Lausanne DL Record Proves Timothy Cheruiyot Is The Man To Beat

6th July 2019

Wycliffe Kinyamal scores a surprise victory in the men 800m to lead a Kenyan podium sweep on Friday night

Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya looks on after winning the men's 1 Mile during the Prefontaine Classic at Cobb Track & Angell Field on June 30, 2019 in Stanford, California. PHOTO/AFP
Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya looks on after winning the men's 1 Mile during the Prefontaine Classic at Cobb Track & Angell Field on June 30, 2019 in Stanford, California. PHOTO/AFP
SUMMARY
  • The reigning Diamond League champion sat right behind the pacemakers as they brought the Kenyan through 800m in 1:49.8 and 1000m in 2:17.7. As he reached the bell, Cheruiyot led by more than a second from world indoor champion Samuel Tefera
  • Emmanuel Korir moved up on to Vazquez’s shoulder as they entered the home straight and looked poised to strike, but his form started to deteriorate in the closing stages, allowing fellow Kenyans Wycliffe Kinyamal and Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich to come through

LAUSANNE, Switzerland- World and Commonwealth silver medallist, Timothy Cheruiyot underlined his status as the man to beat at his speciality when he enthralled the packed-out Stade Olympique de la Pontaise by taking almost a second off the meeting record in the men’s 1500m during the IAAF Diamond League showdown in Lausanne on Friday night.

The reigning Diamond League champion sat right behind the pacemakers as they brought the Kenyan through 800m in 1:49.8 and 1000m in 2:17.7. As he reached the bell, Cheruiyot led by more than a second from world indoor champion Samuel Tefera.

European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen came through strong on the final lap, but Cheruiyot could not be caught, winning in 3:28.77 to break the previous meeting record of 3:29.51 set by Ali Saidi Sief in 2001.

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Ingebrigtsen finished second in a European U20 record of 3:30.16 with Ayanleh Souleiman finishing third (3:30.79) and Filip Ingebrigtsen fourth (3:30.82).

Surprise winner

"Super excited about my time today," Cheruiyot said. "The Diamond League is extremely important me and the competition is intense. And then there is the World Championships so it is a long season ahead. I certainly want to win as many as I can especially when I am in such a great shape."

Elsewhere, no Kenyan man had won an 800m race – scoring or otherwise – in the IAAF Diamond League so far this year, but here in Lausanne there was a Kenyan 1-2-3. 

The winner, however, was still something of a surprise.

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Paced through the first lap in 50.7, Puerto Rico’s Wesley Vazquez took up the running and passed through 600m in 1:17.0.

Emmanuel Korir moved up on to Vazquez’s shoulder as they entered the home straight and looked poised to strike, but his form started to deteriorate in the closing stages, allowing fellow Kenyans Wycliffe Kinyamal and Ferguson Cheruiyot Rotich to come through.

Kinyamal won in 1:43.78 with Rotich clocking 1:43.93. Korir held on to finish third in 1:44.01 as all three set season’s bests.

-Material from the IAAF used to compile this report