Ferguson Rotich held on stiff competition from compatriot Wycliffe Kinyamal to clinch the 800m race during the London Diamond League leg held over the weekend.
Rotich seemed destined for a runner up finish but engaged the winning gear barely 100 metres to the finish line to clock 1:43.14 ahead of the battling Kinyamal who timed 1:43.48.
The triumph saw Rotich time his best third-fastest career performance and a season’s best for Kinyamal who doubles up as the Commonwealth Games champion.
While Rotich claimed gold, the much-anticipated battle between world leader Nijel Amos of Botswana and Emmanuel Korir, last year’s top 800m runner, never lived to the billing.
Amos pulled out of the race less than 200 metres into the race, clutching onto his right hamstring before falling to the track while Korir, still feeling the effects of a serious automobile accident he was involved in three weeks ago, was never in the hunt, finishing a distant eighth in 1:44.75.
Nicholas Kimeli settled for bronze in the 5,000m race behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia, who won the race days after claiming the 10,000m race in Hengelo in a world-leading time 26:48.95.
The 10km sensation Rhonex Kipruto, who was making his debut over the shorter distance, took command until the 3000m point and led until the penultimate lap but was outpaced by Ingebrigtsen, the European champion who commanded the lead with just over 500 metres to go.
The Norwegian teenager tried to build a small gap with the move, but Gebrhiwet reacted quickly to stay in contact. The Ethiopian then made his bid with 250 metres remaining and while he couldn’t quite shake off Ingebrigtsen, he did hold him for the 13:01.86 win.
Ingebrigtsen clocked a national record 13:02.03. Kenya’s Kimeli timed 13:05.48 with Australian Stewart McSweyn next in 13:05.63. Kipruto faded to a sixth-place finish, clocking 13:07.40.
Jamaican champion Shericka Jackson held off compatriot Stephanie Ann McPherson to take the 400m, 50.69 to 50.74, to take her first Diamond League win of the season.
Briton Laviai Nielsen clocked a 50.83 personal best to finish third. Neutral athlete Anzhelika Sidorova took the pole vault on countback over Katerina Stefanidi at 4.75m, a season’s best for the latter.
