If you are looking for the definition of running with experience, then the manner LaShawn Merritt anchored USA to victory in the men’s 4x400m perfectly sums it up. It was the final event of the 2015 World Championships, so much was at stake, a matter of pride between USA and Jamaica, which also determined who left with the bragging rights in the race.
Coming into the race having seen how the Jamaican women’s team pipped their women’s team to GOLD, the USA men’s team were under immense pressure to respond and avoid a repeat in this well pronounced rivalry.
Rusheen McDonald ran a good split for Jamaica moving them up from 5th position when he got the baton back into contention, running 44.56s and it looked like they were on course to win it when Javon Francis, anchoring the team, passed both Merritt and Marchel Cedenio of Trinidad & Tobago in a split time of 43.52s.
However it was not to be as Merritt who won Silver in the 400m, timed his run to go past the Jamaican who tired out in the last 150m, and help his team to a World Lead of 2:57.82, running a time of 44.18s to help USA defend their title in the final showpiece of the Championships
Trinidad and Tobago won the Silver and it was with a National Record of 2:58.20. To sum up how badly it ended for Jamaica in that race, Martyn Rooney out-dipped Francis on the line running 43.97s to snatch 3rd, emulating their female counterparts and making it double-bronze for Great Britain in the 4x400m. Both GBR and Jamaica crossed the line at 2:58.51.
Before the 4x400m relays, spectators and viewers alike were treated to a thrilling women’s 5000m contest, where it ended with an Ethiopian 1-2-3. Almaz Ayana has shown what she is capable of this year, but she made an even bigger statement with her victory on Sunday. Coming into the race, it was billed as a two-horse race between Ayana and 1500m World Record (WR) holder and 2015 Gold medallist, Genzebe Dibaba.
However it was Ayana who thoroughly dominated the race, opening a massive gap ahead of Dibaba in the final three laps as she stormed to a new Championship Record (CR) of 14:26.83. Even more painful for Dibaba who won Bronze, Senbere Teferi got to the line before her to take Silver in 14:44.07, while she finished 3rd in 14:44.14.
At the Paris Diamond League meet this year, both Ayana and Dibaba agreed to go for the WR of 14:11.15 held by Tirunesh Dibaba, but it was not to be that night as the younger Dibaba clocked a Meeting Record of 14:15.41. That meet set up this contest in Beijing as both athletes appeared very likely to match the WR. Although it has not happened yet, Ayana will be happy with the win as she becomes the first to beat Dibaba this year.
The men’s 1500m was the event that won the Championships for Kenya. The East Africans had their lead on the medal table under threat as both Jamaica and USA could have overtaken them with the outcomes of the 4x400m relays. However, Asbel Kiprop ensured that his country won, coming from behind to win GOLD in the men’s 1500m with a time of 3:34.40. His compatriot Elijah Motonei Manangoi made it a one-two finish with his Silver, crossing the line at 3:34.63, and Morocco’s Abdalaati Iguider got the Bronze at 3:34.67.
Maybe there is a greatness associated with the name “Dibaba” as Mare Dibaba emerged winner of the women’s Marathon, winning GOLD with a time of 2:27:35. Kenya’s Helah Kiprop finished 2nd to take the Silver in 2:27:36 as Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa took the Bronze in 2:27:39.
Field Events:
It was a dramatic ending in the men’s High Jump as Derek Drouin became the first athlete to win GOLD for Canada in this event. Three jumpers needed a jump-off to determine who the winner would be, such was the challenge they were up against.
Up until the 2.36m mark, defending Champion Bohdan Bondarenko opted for just 2.25m and 2.33m which he easily cleared, so was Guowei Zhang who had a clean slate, clearing four barriers of: 2.20, 2.25, 2.29 and 2.33m.
When the trio of Drouin, Bondarenko and Zhang failed at 2.36m, it had to be lowered to 2.34m, and it was only the Canadian who scaled past it to win the GOLD, with the other two taking joint Silver.
2014 Indoor Champion Mutaz Barshim will be ruing his missed opportunities having finished 4th, but he will hope to be back at next year’s Olympics.
It was heartbreaking for China’s Huihui Lyu who lost out from winning the GOLD in the women’s Javelin by just a throw. Lyu was on course to take the win, in fact her 66.13 was a new Asian Record (AR) and looked like it had won it for her until Germany’s Kathrina Molitor who with her very last attempt snatched the win throwing a WL of 67.69m.
Lyu couldn’t help but cry after that, but she would take solace with the AR and the Silver she got as it wasn’t a lose-lose situation. South Africa’s Sunette Viljoen won Bronze with her throw of 65.79m.
The 2015 World Championships came to an end with London getting the mandate to host the next edition in 2017. There is no way the story of this competition will be complete without mentioning the heroic Kenyan team who topped the medal table even ahead of established powerhouses like USA, Jamaica and Great Britain. The East Africans finished with 16 medals: 7 GOLD, 6 Silver and 3 Bronze.
