A collection of the world&rsquo;s best distance runners in the 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic will provide a preview of the IAAF World Championships London 2017 final when they take to the start line at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene on 27 May.
More than half the field own an Olympic or World Championships medal of some sort.
Mo Farah of Great Britain now has nine major gold medals &ndash; four from the Olympics and five from the World Championships. Eight of those nine medals have been earned when securing 5000m/10,000m doubles from the past two Olympics and past two World Championships. He is aiming for another such double at this summer&rsquo;s World Championships.
Farah has won four times at the Pre Classic, setting a meeting record of 12:56.98 for 5000m in 2012, and winning three times over 10,000m.
Paul Chelimo was the surprise silver medallist in Rio, taking 15 seconds off his PB with 13:03.90 to earn USA&rsquo;s first Olympic 5000m medal since 1964.
Hagos Gebrhiwet already has three global medals in the 5000m. A world silver medal in 2013 was followed by bronze medals at the 2015 World Championships and 2016 Olympics. His PB of 12:47.53, a world U20 record, makes him the fastest in this year&rsquo;s field.
At 19, Yomif Kejelcha has twice won in Eugene. At 16, he was the youngest winner ever in this event at the World Junior Championships in 2014, held at Hayward Field. In 2015 he won the 5000m at the Pre Classic and went on to win the Diamond Trophy that season.
Geoffrey Kamworor has the most major golds of anyone in the field except Farah. In March, the Kenyan won his second world cross-country crown. Last year he won his second world half-marathon title. On the track, he has set PBs in all three of his appearances at the Pre Classic, including last year&rsquo;s runner-up finish at 12:59:98.
Olympic steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto won his first Pre Classic in 2013 at age 18, setting a meeting record of 8:03.59. His venture this year into the 5000m will be the first since his only known attempt at the distance, 13:47.5 in the high altitude of Eldoret in Kenya.
World silver medallist Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku won the Pre Classic 5000m in 2014, the year he also won the Diamond Trophy. In his first Pre Classic appearance in 2011, Ndiku clocked a PB of 3:49.77 in the mile.
Mohammed Ahmed owns the fastest time in the world so far for 2017 with his 13:04.60 set indoors in February. Earlier this month, the Canadian lowered his 10,000m PB to 27:30.00 at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford. After setting a national record of 13:01.74 in Eugene last year, Ahmed went on to finish fourth in the event at the Olympic Games.
With a PB of 12:48.64, Isiah Koech is the second fastest in the field. The Kenyan has four top-eight finishes at global championships, his best being his bronze medal from the 2013 World Championships.
Uganda&rsquo;s Joshua Cheptegei was only 19 when he finished fifth and sixth respectively in the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m finals, a combination bettered only by Farah. He also won the world U20 10,000m title in Eugene back in 2014.
Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Paul Tanui, 2011 world 10,000m champion Ibrahim Jeilan, world U20 cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo, Asian record-holder Albert Rop, NCAA cross-country champion Patrick Tiernan and Olympic sixth-place finisher Andrew Butchart are also in the field.
World indoor 3000m silver medallist Ryan Hill leads the US entries. He will be joined by compatriots Ben True, Hassan Mead and Eric Jenkins.
Organisers for the IAAF
2017 IAAF Diamond League calendar: 5 May &ndash; Doha, QAT 13 May &ndash; Shanghai, CHN 27 May &ndash; Eugene, USA 8 Jun &ndash; Rome, ITA 15 Jun &ndash; Oslo, NOR 18 Jun &ndash; Stockholm, SWE 1 Jul &ndash; Paris, FRA 6 Jul &ndash; Lausanne, SUI 9 Jul &ndash; London, GBR 16 Jul &ndash; Rabat, MAR 21 Jul &ndash; Monaco, MON 20 Aug &ndash; Birmingham, GBR 24 Aug &ndash; Zurich, SUI 1 Sep &ndash; Brussels, BEL

A collection of the world’s best distance runners in the 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic will provide a preview of the IAAF World Championships London 2017 final when they take to the start line at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene on 27 May.

Farah tops Eugene’s 5000m field – IAAF Diamond League

The question of the men&rsquo;s 5000m comes in two parts.
First, has the combination of another year of age, the 10,000m final he will already have run, and the accumulating weight of his medals slowed Mo Farah&rsquo;s closing burst at all?
Second, will any of his aspiring rivals work together to beat him, or has one of them developed the speed and savvy needed to do it alone?
Coming in to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Farah is the defending champion in both this race and its longer cousin, a hero of the London 2012 Olympic Games after winning the distance double there, and now the three-time defending world champion at this distance.
Into the bargain, he is also the world leader having run 12:59:29 to win at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in London.
He as dominant in championship races as Bekele and Gebrselassie were in their halcyon days, perhaps more as he has won the double in three consecutive global championships.
The 10,000m final may give a better preview of how ready Farah is to defend his 5000m title, but his cast of challengers will be entirely different in this race.
The two men who came closest to unseating Farah at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, Caleb Ndiku of Kenya and Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia, will both be in Rio and ready for another crack at the Briton.
<h3>Ndiku needs to step up</h3>
Ndiku has raced sparingly so far in 2016, a lacklustre outing at the IAAF Diamond League meeting Eugene, finishing 10th, his best so far.
Gebrhiwet has been more prolific and more successful, winning in Oslo and running his best time of 2016 just behind his Ethiopian teammate Dejen Gebremeskel in Boston.
As the silver medalist to Farah at the 2012 Olympics, Gebremeskel is also worth another word; he also has a bronze medal from the 2011 world championships.
His most brilliant races haven&rsquo;t yet aligned with the major championships, but should Gebremeskel click in Rio then he might have the finishing speed to stay with Farah, and his results so far in 2016 suggest his conditioning is good.
Another faction to look out for are the milers stepping up.
Most promising among them is Morocco&rsquo;s former world indoor 1500m champion Abdelaati Iguider, who ran 12:59.25 in Brussels last year but he is also entered for the 1500m which takes place before the 5000m.
An intriguing face is USA's former 5000m world champion Lagat, who is now 41. Lagat was fourth and just outside the medals in London four years ago, but took silver in Daegu the year before.
Lagat qualified for Rio with a fantastic closing surge at the US Olympic Trials, exactly the sort of race he&rsquo;ll need to deliver to get in the medals again.
First, he&rsquo;ll have to make it to the final, but now in his fifth Olympics, few in the field have Lagat's experience and tactical acumen experience.
Parker Morse for the IAAF

The question of the men’s 5000m comes in two parts. First, has the combination of another year of age, the 10,000m final he will already have run, and the accumulating weight of his medals slowed Mo Farah’s closing burst at all? Second, will any of his aspiring rivals work together to beat him, or has one of them developed the speed and savvy needed to do it alone?

Preview: men's 5000m – Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Vivian Cheruiyot, the IAAF World Championships Beijing 10,000m champion, will chase a long distance double at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after winning both over 25 laps of the track and then the 5000m at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Eldoret on Thursday and Friday (30-1).
In warm and humid conditions, and in front of a packed audience at the Kip Keino Stadium estimated at around 25,000, Cheruiyot won the 10,000m comfortably on the first day in 31:36.60. US-based Betsy Saina was second in 32:04.83. Alice Aprot, who won the African 10,000m title last week in South Africa, did not take part but was given the discretionary third spot to go in Rio following her continental victory.
"&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always yearned for an Olympic title. I shall do my best in Brazil, because an Olympic title is the only gold I am lacking in my medal cabinet,&rdquo; Cheruiyot told local media after her first win.
Cheruiyot repeated her success on Friday in the 5000m, where she took an impressive victory in 15:01.60. With a 63-second last lap her closest competitor was Hellen Obiri in 15:13.45, while 2014 Commonwealth Games champion Mercy Cherono was a distant third in 15:25.51.
In the men&rsquo;s 5000m, on the opening day, 2015 world championships silver medallist Caleb Ndiku clinched first place, clocking a hand-timed 13:37.2 with a 53.6 last lap, outsprinting 2013 bronze medallist Isiah Koech, who was second in 13:37.6 with Cyrus Rutto third in 13:39.1.
There was drama in the men&rsquo;s 10,000m with the two favourites, 2015 world cross country championships gold and silver medallists Geoffrey Kamworor and Bedan Karoki, paying the price of tough racing conditions and dropping out: Kamworor with four laps to go and Karoki even earlier, just seven laps into the race.
Paul Tanui survived the heat - 30 degrees Celsius and with no shade from the sun - to win in 27:46.15 after taking the lead with one kilometre to go. Newcomer Charles Yosei, third in the African cross country championships earlier in the year, was the big surprise of the day and the 20-year-old finished second in 27:57.07 while African Championships silver medallist Wilfred Kimitei was third in 28:12.22.
In the 800m, London 2012 Olympic Games champion and world record holder David Rudisha was the fastest in Thursday&rsquo;s heats with 1:43.4. However, in Friday&rsquo;s final, after a 51.7 first lap, Rudisha was beaten to third by former world junior champion Alfred Kipketer, who won in a fast 1:43.73 with Ferguson Rotich second in 1:44.05. Rudisha&rsquo;s third place in 1:44.23 was still enough to make the team to Rio and defend the title he won in London.
Former world champion Eunice Sum took the lead quickly in the women&rsquo;s 800m and passed the first lap in 60.5. By 600m, reached in crossed in 1:29.1, Sum was still in front but was overtaken by 2014 world junior champion Margaret Wambui with 80 metres to go.
Wambui closed the race with ease, clinching the victory in 1:58.27. Sum dipped under the two minutes with 1:59.63 for second place while Winnie Chebet took the third spot in 2:00.16.
<h3>Kiprop and Kipyegon win 1500m titles with ease</h3>
In 1500m races, Asbel Kiprop and Faith Kipyegon won their respective finals in dominant fashion.
In the men&rsquo;s side, the race started at a very conservative pace, the leaders passing 800m in 2:00.2 with Kiprop and Ronald Kwemoi at the back of the pack. With a lap to go, Elijah Manangoi and Timothy Cheruiyot decided to push the pace at the same time as Kiprop was putting himself into a good position.
&nbsp;With the leaders crossing 1200m in 2:58.2, Kiprop started to make his move and, with 250 metres to go, he never let anyone pass him again.
Finishing the last 300m of the race in 39.3, Kiprop won in 3:38.21. Elijah Manangoi was second in 3:38.48 &ndash; the same result as at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 &ndash; while the fast-closing Ronald Kwemoi got third in 3:38.80.
In the women&rsquo;s race, Faith Kipyegon ran away from the field on the second lap and ran a solo 4:06.71, leaving her compatriots Nancy Chepkwemoi and Viola Lagat to be content with second and third in 4:10.00 and 4:11.93 respectively.
World 3000m steeplechase champion Hyvin Kiyeng won her event easily in 9:28.33, taking the lead with one kilometre to go, while Beatrice Chepkoech, who led most part of the race and passed the first kilometre in an extravagant 3:00.0, finished a distant second in 9:41.87. Kenya national champion Lydia Rotich was third in 9:48.47.
The last event of the day, showed Brimin Kipruto, Conseslus Kipruto and Ezekiel Kemboi, booking their tickets in Team Kenya for Rio.
With the first kilometre of the men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase passed in a fast 2:41.0, the leading pack was already down to six by halfway. Jairus Birech could not sustain the pace as he still felt some pain in his left leg after his fall at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rome and dropped out with four laps to go.
The Kiprutos and Kemboi then detached themselves from the remaining trio slowly but surely. They even had the luxury to start talking to each other on the last lap, galvanizing the crowd and jogged the last 100 metres, finishing almost hand-in-hand with Brimin Kipruto taking the victory in 8:27.68 with Conseslus Kipruto and Kemboi second and third in 8:27.86 and 8:27.95.
Alphas Kishoyan won the men&rsquo;s 400m easily in 44.96 but Beijing 400m hurdles finalist Boniface Mucheru was more pressed in his specialist event before winning in 48.89 with Kiprono Koskei second in 49.22. Reigning world champion Nicholas Bett did not run but was given the discretionary third spot on the plane to Rio.
The highlight of the men&rsquo;s field events inevitably came in the men&rsquo;s javelin with world champion 1. Julius Yego winning by more than six metres despite the relatively modest, for him, distance of 81.04m.
Kip Evans for the IAAF

Vivian Cheruiyot, the IAAF World Championships Beijing 10,000m champion, will chase a long distance double at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after winning both over 25 laps of the track and then the 5000m at the Kenyan Olympic Trials in Eldoret on Thursday and Friday (30-1).

Cheruiyot to go for Rio distance double after wins at the Kenyan Olympic Trials

The Bauhaus-Galan is taking advantage of the recent rescheduling of the Kenyan Olympic Trials and will now welcome four of the East African nation&rsquo;s world champions to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on 16 June.
Traditionally known for its dominance at long-distance running, last year Kenyan athletes won world titles in the 400m hurdles and javelin.
2015 became the year when Kenya earned gold medals at the 400 meters hurdles and javelin. The sensational winners were Nicholas Bett who had never competed at such a high level before the Championships in Beijing, and Julius Yego who rose to the top level three years before when he reached the Olympic final as the first ever Kenyan thrower.
Nicholas Bett sprinted to the 400m hurdles gold medal from lane eight, shaving his PB by half a second to set a national record of 47.79.
Julius Yego, meanwhile, moved to third on the world all-time list when winning the javelin title with an African record of 92.72m.
Both men will be joined in Stockholm&rsquo;s 1912 Olympic Stadium by competitors in Kenya&rsquo;s more traditional events.
World and Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha will make his first ever appearance in Stockholm. The world record-holder competed in Sweden as a teenager, winning in Malmo nine years ago with what was then a PB of 1:45.10.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to competing in the Olympic Stadium where Wilson Kipketer equalled Sebastian Coe's long-standing world record,&rdquo; Rudisha said of the 1:41.73 stadium record.
By contrast, 2014 world indoor 3000m champion Caleb Ndiku is familiar with the Swedish capital as four of his PBs have been set there, including his 5000m best of 12:59.17 from two years ago. On 16 June he will try to reproduce that form in the 5000m at the Bauhaus-Galan.
Organisers for the IAAF
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar 6 May &ndash; Doha, QAT 14 May &ndash; Shanghai, CHN 22 May &ndash; Rabat, MAR 28 May &ndash; Eugene, USA 2 Jun &ndash; Rome, ITA 5 Jun &ndash; Birmingham, GBR 9 Jun &ndash; Oslo, NOR 16 Jun &ndash; Stockholm, SWE 15 Jul &ndash; Monaco, MON 22-23 Jul &ndash; London, GBR 25 Aug &ndash; Lausanne, SUI 27 Aug &ndash; Paris, FRA 1 Sep &ndash; Zurich, SUI 9 Sep &ndash; Brussels, BEL

The Bauhaus-Galan is taking advantage of the recent rescheduling of the Kenyan Olympic Trials and will now welcome four of the East African nation’s world champions to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on 16 June.

Four Kenyan global champions in Stockholm – IAAF Diamond League

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yomif Kejelcha will return to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene on 28 May after last year becoming the youngest ever winner of the 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic, organisers of the meeting announced on Monday (18).
At 18,&nbsp;Yomif Kejelcha&nbsp;has already a lengthy history behind him.&nbsp; At 16, he won this event at the World Junior Championships Oregon 2014, which was also held at Hayward Field.&nbsp;#
Last year&rsquo;s victory made him the Prefontaine Classic&rsquo;s youngest 5000m winner by four years and foreshadowed two more victories at IAAF Diamond League meetings en route to winning the Diamond Race. He was also fourth&nbsp;in the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, the only time yet he has lost to more than one person in an international race.&nbsp; He ended the year with the world&rsquo;s fastest 5000m time at 12:53.98 and this year he already has one major gold medal, winning the 3000m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016. His compatriot&nbsp;Hagos Gebrhiwet, 21, is also at the top of Ethiopia&rsquo;s incredibly deep list of outstanding distance runners.
He captured the bronze in Beijing and two years earlier, Gebrhiwet displayed another memorable home stretch finish to earn silver at the 2013 world championships.
Prior to Kejelcha,&nbsp;Yenew Alamirew, 25, was Ethiopia&rsquo;s top-ranked 5000m runner and has finished third and second in Eugene in 2013 and 2014.
Kenyan runners have won the Prefontaine Classic 5000m more times &ndash; 10 in fact &ndash; than any other country in the last 20 years, and two of those Kenyans are the most recent champions preceding Kejelcha. Caleb Ndiku, 23, earned the 5000m silver medal in Beijing and won the 5000m in Eugene in 2014, the year he also won the Diamond Race.&nbsp;
Edwin Soi, 30, has the best set of finishes of anyone in the last three Prefontaine Classic 5000m race: first in 2013 then second and third.
Kenya&rsquo;s London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Thomas Longosiwa, now 34, will also be in the field along with 2013 world championships bronze medallist Isiah Koech,, who also took the 2012 Diamond Race.
Two-time world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor, 23, will make his Prefontaine Classic 5000m debut as well. On the track, he is the silver medallist in the 10,000m from last year&rsquo;s world championships.&nbsp;
Among the local hopes are Ben True, 30, who finished sixth at last year&rsquo;s world championships as well as in the 2013 world cross country championships.&nbsp;
Ryan Hill, 26, earned the 3000m silver medal at the recent world indoor championships while the veteran double world champion from 2007, Bernard Lagat will be competing in no less than his 16th Prefontaine Classic.&nbsp;
The incredibly deep field also includes Kenya&rsquo;s 2013 and 2015 world championships bronze medallist Paul Tanui, Canada&rsquo;s&nbsp;Cam Levins and the US quartet of Chris Derrick,&nbsp;Eric Jenkins, Hassan Mead&nbsp;and&nbsp;Paul Chelimo.
Organisers for the IAAF
2016 IAAF Diamond League calendar 6 May &ndash; Doha, QAT 14 May &ndash; Shanghai, CHN 22 May &ndash; Rabat, MAR 28 May &ndash; Eugene, USA 2 Jun &ndash; Rome, ITA 5 Jun &ndash; Birmingham, GBR 9 Jun &ndash; Oslo, NOR 16 Jun &ndash; Stockholm, SWE 15 Jul &ndash; Monaco, MON 22-23 Jul &ndash; London, GBR 25 Aug &ndash; Lausanne, SUI 27 Aug &ndash; Paris, FRA 1 Sep &ndash; Zurich, SUI 9 Sep &ndash; Brussels, BEL

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha will return to the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene on 28 May after last year becoming the youngest ever winner of the 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic, organisers of the meeting announced on Monday (18).

Defending champion Kejelcha heads impressive 5000m field in Eugene – IAAF Diamond League

Defending 3000m champion Caleb Ndiku leads Kenya&rsquo;s team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 on 17-20 March.He will be one of three Kenyan men entered for the 3000m after compatriot Augustine Choge secured a wildcard by topping the standings for that discipline in the IAAF World Indoor Tour. They will be joined by 2013 world 5000m bronze medallist Isiah Koech.Betsy Saina, who recently clocked a world-leading time over 5000m, will contest the 3000m. World junior champion Margaret Wambui has been named in the 800m.<h3>Kenyan team for Portland</h3>MEN 400m: Boniface Mweresa 800m: Edward Kemboi, Jeremiah Mutai 1500m: Vincent Kibet, Bethwell Birgen 3000m: Caleb Ndiku, Augustine Choge, Isiah KoechWOMEN 800m: Margaret Wambui 3000m: Nancy Chepkwemoi, Betsy Saina*Pending a qualification mark

Defending 3000m champion Caleb Ndiku leads Kenya’s team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 on 17-20 March.

Ndiku fronts Kenyan team for Portland

Kenya&rsquo;s reigning world indoor 3000m champion Caleb Nidiku will take on his Ethiopian rivals Yenew Alamirew and Yomif Kejelcha over 15 laps of the track at the Indoor Meeting &ndash; Karlsruhe on Saturday 6 February, organisers for the opening IAAF World Indoor Tour event of 2016 announced on Saturday (30).The 3000m race between the trio in the German city could quite conceivably be a prelude to the battle for the medals over 3000m at the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 in March.Ndiku also won the 5000m silver medal at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 last summer, with teenage prodigy Kejecha &ndash; who is still only 18 &ndash; fourth in that race.However, Kejelcha topped the 2015 5000m lists when he won the IAAF Diamond League final in 12:53.98.Alamirew is very familiar with Karlsruhe&rsquo;s Messe arena having finished third, second and then third again over 3000m at this meeting in the three years between 2012-14. He is also the third fastest man ever over the distance indoors, having run 7:27:80 in Stuttgart in 2011.Another familiar face to the Karlsruhe crowd will be high jumper and German outdoor record holder Ariane Friedrich, who won at this meeting in 2009 and 2010. On the former occasion, she jumped her indoor personal best of 2.05mNow 32, after several years of injury problems and also giving birth to her daughter, the former European indoor champion has returned to competition this winter and is competing again for the first time since 2013.Organisers for the IAAF2016 IAAF World Indoor Tour calendar 6 February &ndash; Karlsruhe Indoor Meeting (Karlsruhe, GER) 14 February &ndash; New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (Boston, USA) 17 February &ndash; Globen Galan (Stockholm, SWE) 20 February &ndash; Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix (Glasgow, GBR)

Kenya’s reigning world indoor 3000m champion Caleb Nidiku will take on his Ethiopian rivals Yenew Alamirew and Yomif Kejelcha over 15 laps of the track at the Indoor Meeting – Karlsruhe on Saturday 6 February, organisers for the opening 2016 IAAF World Indoor Tour event announced on Saturday (30).

Ndiku, Alamirew and Kejelcha set for 3000m battle in Karlsruhe

Once again the question has to be posed, just how do you beat Mo Farah?The Briton notched up the distance double over 5000m and 10,000m for his fourth successive major championship, winning over the shorter distance at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 in 13:50:58.The slow early pace played to Farah&rsquo;s strength of having an almost unmatchable speed over the final kilometre. Although Kenya&rsquo;s 2014 Diamond Race winner Caleb Ndiku tried to blunt Farah&rsquo;s powers of acceleration with a long surge and attack with just over two laps to go, in the end, when Farah moved around the Kenyan with flaming red hair on the last bend, he doused Ndiku&rsquo;s fire once and for all.It was Farah&rsquo;s compatriot Tom Farrell who towed the field through a pedestrian first kilometre as the 15 men settled into ambling around in single file with Farah right at the back.Farrell continued at the front and the pace increased just marginally over the next kilometre as 2000m was reached in 5:58.69 as Farah continued to stay out of trouble at the rear.With six laps to go, just after the halfway point, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Imane Merga moved to the front and injected a modicum of pace to pass 3000m in 8:47.28 as Farah steadily moved his way up the field to sit on Merga&rsquo;s shoulder.The Briton then started to control the pace from the front for much of the next kilometre, passing 4000m in 11:51.18 as Bahrain&rsquo;s Albert Rop and Ethiopian teenage prodigy Yomif Kejelcha decided to tuck themselves in behind Farah. But all 15 men were still in contention with one kilometre to go and less than one second covered the field at this point.The decisive moment of the race came with just over two laps to go as Ndiku darted to the front and started a long run for home. Farah covered the move but looked as though he didn&rsquo;t have enough in reserve to beat the Kenyan.At the bell the effect of the change in pace showed on most of the runners' faces, whose grimaces taut and twisted with the effort.Down the back straight for the last time it looked as though Farah was beaten but he dug deep and hauled himself past Ndiku with 140 metres to go and managed to hold him off through to the line before collapsing to the track after winning his 10th major championship gold medal since 2011.Ndiku got his first outdoor global championship medal as a senior, crossing the line in 13:51.75.Ethiopia's 2013 silver medallist Hagos Gebrhiwet was passed by Kejelcha on the bend but then re-passed his compatriot with 50 metres to go to take the bronze in 13:51.86.&ldquo;I didn't feel great, my hammy (hamstring) was playing up a bit, but the medical team helped me through it," Farah told the BBC. "Tonight to come out here and make a double means so much to me.&ldquo;I was kind of getting nervous for the first time in a little while, but thanks to all the medical team. It was amazing to do it."Farah's pregnant wife Tania and young family were not in Beijing, but back at his home in the US city of Portland, where he trains for much of the year. &ldquo;I am so looking forward to spending time with my family," he added. "I just want to go home and celebrate with them.&rdquo;Farah has not divulged his post-Beijing race plans but, basking in the glory of his Beijing double, it would be no surprise if this was his last track race of 2015.Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Once again the question has to be posed, just how do you beat Mo Farah?

Report: men's 5000m final – IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

Double Olympic, world and European 5000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah will drop down in distance and contest the 3000m at the Doha 2015 meeting, the opening competition of this year&rsquo;s IAAF Diamond League on Friday 15 May, organisers announced on Tuesday (31).It will be the 32-year-old Briton&rsquo;s first appearance at the Doha leg of the IAAF Diamond League.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard so many great things about the track, the crowd and the competition in Doha,&rdquo; said Farah. &ldquo;There are always very strong fields in the distances so this will be a great early season test on the track for me. I&rsquo;m looking forward to a good performance.&rdquo;At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Farah joined a short list of history&rsquo;s most illustrious runners when he became only the seventh man to claim the 5000m and 10,000m double at the same Games. He replicated this feat a year later at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, becoming only the second to win both titles at the same championship. Farah also claimed the same double distance triumph at the 2010 and 2014 European Championships, and holds the continental records on the track over 1500m and 10,000m.Last weekend, Farah added the half marathon record to that list after his 59:32 victory at the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.Underscoring his exceptional range, that run came just four weeks after he set a world indoor best of 8:03.40 for two miles.<h3>Doha delighted </h3>&ldquo;We are delighted to have one of the greatest current Olympic and world champions at our meeting this year,&rdquo; said the President of the Qatar Athletics Federation Dahlan Al Hamad. &ldquo;Mo Farah&rsquo;s first appearance in Doha will ensure that our tradition of early season distance racing excellence will continue this year.&rdquo;In Doha, Farah will face another strong field replete with runners from the traditionally strong distance running powers Ethiopia and Kenya.Ethiopia will be represented by Hagos Gebrhiwet, the world 5000m silver medallist. Gebrhiwet won the Doha 3000m in 2013 when he ran 7:30.36, which is still his&nbsp;personal best.He&rsquo;ll be joined by 24-year-old Yenew Alamirew who set the Doha meeting record of 7:27.26 in 2011; like Gebrihiwet, he has yet to run faster over the distance.They&rsquo;ll be accompanied by 17-year-old Yomif Kejelcha, the 2013 world youth 3000m and 2014 5000m world junior champion, as well as the 2014 Youth Olympic Games 3000m winner.Leading the Kenyan contingent will be Isiah Koech, the world 5000m bronze medallist, and Thomas Longosiwa, the Olympic 5000m bronze medallist, and the latter will be racing in Doha for a sixth time. Another strong Kenyan in the field is 22-year-old Caleb Ndiku, the world indoor 3000m champion and last year&rsquo;s Diamond Race winner over 3000/5000m. The field also includes Edwin Soi, the 2008 Olympic 5000m bronze medallist. His personal best of 7:27.55 came on the Doha track as well, when he finished second to Alamirew in 2011.Adding regional interest, the field will also include Bahrain&rsquo;s Albert Rop, the Asian record-holder over the 3000m indoors and 5000m outdoors.Organisers for the IAAF2015 IAAF Diamond League calendar Doha, QAT &ndash; 15 May Shanghai, CHN &ndash; 17 May Eugene, USA &ndash; 30 May Rome, ITA &ndash; 4 June Birmingham, GBR &ndash; 7 June Oslo, NOR &ndash; 11 June New York, USA &ndash; 13 June Paris, FRA &ndash; 4 July Lausanne, SUI &ndash; 9 July Monaco, MON &ndash; 17 July London, GBR &ndash; 24-25 July Stockholm, SWE &ndash; 30 July Zurich, SUI &ndash; 3 September Brussels, BEL &ndash; 11 September

Double Olympic, world and European 5000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah will drop down in distance and contest the 3000m at the Doha 2015 meeting, the opening competition of this year’s IAAF Diamond League on Friday 15 May, organisers announced on Tuesday (31).

Farah to run 3000m in Doha – IAAF Diamond League

Statisticians Mirko Jalava and A Lennart Julin look back at the best long-distance running performances of the year.<h3>Men&rsquo;s 5000m</h3> It was a relatively low-key season in terms of performances in the men&rsquo;s 5000m with only four athletes running faster than 13 minutes during the 2014 season. But one of these four was easily the best overall with the others running less consistently during the summer.Caleb Ndiku, who had previously been a 1500m specialist, started the season with a world indoor title over 3000m. The 22-year-old Kenyan was unbeaten in his five total races in 3000m and won all important 5000m races as well.Ndiku started his 5000m season with a 13:01.71 world leader for a win in Eugene and then capped his season with major wins at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and African Championships in Marrakech. He later added a win at the Weltklasse in Zurich, right after finishing third in Stockholm in a 12:59.17 personal best. The Kenyan also won the Continental Cup 3000m in Marrakech in September.Ethiopian Muktar Edris was the fastest runner of the year, winning in 12:54.83 in Stockholm. But his season was quite thin as in addition to this win and a second-place finish in Zurich, other results were moderate.In fact, Yenew Alamirew, also from Ethiopia, was the second-best 5000m runner in 2014, despite the fact that his best of 13:00.21 was only the fifth-fastest time of the season. The 24-year-old recorded wins in Shanghai and Oslo and placed second in three further IAAF Diamond League meetings in Eugene, Paris and Glasgow.<h3>Men&rsquo;s 10,000m</h3> There was one men&rsquo;s 10,000m race this season which stood out over the rest. All four athletes who ran faster than 27 minutes this year came from the same race: the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Eugene.USA&rsquo;s Galen Rupp won in 26:44.36 to break his own North American record. It was also just the second time he had dipped below the 27-minute barrier, after his 26:48.00 in Brussels in 2011.World bronze medallist Paul Tanui of Kenya was second in Eugene in 26:49.41 and was easily the most active runner at the top of the 10,000m this season. The 23-year-old ran three of the six fastest times in 2014 with an early world leader of 27:16.75 in May and then rounded out his season with 27:17.82 in Yamaguchi in October.Behind Rupp, Kenyans unbelievably populated the next 10 positions on the world list. Bedan Karoki was third in 26:52.36 and Stephen Sambu was fourth in 26:54.61.With only a few meaningful titles in this event this season, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda grabbed the first one in a sprint finish in Glasgow at the Commonwealth Games. The 28-year-old clocked 27:56.11 for the win, just ahead of Kenyan Joseph Bett, who clocked 27:56.14 for the silver.Eritrean Nguse Tesfaldet emerged as the African champion in Marrakech in 28:11.07 and Briton Mo Farah won his second career European title in 28:08.11 in Zurich.<h3>Men&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h3> Jairus Birech took a big leap towards the steeplechase elite in 2014. The 21-year-old Kenyan had run an 8:03.43 personal best back in 2012, but this season really changed things for the youngster.Birech ran four of the five fastest times of the season and recorded IAAF Diamond League wins in Rome, Oslo, Lausanne, Monaco, Birmingham and Brussels. He also won the African Championships and the Continental Cup, both in Marrakech, with the only real dent to his campaign coming as a loss at the Commonwealth Games. There Birech finished in second place with fellow Kenyan Jonathan Ndiku grabbing the win.Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad was the second fastest of the season, clocking 8:03.23 for second place in Brussels. But the 29-year-old got a lot of the attention during the European Championships for being disqualified following his steeplechase win for ripping his shirt off in the final straight.USA&rsquo;s Evan Jager only ran his first steeplechase race in 2012 and after a disappointing 2013 season, he came back to the top in 2014. The 25-year-old finished second in Oslo and then broke his own North American record with a 8:04.71 clocking in Brussels before grabbing the second place at the Continental Cup in Marrakech.Ezekiel Kemboi, who has won two Olympic golds and three world titles, had a quiet season. He started with an early world lead of 8:04.12 when winning the first IAAF Diamond League meeting in Doha in May. But after that the 32-year-old finished third at both the Commonwealth Games and African Championships and failed to perform at various IAAF Diamond League meetings.<h3>Women&rsquo;s 5000m</h3> For quite a few years this event has had three main protagonists in Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar and Vivian Cheruiyot. But all of them were missing in 2014; Dibaba only competed on the road while the other two took maternal leaves.With no senior global outdoor championship, only the IAAF Diamond League could provide opportunities for global head-to-head competitions. But only two of the designated seven meetings featured the 5000m as four instead went for the 3000m and one for the two miles.Thus the global season effectively consisted of just two significant races: Rome in early June and Monaco in mid-July. This is clearly reflected by the world list were the top 10 is made up of seven marks from Monaco and three from Rome.The two races also turned out quite similar with Ethiopia&rsquo;s Genzebe Dibaba and Almaz Ayana finishing first and second and Kenya&rsquo;s Viola Kibiwot third on both occasions. The fastest times came in Monaco where both Dibaba and Ayana ran faster than 14:30. In sixth in that race, Molly Huddle of the USA lowered her own area record by a couple of seconds to 14:42.64.The year also included some non-global championships. The Commonwealth title went to Kenya&rsquo;s Mercy Cherono, the African title to Ayana &ndash; on that occasion defeating Dibaba &ndash; and the European title to Sweden&rsquo;s Meraf Bahta after an exciting side-by-side battle down the finishing straight with Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands.The Continental Cup in Marrakech in September featured only Ayana of the main contenders and the Ethiopian won by some 25 seconds in a relatively modest 15:33.<h3>Women&rsquo;s 10,000m</h3> Outside of Japan &ndash; which has something that could almost be called a national 10,000m circuit &ndash; the 10,000m has become more or less completely restricted to the championships. The one exception to that is the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, USA, in early May each year.This year was no exception as the Stanford race was the by far fastest of the year. The top trio of Sally Kipyego, Molly Huddle and Betsy Saina ran 30:42.26, 30:47.59 and 30:57.30 respectively while the fastest time elsewhere was half a minute slower, 31:28.07 by Selly Chepyego in Japan in April.Most of the championship races were fairly slow and decided by sprint finishes. Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya took the Commonwealth and African titles in 32:09.35 and 32:45.27 respectively while Great Britain&rsquo;s Jo Pavey at age 41 won the European gold in 32:22.39.Of the championship races, only the Asian Games in Inchon in October provided times faster than 32 minutes. Alia Mohamed Saeed of the United Arab Emirates won in 31:51.86 followed by China&rsquo;s Ding Changqin in 31:53.09 and Japan&rsquo;s Ayumi Hagiwara in 31:55.67.It is worth noting that in 2014 there were 18 sub-32-minute runners on the track but 32 on the road, suggesting there is a great untapped potential readily available for the track event.<h3>Women&rsquo;s 3000m steeplechase</h3> During the IAAF Diamond League era, this event has been dominated by runners from Kenya and Ethiopia who between them have won 23 of 28 races on the circuit between 2010 and 2013. The main contributor was Kenya&rsquo;s Milcah Chemos who singlehandedly accumulated 16 triumphs.The main opposition to the Kenyan-Ethiopian hegemony came from Russia. Yulia Zaripova won one IAAF Diamond League race per year between 2010 and 2012 and ran away with the gold medals at the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics. But with Zaripova taking a break in 2014 to give birth to her second child, it looked like the steeplechase would become a two-nations event.Perhaps it was this feeling that made the supposed main contenders reluctant to react when USA&rsquo;s Emma Coburn stuck to the pace-maker at the IAAF Diamond League opener in Doha. But that was a fatal miscalculation and the US runner went on to win by more than five seconds.That race set the tone for the rest of the summer and although Ethiopia&rsquo;s Sofia Assefa (twice) and Hiwot Aayalew (three times) won the next five IAAF Diamond League races, they were strongly challenged by Coburn who always was up there, finishing third, second, second and third in her next four appearances and who capped her season by winning the Continental Cup ahead of Ayalew.This season also saw a late-summer return to top form for Olympic silver medallist Habiba Ghribi, who won the IAAF Diamond League final in Zurich in convincing fashion.The 2014 rising steeple star was Bahrain&rsquo;s Ruth Jebet who at age 17 lowered her PB by 20 seconds to 9:20.55 and who won the gold medals at the World Junior Championships and the Asian Games.Mirko Jalava (men&rsquo;s events) and A Lennart Julin (women&rsquo;s events) for the IAAF

Statisticians Mirko Jalava and A Lennart Julin look back at the best long-distance running performances of the year.

2014 end-of-year reviews – long distance

They won the first and last events of the weekend, but in between those victories hosts Africa could not hold off the might of the two strongest teams in the IAAF Continental Cup as Europe lifted the team trophy at the end of two days of competition in Marrakech.Europe had a comfortable lead overnight, which they extended on the second day after winning half of the 20 events.But the best event of the day was arguably the women’s 100m hurdles.Having recently won the Diamond Race, Dawn Harper Nelson of the Americas lined up in Marrakech as the big favourite. European champion Tiffany Porter pushed her all the way, but the 2008 Olympic champion had the edge at the end, winning in a championship record and African all-comers’ record of 12.47.In second, Porter also dipped below both of the previous records with her time of 12.51, breaking Jessica Ennis-Hill’s British record in the process.Europe’s Cindy Roleder placed third in 13.02 with Lavonne Idlette of the Americas in fourth as the top two teams both bagged 13 points.That set the tone for much of the rest of the day as Europe extended their lead with Americas in second, always a safe distance ahead of Africa.European champions Shubenkov, Schippers and Schwanitz all victoriousThe European team bagged the full eight points in several events on the second day thanks to a handful of their continental champions.Sergey Shubenkov held off a strong challenge from Americas’ Ronnie Ash and Europe’s William Sharman to win the 110m hurdles in 13.23. Both Ash and Sharman were given 13.25 with the former given second place.Double European sprint champion Dafne Schippers rebounded after finishing third at the IAAF Diamond League final. This time the Dutch heptathlete had a lead off the bend and maintained it until the end, winning in 22.28, her second-fastest time ever.Joanna Atkins of the Americas was second with 22.53 and Schippers’ team-mate Myriam Soumare was third in 22.58.European champion Christina Schwanitz benefitted from the non-appearance of defending champion Valerie Adams in the shot put, winning with 20.02m. All of the German’s attempts would have been enough to win after Adams withdrew, having suffered an adverse reaction from a pain-killer injection earlier in the day.Michelle Carter, representing the Americas, was second with a season’s best of 19.84m as Gong Lijiao was 61cm further back in third.African all-comers’ record for CompaoreBy the end of the first round, it was clear that the men’s triple jump was going to be an exciting contest.African and Commonwealth champion Godfrey Mokoena took an early lead with 17.13m as Will Claye responded with 16.87m. But European champion Benjamin Compaore usurped both with his first-round leap of 17.26m.Mokoena regained the lead in the second round with an African record of 17.35m, only for Compaore to retaliate with a PB of 17.48m, the best ever triple jump mark on African soil. Claye, representing the Americas, also improved with 17.20m.Compaore and Mokoena didn’t improve with their final two jumps, but Claye rounded out a consistent series with leaps of 17.21m and 17.18m.Win but no world record for WlodarczykAfter breaking the hammer world record in Berlin two weeks ago, European champion Anita Wlodarczyk said she was in shape to break the 80-metre barrier. But in the absence of some of her toughest rivals to push her to such distances, the Pole settled for a comfortable 75.21m victory.Her winning throw was just eight centimetres shy of the championship record and her winning margin of 2.83m was the biggest ever in the history of the event.North American record-holder Amanda Bingson took second place with 72.38m while Wlodarczyk’s European team-mate Martina Hrasnova threw 70.47m for third.Fellow world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie was similarly successful in the pole vault without needing to produce one of his best ever marks. The European champion went straight into the lead with his opening height of 5.65m as just two of his opponents were left.Xue Changrui of Asia-Pacific got over that height on his third attempt while Mark Hollis of the Americas bowed out. Xue failed three times at 5.70m as Lavillenie went clear on his third attempt at 5.80m before ending his series with three unsuccessful tries at 5.90m.Ndiku caps superb season with another big winAfrican 5000m champion Caleb Ndiku won a competitive 3000m. After taking up the lead at half way, he went through 2000m in 5:29.68 and covered the final kilometre in 2:22.96 to hold off Europe’s Hayle Ibrahimov, winning by half a second in 7:52.64.In third, defending champion Bernard Lagat, competing 12 years after making his debut in this competition, secured six points for the Americas with 7:53.95.Ndiku now ends the year as the only athlete in the world to have won titles at the World Indoor Championships, a continental championships, the Diamond Race and the Continental Cup.Africa gained the maximum 15 points in the women’s 5000m. Competing on the same track on which she destroyed a quality field to win the African title, Ethiopia’s Almaz Ayana took off after 3000m to win by the huge margin of 25 seconds, stopping the clock at 15:33.32.Joyce Chepkirui was second, holding off a late surge from European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey.European champion Sifan Hassan broke up the African dominance of the distance events, winning the 1500m. Ethiopia’s world junior champion Dawit Seyaum darted to the front with 250 metres remaining, but Hassan had enough left in the tank to overtake her coming off the final bend, kicking on to win in 4:05.99.Seyaum faded to third as Shannon Rowbury came through to take second place for the Americas in 4:07.21.Having never finished in the top three before in the women’s 3000m steeplechase in this competition, the Americas took top points thanks to US record-holder Emma Coburn. World leader and African champion Hiwot Ayalew had a slight lead approaching the final barrier, but a slight stumble proved costly as Coburn capitalised, crossing the line in 9:50.67.Ayalew held on for second with world junior champion Ruth Jebet third for Asia-Pacific.The same teams filled the top three spots in the men’s event, albeit in a slightly different order as African champion Jairus Birech sprinted away from Evan Jager of the Americas to win in 8:13.18. Jager, who led at the bell, settled for second place in 8:14.08, three seconds ahead of Asia-Pacific’s Abubaker Ali Kamal.Another sprint 1-2 for the AmericasHaving filled the top two spots in the women’s 100m and 400m yesterday, Americas did so once again in the men’s 200m.Diamond Race winner Alonso Edward was neck-and-neck with Americas team-mate Rasheed Dwyer and both were almost inseparable as they crossed the line. Both were given the same time of 19.98, a PB for Dwyer, as Edward was given the win.Europe gained a full 15 points in the women’s long jump, narrowly averting a disaster. European champion Eloyse Lesueur opened her campaign with three fouls, but on her final attempt she flew out to 6.66m to go into the lead.Team-mate Ivana Spanovic was second with 6.56m. The American duo were third and fourth, placing ahead of the two Africans, with the Asia-Pacific representatives taking seventh and eighth.Europe also picked up valuable points in the women’s high jump and men’s discus.World indoor champion Mariya Kuchina enjoyed a clean card up to and including 1.97m and then popped over 1.99m at the second time of asking to win from Chaunte Lowe of the Americas, who cleared 1.97m.Former Olympic champion Gerd Kanter became Europe’s sixth successive winner of the discus. He took an early lead with 62.91m, increased it to 63.86m in the second round and then ended his season with his winning distance of 64.46m.Hosts Africa end on a highThey were out of contention for the overall title, but Africa enjoyed a late rush by taking victories in the final field event, the final individual track event, and the final race of the weekend.World leader Ihab Abdelrahman El Sayed, representing Africa, made history by becoming the first non-European winner of the men’s javelin at the World or Continental Cup.He led from the outset, opening with 81.77m before unleashing his winning throw of 85.44m in the second round. World champion Vitezslav Vesely placed second with his third-round throw of 83.77m and Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott was third, just 25cm behind.African champion Nijel Amos underlined his status as the world’s top 800m runner this season, taking another victory over African team-mate and world champion Mohammed Aman.Duane Solomon of the Americas led at the bell in 51.55, but Amos came through strong with 200m remaining, kicking away to win in 1:44.88. Aman was almost half a second behind with European champion Adam Kszczot taking third.For the fourth time in a row, the Americas women won the 4x400m. With individual 400m winner Francena McCorory on second leg and Diamond Race winner Novlene Williams-Mills on anchor, their winning time of 3:20.93 was a world-leading mark and African all-comers’ record.Europe finished more than three seconds behind in 3:24.12, with Africa taking third.There was more excitement in the men’s race though. Europe and the Americas, with 400m hurdler Javier Culson, were about level after the first exchange, but Isaac Makwala ran a storming second leg to give Africa the lead at half way.Kim Collins then, somewhat surprisingly, ran third leg for the Americas as he chased Saviour Kombe of Africa hard, but the 38-year-old suffered on the home straight, dropping to third.Wayde van Niekerk and Martyn Rooney received the baton almost level on the last leg, but Van Niekerk held off the European champion to win in 3:00.02, just 0.08 ahead of Europe.World 400m champion LaShawn Merritt and Japan’s Julian Jrummi Walsh both ran sterling final legs, but were too far behind to make an impact as Americas and Asia-Pacific finished third and fourth respectively.Europe had already done enough to win by this point, but their 13 points in the relay brought their overall tally to 447.5. Americas finished second with 390 points with Africa third (339) and Asia-Pacific fourth (257.5).Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

They won the first and last events of the weekend, but in between those victories hosts Africa could not hold off the might of the two strongest teams in the IAAF Continental Cup as Europe lifted the team trophy at the end of two days of competition in Marrakech.

Europe victorious at IAAF Continental Cup, Marrakech 2014

After some outstanding men’s javelin throwing in the same stadium barely two weeks ago, there was another fine display in the IAAF Diamond League final. But instead of it being European champion Antti Ruuskanen who took the honours, it was Germany’s Thomas Rohler's turn to shine instead on Thursday (28).Rohler, who won in Glasgow last month with what was then a personal best of 86.99m to suggest that he might be a contender for a continental medal, was to finish a disappointed 12th on his last visit to the Letzigrund Stadium, but he made up for that performance by winning at the famous Weltklasse meeting with a personal best of 87.63m to take the Diamond Race and the $40,000 first prize.The full Diamond Race standing for each event can be seen&nbsp;<a href="http://www.diamondleague.com/en/Diamond-Race/Overview-Disciplines/">here</a>.<a href="http://www.diamondleague.com/en/Diamond-Race/Overview-Disciplines/"></a>The 22-year-old from Jena unleashed his big throw in the first round and despite good conditions for the javelin, his nearest rival was almost two metres in arrears.Second place went to Trinidad and Tobago’s Olympic champion Keshorn Walcott, who is even younger than Rohler at 21, who set a national record of 85.77m when throwing immediately before Rohler in the first round.&nbsp;Tero Pitkämäki, bronze medallist at the European Championships, was third again, 85.12m.Ruuskanen this time was down in sixth with 83.85m while Egypt’s 2014 world leader Ihab Abdelrahman was one place and 23cm further back in sixth and as neither men took any points, it eliminated them from Diamond Race contention.By contrast, the men’s triple jump was not decided until the last round with Olympic champion Christian Taylor bounding out to a season’s best of 17.51m to go from third to first. Taylor had a nail-biting minute or two as he watched his friend and former training partner Will Claye improve from 17.24m to 17.39m with the next jump, before France’s Benjamin Compaore was unable to improve on his second round 17.45m which had held the lead until Taylor’s final big effort.Finally, the affable Taylor was able to celebrate completing his mission, which he’d publicly stated at the start of the season, of capturing the Diamond Race.On the track, the top men’s track even was arguably the men’s 800m.Amos the bossKenyan pacemaker Sammy Tangui took the field through the first lap in 49.69 with Pierre-Ambroise Bosse three metres back. The Frenchman then took over in pole position for the next 250 metres, passing 600m in 1:17.34, before the phalanx of African runners closed around him as the field entered the home straight.With 60 metres to go, Botswana’s 2014 world leader Nijel Amos burst to the front and he stayed there all the way to the line, which he crossed in 1:43.77, and it was enough to clinch the Diamond Race.Behind him, Djibouti’s world indoor 1500m champion Ayanleh Souleiman was second in 1:43.93 while Kenya’s Olympic champion David Rudisha was third in 1:43.96.There was another immensely entertaining race in the men’s 5000m even if it was like the 800m, slightly slower than anticipated on the basis of the expected pace.Kenya’s Caleb Ndiku took the lead just ahead of the bell and then went through the gears. He held off all his opponents to win in 13:07.01, but it was a close-run thing.He was chased home by Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris, who set a world-leading time in Stockholm last week, but didn’t quite have an answer to Ndiku’s sustained acceleration and was just 0.31 behind the winner.USA’s Galen Rupp again was caught just slightly short of speed on the last lap and was third in 13:07.82 as less than three seconds the first six men home.Unfortunately for Ethiopia’s Yenew Alamirew, the Diamond Race leader ahead of Zurich by seven points, he wasn’t one of them. Reportedly slightly ill, he trailed home 12th and the Diamond Race went to Ndiku.Jamaica’s Kemar Bailey-Cole was a convincing winner of the non-Diamond League men’s 100m in a season’s best of 9.96, with USA’s Michael Rodgers second in 10.05Phil Minshull for the IAAF &nbsp;&nbsp;

After some outstanding men’s javelin throwing in the same stadium barely two weeks ago, there was another fine display in the IAAF Diamond League final. But instead of it being European champion Antti Ruuskanen who took the honours, it was Germany’s Thomas Rohler's turn to shine instead on Thursday (28).