© Courtesy
© Courtesy

Florence DL: Jackline Chepkoech settles for second place as Ethiopia's Almayew Sembo reigns supreme

Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 02.06.23. | 21:56

Record holder Beatrice Chepkoech settled for a fourth-place finish after timing 9:10.02.

Commonwealth 3000m Steeplechase champion Jackline Chepekoech produced spirited dash to pip Wondemagegn Zerfe of Ethiopia to the second place in the Florence Diamond League on Friday.

Chepkoech was destined for a third-place finish but kicked hard in the last fifty minutes to claim the second place behind Almayew Sembo of Ethiopia.

The former World U20 champion clocked 9:04.07 with Zerfe who was breathing hard behind her back stopping the clock in 7:04.61.

Sembo, who took control of the race with two laps to go timed 7:00.71.

Record holder Beatrice Chepkoech settled for a fourth-place finish after timing 9:10.02.

The race got off to a blistering start as former African U230 champion Fancy Cherono who was doing the pacing duties injected pace that spilt the field in to two.

The pace appeared to work for the Kenyan girls who teamed up well to fend off the competition from the Ethiopians and the Kenyan turned Bahrain Yavi Mutile.

However, Jackline who at some point led the pack could not sustain the breathtaking pace and faded off when it mattered most, giving Sembo who raced from behind the advantage.

Meanwhile, Kenyan athletes finished outside the podium places in the men’s 5000m that witnessed an epic finish between Katir Mohammed and the 2019 10,000m silver medalist Yomif Kejelcha.

Katir ran a world leading time of 12:52.09 with Kejelcha timing 12:52.13.

Luis Grijalva of Guatemala defied all odds to finish after clocking a national record of 12:52.97.

Jacob Krop was the best placed Kenyan in the field as the world silver medalist finished eighth in a season best of 12:55.57.

Nicholas Kimeli finished a disappointing 13th place after crossing the line after 13:10.53.

Record holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda had to settle for the fourth place with Olympic 10,000m champion Selemon Barega coming in ninth.

All the 16 athletes apart from Grijalva who had lined up recorded either a personal or a season best.






tags

Florence Diamond LeagueWanda Diamond LeagueBeatrice ChepkoechJackline Chepkoech

Other News