Tuesday 22 August 2017

Cheptegei out of Thursday's Zurich IAAF Diamond League final



Uganda’s World 10,000m silver medallist Joshua Cheptegei will not compete in Thursday’s IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich.

Cheptegei returned home from London last week, after pulling out of what would have been his second IAAF World Athletics Championships race, the 5000m. 

His managers said the decision to pull out of the second race was taken because he was feeling fatigued after stretching himself in the 10,000m, and that he had also not recovered from injuries suffered after being spiked in the race won by Mo Farah.

Indications are that Team-Cheptegei have now opted for a longer break from the track after his full recovery from March’s World Cross Country Championships collapse. Ugandan athletics official Godfrey Nuwagaba confirmed Cheptegei will not travel to Zurich.

Cheptegei, who had qualified for the Zurich race last month, is not on the entry list for Wednesday’s epic Diamond League final that will feature British athletics legend Mo Farah, and his 5000m conqueror Ethiopian Muktar Edris. 

Mo Farah narrowly failed to complete a fifth successive global double in London but will get a chance to get his revenge in his final track race.

Cheptegei is one of 12 athletes that had qualified for the final in Zurich according to the series’ new system through which the best competitors of the IAAF Diamond League season qualify for the event finals.  He had made his start to the track season by finishing 4th in the 5000m in Ougene in May, before a 4th place finish (3000m) in Paris July 1 and 3rd place finish at the Lausanne Diamond League July 7.

The finalists will be competing for a share of $100,000 in prize money in each of the 16 events held in Zurich, with the winners of each final awarded $50,000.

In Zurich, Farah will run his final track race before moving on to the roads and longer distances.

Letzigrund Stadium is a worthy arena for Farah's final bow to cap an impressive track career. Zurich is where Farah broke the 13-minute barrier for the first time in 2010, and it is where he was crowned double European champion in 2014. 

His final track appearance, over the 5000m distance, could quite possibly come with an IAAF Diamond League title.

The London 5000m final:
1. Mukhtar Edris (ETH) 13min 32.79sec
2. Mohamed Farah (GBR) 13:33.22
3. Paul Chelimo (USA) 13:33.30
4. Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 13:33.51
5. Selemon Barega (ETH) 13:35.34
6. Mohammed Ahmed (CAN) 13:35.43
7. Aron Kifle (ERI) 13:36.91
8. Andrew Butchart (GBR) 13:38.73

ENTRY LIST FOR ZURICH
24.08.2017
21:14
5000m Men
ENTRY LIST
SB
PB
CAN
AHMED, Mohammed
13:08.16
13:01.74
ETH
ALAMIREW, Yenew
13:06.81
12:48.77
ETH
BAREGA, Selemon
12:55.58
12:55.58
KEN
CHEBOI, Collins
USA
CHELIMO, Paul
13:08.62
13:03.90
ETH
EDRIS, Muktar
12:55.23
12:54.83
GBR
FARAH, Mo
13:00.70
12:53.11
KEN
KANGOGO, Cornelius
13:21.26
13:10.80
ETH
KEJELCHA, Yomif
13:01.21
12:53.98
KEN
KWEMOI, Ronald
13:24.42
13:16.14
ETH
LEGESE, Birhanu
13:26.40
13:08.88
ESP
MECHAAL, Adel
14:07.93
13:15.40
BRN
ROP, Albert
13:04.82
12:51.96
USA
TRUE, Ben
13:10.83
13:02.74

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