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Monaco Diamond League Meet: Bernard Lagat's Latest 5000m American Record Time is 12:53.60
From USA Track & FieldJuly 25, 2011; updated 7/29/11
The Herculis meet in Monaco, the tenth meet of the 2011 Samsung Diamond League series, was held on Friday, July 22. Bernard Lagat of Tucson, AZ placed second in the men's 5000m race, and improved his American record to 12:53.60 (from 12:54.12, Oslo, 2010). Bernard Lagat (at left in finish photo by www.photorun.net) survived a tightly bunched pack of men that produced a very physical race, while fellow Americans Galen Rupp and Chris Solinsky did not fare as well and were unable to finish. First Galen Rupp was tripped-up in the crowd and tumbled to the track, and then Chris Solinsky was forced off the track by Imane Merga of Ethiopia with less than 800m to go.
Lagat ran at the front of the pack from the early stages of the race, and stayed to the inside with a field that ran five abreast at times. Lagat came through the bell lap in third place, and kicked his way to second place just off the shoulder of Mo Farah of Great Britain. Lagat and Farah sprinted down the straightaway to push each other to national records. Farah took the win in a world leading time of 12:53.11, with Lagat finishing a stride behind in 12:53.60.
Updated 7/29/11: On July 27, Bernard Lagat was named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week for his American Record-setting performance. Katie Landry wrote for USATF: After his 5000m race, Lagat’s biggest fans, his children, reacted with mixed emotions.
“No, my kids do not understand the American Record. All they know is who wins, or if I got a trophy,” Bernard Lagat explained. “When I told my son after the race that I got the American Record, Miika asked, ‘But Mo won?’ After I explained that I was the fastest American, then he said ‘good job, daddy’ and gave me a hug.”
Bernard Lagat’s next race will be at the One Mile at the Diamond League Aviva Grand Prix in London on Saturday, August 6 before he travels to Daegu, South Korea for the IAAF World Athletics Championships.
“My goal for this year is gold in Daegu,” Lagat noted. “So, celebrations [with my family] will have to wait until September.”
Other notable American performances:
The men’s 800m saw both Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson race season best times: Symmonds finished third in 1:43.15, and Robinson finished fifth in 1:44.03.
Morgan Uceny delivered another impressive performance in the women’s 1500m, running a personal best time of 4:01.51 to finish third. Jenny Simpson and Shalane Flanagan also ran season bests, with Simpson taking fifth in 4:03.54, and Flanagan taking tenth in 4:06.63.
Billy Nelson ran a personal best by four seconds (8:17.27) to take eleventh place in the men's 3000m steeplechase.
Reese Hoffa set a meet record of 21.25m/69-8.75 to win first place. Hoffa threw his winning mark on his fourth throw of the day. Christian Cantwell’s best throw was not far behind in 21.23m/69-8 for second place.
Brittney Reese won the women’s long jump in 6.82m/22-4.5 on her final jump of the day. Reese stays comfortably in first place with 15 series points.
Angelo Taylor won the men’s 400m hurdles in 47.97 over runner-up Bershawn Jackson, who crossed the line in 48.22.
In a surprising change of order, Carmelita Jeter won the 200m in a personal best time of 22.20 while Allyson Felix finished second in a season best of 22.32. Shalonda Solomon and Bianaca Knight completed the U.S. sweep of the top four places.
Complete results can be found at www.diamondleague-monaco.com/en/Home/