Man of the moment in Brussels 5000m, Krop, sets world leading time

Up against a strong field at the Brussels Diamond League, world 5000m silver medalist Jacob Krop clocked a world lead time of 12:45.71 to win the men's 5000m and lower his life time best time by over a second. 

Krop was racing in his third Diamond League event, having participated in the 5000m in Roma, Italy and 3000m in Monaco and had a stellar field to content with. 

The two men who took surprising victories over 3000m in Monaco and Stockholm, Burundi’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo and South Sudan’s Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu lined up against Krop, as did world bronze medallist Oscar Chelimo of Uganda, world 10,000m bronze medallist Stanley Mburu, Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha and US champion Grant Fisher.

Krop, however, held his own for the 12:45.71 victory that elevated him to sixth on the world all-time list.

Pacemakers led the field through the first 1000m in 2:33.68 and maintained that tempo through to the second kilometre, reached in 5:07.15. Kejelcha led from Krop through 3000m in 7:41.74 with most of the field running in single file behind.

Krop moved into the lead 300 metres later, maintaining the pace as the field began to whittle away behind him. 

USA’s Fisher was the only athlete capable of sticking with Krop on the final two laps, but Krop pulled away from him with ease on the home straight, kicking ahead to win in 12:45.71, a time that makes him the second-fastest Kenyan in history.

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Fisher held on for second place in 12:46.96, breaking the North American record and moving to 12th on the world all-time list. 

In a race where the top six men finished inside 13 minutes, Nicholas Kimeli placed third in 12:50.97, Lobalu set a South Sudanese record of 12:52.15, Daniel Ebenyo clocked a PB of 12:54.90 for fifth place and Stewart McSweyn was sixth in 12:56.50.