by Justin Lagat
This is Justin Lagat’s recap of the 2022 Weltklasse Zurich DL meeting, the championship meeting of the 2022 Diamond League season!
2022 Diamond League Diary, Zurich DL: El Bakkali, Ingebrigtsen, Moraa, Getachew, and Kipyegon among winners of Diamond League Trophies!
As the two days of the 2022 Diamond League final come to an end, it is not only great news for the athletes who won the trophies but also for the nations they come from. The winners here will get a wild card and an extra entry for athletes from their countries at the next World championships in Budapest.
The first day of the diamond league final was a great day for Kenya as Beatrice Chebet, and Nicholas Kimeli won their respective 5000m races.
It would appear as though Kenyans are now shifting their dominance from the steeplechase event, given that the women’s 3000m steeplechase trophy on the second day went to Ethiopia’s Werkuha Getachew.
USA’s Emma Coburn was at the lead with 4 laps to go, then Wilfred Yavi took the lead with 3 to go. A pack of seven quickly reduced to three coming into the bell as Yavi increased the pace. She and Getachew were clear of the rest at the last water jump, but Yavi lost momentum at the last barrier, and Getachew seized the opportunity to overtake and go for the win running 9:03.57 against Yavi’s 9:04.47. Kenya’s youngster, Faith Cherotich, finished 3rd in 9:06.14.
Eugene, Oregon, USA
July15-26, 2022
3000m steeplechase, photo by Kevin Morris
The men’s steeplechase race went to Morroco. Perhaps owing to the great confidence he had in himself, Soufiane El Bakkali brought the rear in the first stages of the men’s 3000m steeplechase race. But, after the 2000m mark, he was already shoulder to shoulder at the front with Kenya’s Amos Serem. He then began to pull ahead as they came into the bell, staying clear ahead of the rest. As Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot fought hard for the second position, El Bakkali was already celebrating ahead of them as he crossed the finish line in 8:07.67. Wale edged Kibiwot in 8:08.56 against 8:08.61.
The pacesetter in the women’s 1500m race was well ahead of the group, and Faith Kipyegon appeared to be controlling the runners some meters behind the pacer. At some point, Laura Muir made a move as though to try and overtake, but Kipyegon reacted and maintained her lead on the inside lane.
Kipyegon was definitely counting on her strong finishing kick in the last 150m. Her time came, and no one in the field could match her speed on the home straight as she went for the win in 4:00.44
Despite studying his moves and staying just behind Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot would watch helplessly as the gap between him and Ingebrigtsen stretched on the home straight. In another world-leading time, Ingebrigtsen won the diamond league trophy –the only major trophy that was missing in his cabinet- in 3:29.02. Cheruiyot followed in 3:30.27 ahead of Oliver Hoare of Australia, who ran 3:30.59.
There was another dominance by Kenyans on the second day in the 800m event as Mary Moraa and Emmanuel Korir won the women’s and men’s races, respectively. Korir ran a new world-leading time of 1:43.26 ahead of Canada’s Marco Arop, who was a close second in 1:43.38. Jake Wightman, who had the option to run in the 1500m event, finished 3rd in 1:44.10.
