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Fast 800m For Kiprop In Athens Last Night

Posted July 14th, 2009 at 6:08 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Track & Field

Olympic 1500m silver medalist, Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, dropped down to 800m last night at the Athens Grand Prix at Olympic Stadium and led three athletes under 1:44.

Kiprop, who may be elevated to Olympic gold medalist if the doping case against Beijing winner Rachid Ramzi ultimately results in a conviction, clocked 1:43.48 ahead of the Sudan’s Ismail Ahmed Ismail (1:43.82) and Canada’s Gary Reed (1:43.95). Kiprop’s time was just short of his personal best and was his second sub-1:44 of the year. Ismail set a personal best.

In the women’s 1500m, Maryam Yusuf Jamal of Bahrain ran a world-leading 3:58.72, the second sub-3:59 recorded this season. Well behind her, Americans Erin Donohue and Sarah Bowman set personal bests of 4:05.21 and 4:05.67, respectively. Donohue’s performance was significant because she is now under the IAAF “A” standard of 4:06.00 and is eligible to represent the USA at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics next month if USA trials third place finisher, Anna Willard, decides to compete only in the steeplechase (she qualified for team berths in both events).

The meet also featured two steeplechase races. Kenyan Brimim Kipruto (8:03.17) and Gulnara Galkina (9:17.86) were the winners. Men’s third place finisher, Tareq Mubarak Taher of Bahrain, set a national record of 8:06.13.