:56.94
04.04.1986
USA
9:39.36
9:39.36
26.02.1986
KEN
9:07.14
9:16.14
23.08.1984
KEN
9:13.75
9:13.75
10.08.1990
KEN
9:35.03
9:40.19
10.05.1991
ETH
9:14.07
9:17.78
03.05.1988
USA
9:41.12
9:45.78
13.08.1991
KEN
9:19.42
9:19.42
04.08.1989
AUS
9:37.62
9:37.62
20.07.1993
KEN
10:24.6h
10:38.0h
04.02.1986
GBR
9:48.35
9:56.19

Five women have gone sub-9:20 in the steeplechase this year and all five of them will be in Birmingham.

The favorite has to be Kenya’s Milcah Chemos. Chemos, who has dominated the Diamond League circuit the last two year’s before faltering at Worlds/Olympics, has won her last two races after only finishing fifth in Doha in early May. Is she on her way to getting her peak right this year?

2013 world leader Lydia Chepkurui, who was the winner in Doha and New York, is here after suffering losses in Rome and Morocco. Sofia Assefa, the Ethiopian national record holder and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, is racing as well.

Quick Take #1: Where are the Olympic gold and silver medallists, you say?

Well gold medallist Yuliya Zaripova of Russia is the Evan Jager of the women’s steeple, meaning she doesn’t like to run it very often.  In 2011 and 2012, she ran 4 steeples each year counting rounds (so two of those races each year came at the World Championshpis/Olympics). In neither year did she open in the steeple before July.

Silver medallist Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia hasn’t raced a steeple since finishing 7th in Doha on May 10th.

11:18 am – Women’s 1500 – Abeba Aregawi Is The Class Of The Field – Who Gets Second?

ATHLETE DATE OF BIRTH NATION PB SB
25.06.1986
USA
4:04.84
4:05.41
05.07.1990
SWE
3:56.54
3:56.60
21.12.1988
AUS
4:05.03
4:05.91
23.12.1983
GBR
3:59.50
4:04.81
06.03.1987
GBR
4:01.89
4:03.38
19.01.1991
GER
4:04.30
4:06.60
16.09.1984
BRN
3:56.18
4:12.72
08.07.1986
NED
4:05.38
4:05.38
07.12.1980
MAR
3:59.35
4:04.63
22.08.1981
KEN
4:00.13
4:01.41
09.05.1993
GBR
4:10.01
4:10.01
05.02.1985
POL
4:03.50
4:06.39
06.08.1986
RUS
3:59.49
4:06.01
30.06.1986
CAN
4:04.65
4:04.65
10.03.1985
USA
4:00.06
4:08.49
01.07.1991
GBR
4:02.99
4:05.36

Sweden’s Abeba Aregawi comes into the women’s 1500m as the HEAVY favorite. Check this stat out, there is only one other women in the field who has run within 5-seconds of what Aregawi has run this year (3:56.60). There is only on additional woman within 7-seconds of her.

http://www.letsrun.com/photos/2013/pre-classic-saturday/imagepages/image67.php At least 3 women from 2013 Pre (in this photo) will be in Birmingham, can you spot them? (Hint: Langat, England, Weightman)

That one woman within 5-seconds of Aregawi is 2008 Olympic champion Nancy Langat of Kenya. We don’t expect Langat to challenge Aregawi here. After running 4:01 for third at Prefontaine, Langat was only 12th in Rome. Then last week at the Kenyan national champs (which are different than their Trials) she was only third in the 1500.

It should be an interesting battle for runner-up honors between Langat and a number of women.

Former Florida State star Hannahn England (GBR) is the third seed based on 2013 seasonal best times (4:03.38). But England was only fifth last week at the European team champs and may not even be the top Brit as the field also includes 2009 world championship silver medallist Lisa Dobriskey, who has run 4:05 and 4:04 this year, as well as Laura Weightman, who made the Olympic final last year at age 21 and opened up at 4:05 this year.

2011 World Champ 4th placer Btissam Lakhouad of Morocco is in the field as well (4:04 this year).

Two Americans will be looking to rebound from adisappointing US champs. Morgan Uceny was 8th and Gabriele Anderson was 11th.

2007 and 2009 world champ Maryam Jamal, who won a bronze in London last year, is also in the field but she was just 16th out of 17 in 4:12 in her opener in Ostrava on Thursday.

Quick Take #1: We’ll be looking at four things here.

1) How dominant does Aregawi look? Remember last year she was great early in the season but a non-medallist at the Olympics.

2) How do the Brits stack up?

3) How do the Americans, particularly Uceny look? We know Uceny isn’t going to Moscow but given her heartbreak of the last two years we think it’s important she has a good season this year so she can find the motivation to dream big through 2016.

4) Who gets second?

11:28 am – Men’s 800 – Mohammed Aman Tries To Continue His Winning Ways

 

Athlete DATE OF BIRTH Nation PB SB
10.01.1994
ETH
1:42.53
1:43.61
01.12.1990
GBR
1:45.90
1:46.65
27.12.1992
KEN
1:43.9h
1:43.9h
29.12.1989
RSA
1:44.29
1:44.37
19.02.1988
GBR
1:43.77
1:45.41
03.02.1986
GBR
1:43.89
1:44.97
21.11.1983
USA
1:46.11
21.12.1989
USA
1:45.21
1:45.21
23.04.1983
GBR
1:44.98
1:46.73
25.12.1984
USA
1:45.36
1:45.36

With Olympic gold and silver medallists David Rudisha and Nijel Amos on the sidelines with injuries, Ethiopia’s Mohamed Aman has clearly emerged as the man to beat in 2013.

He’s won five of his six races this year with the one loss coming to Rudisha and has twice run in the 1:43s. We don’t expect anyone to challenge him here.

20-year old Kenyan Jeremiah Mutai supposedly ran a 1:43.9 hand-time earlier this year to win the Police Champs. We say ‘supposedly’ as that’s by far his pb and he only managed a 1:45.43 in Ostrava on Thursday. Brits Andrew Osagie and Michael Rimmer have both run in the 1:43s in the past.

The two Americans racers in the field come in off of different experiences at USAs. Eric Sowinski PRd to finish 6th (1:45.21) while 2012 Olympic Trials finalist Mark Wieczorek went out in the semis in Des Moines. Both will be hoping to dip under 1:45 for the first time.

Quick Thought #1: The longer Amos and Rudisha don’t race, the higher the medal prospects for Nick Symmonds and Duane Solomon.

Amos is supposed to make his 2013 800 debut in Lausanne next week on July 4th against Aman. Amos did return from injury and run a 400 on June 18th in 48.79, which isn’t fast at all for him, considering he ran a 45.66 at altitude in March.

Non-Diamond League Mid-D/Distance Action. 

We think these races will not be on the international tv feed, but think they will be on the BBC broadcast which starts an hour earlier.

9:42 pm – Men’s 1500 – The Brits Look For The Standard

ATHLETE DATE OF BIRTH NATION PB SB
09.05.1987
GBR
3:37.51
3:38.72
09.03.1989
FRA
3:33.60
3:40.10
25.04.1994
ETH
3:34.55
3:35.47
24.01.1985
GBR
3:37.25
3:38.61
07.11.1993
GBR
3:38.13
3:38.13
25.03.1987
MAR
3:31.47
3:33.29
24.02.1991
NOR
3:35.43
3:39.07
17.09.1990
AUS
3:37.02
3:37.02
09.08.1984
KEN
02.04.1985
MAR
3:31.84
3:36.56
23.11.1990
GBR
3:37.95
3:38.48
31.12.1980
GER
3:33.64
3:35.07
18.12.1989
GBR
3:36.22
3:38.77
20.12.1978
FRA
3:34.65
3:44.84
18.04.1984
ETH
3:33.42
3:33.42

You can see why this is a non-Diamond League event as there are only two guys in the race who have gone under the IAAF ‘A’ standard of 3:35.00 this year.

The leading entrant based on 2013 times is 2012 world indoor champ and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Abdelaati Iguider, who ran 3:33.29 for fourth in Shanghai. However, before that he was only 12th in Doha and after that he was only 14th it the Bowerman mile.

The other guy with the ‘A’ is 29-year old Ethiopian Aman Wote who was a surprising third in the Bowerman mile at 3:49.88.

22-year old Norwegian Henrik Ingebrigtsen, who was fifth in the Olympics last year, will be looking to rebound after a disappointing 3:58 Dream Mile in front of the hometown fans in Oslo. He had opened with a second-place 3:55 mile in the ‘B’ heat at Prefontaine.

Quick Thought #1: The ‘B’ standard is 3:37.00. No Brit has the ‘A’ or ‘B’ but five Brits have run 3:38 this year, including former New Mexico star Lee Emmanuel and current Tulsa star Chris O’Hare, and all five of them are in this race.

9:53 am – Women’s 800 – Fantu Magiso vs. Yelena Kotulskaya

ATHLETE DATE OF BIRTH NATION PB SB
15.03.1988
POL
2:00.20
2:01.43
05.09.1987
IRL
2:02.69
2:02.69
30.06.1986
NED
1:58.85
2:02.24
10.03.1989
AUS
2:01.22
2:01.22
07.06.1988
GBR
1:59.37
2:03.96
07.01.1995
GBR
2:00.37
2:00.37
08.08.1988
RUS
1:57.77
1:59.60
09.06.1992
ETH
1:57.48
2:00.25
23.09.1984
GBR
1:58.45
2:00.70
19.12.1988
USA
2:00.94
2:00.94

Yelena Kotulskaya, the European indoor silver medallist, is the only sub-2 runner on the year in this field but Ethiopian national record holder Fantu Magiso, who ran 1;57.48 last year, will race here for the second time on the year. Magiso opened at 2:00.25 in Oslo.

QT #1: When Yelena Kotulskaya ran her 1:59.60 this year, the world and Olympic champ Mariya Savinova won the race in her 2013 season debut in 1:58.75.

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