BRUSSELS, Sept 14 (Askume) – Kenyan Faith Kipyegon continued her impressive form in the 1,500 metres to win her fifth title of the Diamond League season in the final leg of the series, while her compatriot Beatrice Chebet won the 5000 metres on Saturday.
Kipyegon, 30, who has not lost over the distance since 2021, took the lead in the final lap before holding off the challenge of Diribe Weltjee to cross the line in 3:54.75. Wirtz was timed at 3:55.25.
Kipyegun, the world record holder in the 1,500m and a three-time Olympic champion, smiled and held out five fingers after his win.
“My goal was to end the Diamond League season on a high note and I did that,” he said. “It was a good Games but definitely not easy.”
Chebet won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m in Paris this year with a time of 14:09.82, but his toughest challenge came from a photographer who entered the Kenyan runner’s first lane on the final lap.
“It’s not easy to get better over the next few years, but you have to work hard, believe in yourself and stay focused,” Chebet said. “Now I’m going back to my country to celebrate with my family and enjoy some holidays.”
The winners of the 16 events receive the Diamond League trophy and $30,000 in prize money. Sixteen more players also won domestic titles on Friday.
Kenny Bednarek of the United States won the men’s 200m title on Saturday, beating Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana in 19.67 seconds. Tebogo became the first African to win the 200m at the Paris Olympics, finishing behind in 19.80 seconds.
“This year I surprised some people with how fast I ran,” Bednarek said. “This season people realized my potential. Next year I will be faster and more dangerous.”
Wan Yongying
Kenyan Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi won the men’s 800m title after beating Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati and Canada’s Marco Arop in the final 50m.
Wan Yongni, 20, who missed the world record by 0.2 points in Lausanne three weeks ago, won the championships on Saturday with a relatively slow time of 1 minute 42.70.
“The last few metres are always very difficult,” said Van Yongyi. “But I worked hard for it and I’m glad I made it.”
In the men’s shot put, Leonard Fabbri of Italy beat three-time Olympic champion Ryan Cross of the United States with 22.98m. World record holder Crouser finished second with 22.79m.
“It was a very solid performance, I didn’t have a big pitch like Leonardo Fabbri,” Krauser said. “It motivates me to shoot better.”
Faith Cherotich of Kenya won the women’s 3000m steeplechase, beating Olympic and world champion Winfred Yawi of Bahrain by half a second. Jawi was 0.07 seconds off the world record in Rome two weeks ago, but cold weather in Brussels slowed her time.
Other winners included Japan’s Haruka Kitaguchi, who won on her final attempt after winning Olympic gold in the javelin throw, Alison dos Santos of Brazil and Femke Bol of the Netherlands, who won the men’s and women’s javelin 400m hurdles respectively.
Brittany Brown of the United States won the women’s 200 m hurdles championship, while Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico won the women’s 100 m hurdles championship, marking the best performances of the Diamond League season.
