I was sitting in the stands at the Payton Jordan Invitational, with my Aggie buddies. A night of track had field was being worshipped, as the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter races ensued. As we were looking up, this raging battle over the last lap of the fast Women’s 5,000 meters was gripping! Two runners, one this young Swedish runner, Merah Bahta, came screaming down the final straight, running a 14:59.49 to take the win. The final lap in sixty-one seconds.
That fly-paper side of my brain, the abdula larrygota, noted, “We will see Meraf this summer.”
Meraf Bahta holds off Sifan Hassan, Euro Champs 5,000 meters,
photo courtesy of European Athletics (Getty Images)
As is the way with most distance championship finals, the pace was, excruciatingly slow.
Sara Moreira, of Portugal took the field through 1000 meters in 3:08:02, that is 15:40 pace.
The pack followed her, with Merah Bahta in the pack, and Sifan Hassan, who had just won the women’s European 1500 meter title, at the very back.
Just around the one kilometer mark, Sifan Hassan moved into the middle of the pack, but no farther.
Sara Moreira, POR, took the field through 2000 meters in 6:25.46. K. Ken Nakamura, our friendly stat guy, said that there had NEVER been a European 5,000m, men or women, that had run so slow at the 2,000 meter mark.
Poland’s Renata Plis took over the pace and hit the 3,000 meters in 9:40.24, a gentle increase in pace, but, no more.
Meraf Bahta, SWE, in her first race for Sweden, who had been up front, started to wind up the pace, running a 3:07, just a smidgeon faster.
I was about to pull out my nail clippers, as the race was, well, pedestrian.
Then, our friend from the Netherlands, moved herself up to the front, with Meraf Bahta right in front of her, and the pace went from congenial to downright fast.
Running the last 1000 meters in 2:44.05, Meraf Bahta, SWE, showed how to defeat Sifan Hassan.
Three laps out, Bahta ran a 71.37, and then, she ran a 67.02.
The race was on!
Meraf Bahta hit the bell lap in 12:30, and Bahta and Sifan Hassan were off.
At 300 meters to go, Hassan looked to be struggling a big, but one could see that she was preparing to race hard. Bahta was picking up the pace and would run the last lap in 61.66, and as Hassan upped the ante, so did Bahta.
The last straightway was fast and as the movie says, furious. Sifan Hassan was going full blast and she realized that Bahta was holding her off.
With one last lunge, Sifan Hassan tried to get by Meraf Bahta, but Bahta willed herself on, lunging at the tape better than Hassan and taking the gold medal in 15:31.39.
Siffan Hassaon took the silver, her second medal of the European Champs, in 15:31.79.
In the battle for the bronze, Netherlands Susan Kuuken, gutted out a great final stretch run, out running, Yelena Korobkina, (fourth in 15:32.89), Nuria Fernandez, ESP (fifth in 15:35.59), and Sara Moreira, POR, sixth in 15:38.13. For good measure, Jo Pavey, the newly crowned 10,000m Euro gold, was seventh, in 15:38.41!
Susan Kuukien, NED, took the bronze in 15:32.82! Overjoyed, Susan noted this after the race:
“I am not shocked. I knew I could do it. On the last lap, I thought, “Don’t give up now”, so, in the last 100 meters, I sprinted my heart out, I did everything I possibly could to take the bronze medal. This is my first senior medal.”
Sifan Hassan, the silver medalist, was honest after her race, ” I wanted the gold medal but I am happy. My plan was to win, but the race was a game.”
Meraf Bahta, put the entire race and its significance for her, into perspective:
” This was my first time I ran for Sweden, for the Swedish team. I am very, very happy. It is great for me to hear the Swedish anthem for the first time for me. My legs were shaking, I could not believe my victory. Although at the warm-up, I was very nervous. But, when I started racing, all the butterflies went away. And with 100m to go, I knew that nobody could beat me. I was never afraid to lose the duel with Hassan. I am so in joy. I am almost in shock! ”
