Yet again Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba proved what a track queen she has become, successfully defending her 3000m World indoor title at the 2016 Championships in Portland, USA. It was the final day of the competition, and what better way to have a climax to an event than seeing the 2015 female World athlete of the year thrill with a good performance.
Dibaba didn’t better her World indoor Record of 8:16.60, winning GOLD this time around clocking 8:47.43 in a race that was totally one sided. From the moment Dibaba went into the lead in the last nine laps, there was no stopping her as she defeated her compatriot Meseret Defar who was making her comeback after taking a break to become a mother.
Defar who herself won the 3000m world indoor title on four consecutive occasions from 2004 to 2010, will be content with Silver on her comeback, finishing in 8:54.26. America’s Shannon Rowbury won Bronze in 8:55.55.
The USA team had a memorable ending to the Championships winning six GOLD medals out of the nine final events. In fact one of the most eye catching was in the women’s High Jump where 19-year old Vashti Cunningham stunned veteran Ruth Beitia who was the favourite to win.
Cunningham was the only athlete to clear 1.96m at her very first attempt, which set her on the path to GOLD, but Beitia failed in her first attempt and then cleared it in her second try to settle for Silver, and Kamila Licwinko Bronze.
The American teenager attempted 1.99m, her Personal Best which she only set last week, but missed all three, however the GOLD was already secured.
Competing with a stylish face-cap swung backwards, America’s Marquis Dendy took the men’s Long Jump with a mark of 8.26m as Fabrice Lapierre finished 2nd with an Area indoor Record (AiR) of 8.25m. China’s Changzhou Huang won Bronze after leaping to a PB of 8.21m.
In the men’s 1500m, Mathew Centrowitz executed a perfect race, taking his time to attack in the home stretch and win GOLD. Centrowitz won with a time of 3:44.22 as Jakub Holusa got Silver in 3:44.30 and Nick Willis, Bronze in 3:44.37. The defending champion, Ayanleh Souleiman lost steam in the last lap and finished 9th in 3:53.69.
USA totally dominated both races of the 4x400m relays, winning the two GOLDs. In the men’s category, the quartet of Kyle Clemons, Calvin Smith, Christopher Giesting and Vernon Norwood outgunned the field in a WL of 3:02.45. A Bahamas team that had veteran Chris Brown anchoring, got the Silver with a National Indoor Record (NIR) of 3:04.75. Trinidad & Tobago equally ran an NIR of 3:05.51 to take the Bronze.
It was the same story in the women’s category as Natasha Hastings, Quanera Hayes, Courtney Okolo and Ashley Spencer won GOLD with a WL of 3:26.38. Poland and Romania ran 3:31.15 and 3:31.51 to clinch Silver and Bronze respectively.
One of the stories of the day was Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba who ran a new NIR and WL of 2:00.01 to win GOLD in the Women’s 800m. Niyonsaba joins her compatriot Antoine Gakembe who won Silver in the men’s 800m running 1:46.65, putting their country into reckoning with their achievements. Ajee Wilson finished 2nd with 2:00.27, as Kenya’s Margaret Nyairera Wambui ran a PB of 2:00.44 to take Bronze.
Omar McLeod made sure Jamaica left the Championships with a GOLD, winning the men’s 60mH with a WL of 7.41s, as France took Silver and Bronze through Pascal Martinot-Lagarde and Dimitri Bascou in 7.46s and 7.48s resepctively.
The men’s 3000m produced a photo finish with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha winning in 7:57.21 with Ryan Hill 2nd in 7:57.39, and Augustine Kiprono Choge 7:57.43. Interestingly, defending champion Caleb Ndiku finished 5th with a time of 7:58.81.
With the curtains falling on the Portland 2016 Championships, America was the best performing country after winning 13 GOLDs, 6 Silvers and 4 Bronze medals to end the competition in first place.
