Posted: February 17, 2005

Athletics: More Fast Races On Tap Friday In Birmingham

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

Bernard Lagat, Tirunesh Dibaba, Meseret Defar, Kenenisa Bekele and Kelly Holmes are the key attractions for the four middle and long distance events on tap at Friday night’s Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham, GBR.

Lagat arrives in Birmingham after a pair of swift mile performances to lead the field in the 1500. At last weekend’s Powered by Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, the Olympic silver medallist clocked a 3:49.89 Kenyan national record, the third fastest indoor mile performance ever. At Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena, he’ll face Ivan Heshko and Mehdi Baala, respectively the Ukrainian and French national record holders. Last weekend in Karlsruhe, Germany, Heshko finished second to Daniel Kipchirchir Komen in 3:33.99 to become only the seventh to ever dip under the 3:34 barrier indoors. Laban Rotich, who beat Lagat at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games last month, is in the line-up as well.

At this meeting last year, the Ethiopian duo of Defar and Dibaba clocked the third and fourth fastest ever 3000 meter performances. In the 12 months since, Defar claimed the world indoor title at 3000 and Olympic gold at 5000, while Dibaba demolished Berhane Adere’s world indoor record in the 5000 last month in Boston. Here, they are planning an assault on Adere’s 8:29.15 mark which Defar just missed in the same Boston meet, clocking 8:30.05 after her finish was impeded by lapped runners. Briton Jo Pavey will be shooting for Elly van Hulst’s European record of 8:33.82 set nearly 16 years ago. Last year, Pavey finished less than a second shy of the mark.

Running in his second race of the indoor season, Kenenisa Bekele is expected to chase the world indoor best of 8:04.69 in the two mile race set here by Haile Gebrselassie two years ago. Fellow-Ethiopian Markos Geneti should provide the stiffest challenge, while his younger brother Tariku will set the pace.

Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes returns to defend her title in the 1000. American Jen Toomey, who set the American record of 2:34.19 behind Holmes British record run of 2:32.96 last year, will make her first indoor appearance of the year.

Provisional start list (16-Feb):

MEN -
1500m:
Niel Speaight, GBR
Timothy Kiptanui Too, KEN
Laban Rotich, KEN
Bernard Lagat, KEN
Ben Kipkurui, KEN
Abdelati Iguider, MOR
Henry Rotich, KEN
David Krummenacker, USA
Rob Myers, USA
James Thie, GBR
Mehdi Baala, FRA
Ivan Heshko, UKR
Fred Sharpe, USA - pace
Samwel Mwera, TAN - pace

2 Miles:
Paul Bitok, KEN
Martin Keino, KEN
Kenenisa Bekele, ETH
Mike Skinner, GBR
Monder Rizki, BEL
Markos Geneti, ETH
Youssef Baba, MOR
Steve Hepples, GBR
Mohamed Moustaoui, MOR
John Mayock, GBR
Tariku Bekele, ETH - pace

WOMEN -
1000m:
Kelly Holmes, GBR
Jenny Meadows, GBR
Mina Ait Hammou, MOR
Jennifer Toomey, USA
Seltana Ait Hammou, MOR
Agnes Samaria, NAM
Bigita Langerholc, LAT

3000m:
Jo Pavey, GBR
Konstadina Efedaki, GRE
Wioletta Frankiewicz-Janowska, POL
Helen Clitheroe, GBR
Meseret Defar, ETH
Susanne Pumper, AUT
Carla Sacramento, POR
Johanna Risku, FIN
Silham Hilali, MOR
Bouchra Ghezielle , MOR
Heather Hennigar CAN – pace