{"id":1355,"date":"2017-05-19T07:20:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T07:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/eugene-mo-farah-tops-a-pre-classic-5k-packed-with-medalists\/"},"modified":"2017-05-19T07:20:10","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T07:20:10","slug":"eugene-mo-farah-tops-a-pre-classic-5k-packed-with-medalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/eugene-mo-farah-tops-a-pre-classic-5k-packed-with-medalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Eugene: Mo Farah Tops a Pre Classic 5K Packed with Medalists"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>More than half the field own an Olympic or World Championships medal in events also including the 10k, steeplechase, half-marathon and cross-country.<\/p>\n<p>The 5k \u2013 the favorite race distance of Steve Prefontaine \u2013 has plenty of talent on its own, beginning with every Olympic medalist from Rio.<\/p><\/div>\n<div>Mo Farah, 34, of Great Britain now has nine major gold medals \u2013 four in the Olympics and five in the World Championships, and eight from an uncanny collection of double 5k\/10k wins at the last two Olympics and last two World Championships. &nbsp;He is aiming for another such double at this summer\u2019s London Worlds.<\/div>\n<div>Farah\u2019s success at the Pre Classic mirrors his other global success. &nbsp;He has racked up four Pre Classic victories \u2013 the still-standing 5k meet record of 12:56.98 in 2012, plus three wins in the 10k (the three fastest of his career).The most decorated British athlete yet, his range includes being the fastest British 1500-meter runner (3:28.81) and second fastest in his only marathon (2:08:21)<\/div>\n<div>Paul Chelimo, 26, was the surprise silver medalist in Rio. &nbsp;Having earned U.S. eligibility just a year earlier, he made history with the first Olympic 5k medal by an American since Bob Schul won the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>Chelimo was the only runner challenging Farah on the homestretch in Rio, and his 13:03.90 was a PR by over 15 seconds.<\/div>\n<div>Hagos Gebrhiwet, 23, already has three major medals \u2013 his Rio Olympic bronze adding to the silver he won in the 2013 Moscow World Championships and the bronze in Beijing. &nbsp;In 2012, he set the still-standing world Junior record of 12:47.53 \u2013 still his PR and the best of anyone in this year\u2019s field.<\/div>\n<div>At 19, Yomif Kejelcha has already raced to unprecedented history, and twice it was at Hayward Field. &nbsp;At 16, he was the youngest winner ever in this event at the World Junior Championships in 2014, held at Hayward Field. &nbsp;In 2015 he made his biggest splash, winning the Pre Classic and becoming the youngest 5K winner by four years. &nbsp;A fantastic season saw him winning the IAAF Diamond League as well.<\/div>\n<div>Wisconsin alum Mohammed Ahmed, 26, is the fastest in the world thus far at 13:04.60, set indoors in February. &nbsp;Earlier this month, the Canadian lowered his 10k PR by over half a minute to 27:30.00 at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford. &nbsp;Ahmed was 4th in the Rio 5k, his country\u2019s best finish in the event. He was third in last year\u2019s Pre Classic 5k with a PR 13:01.74.<\/div>\n<div>Geoffrey Kamworor, 24, has the most major golds of anyone in the field except Farah. &nbsp;In March, the Kenyan won his second World Cross Country crown. &nbsp;Last year he won his second World Half-Marathon title. &nbsp;On the track, he has run PRs in all three of his appearances at the Pre Classic, including last year\u2019s runner-up finish at 12:59:98.<\/div>\n<div>Olympic steeplechase gold medalist Conseslus Kipruto, 22, won his first Pre Classic in 2013 at age 18. &nbsp;It was then a meet record 8:03.59. &nbsp;His venture this year into the 5k will be the first since his only known attempt at the distance, 13:47.5 in the high altitude of Eldoret in Kenya<\/div>\n<div>Second-fastest in the field is Isiah Koech at 12:48.64. &nbsp;Koech was the bronze medalist in the 2013 Moscow World Championships and has four top-8 finishes in the World Championships and Olympic Games. He is still only 23 years old.<\/div>\n<div>Joshua Cheptagei, 20, of Uganda was only 19 when he finished 6th in the Rio 10k and 5th in the 5k \u2013 a combination bettered only by Farah. &nbsp;He has recorded PRs many times already at Hayward Field, starting with a World Junior 10k gold in 2014.<\/div>\n<div>Albert Rop, 24, will be running in his sixth Pre Classic. &nbsp;Born in Kenya, his 7th place finish in the Rio 5k is best ever for Bahrain in this event.<\/div>\n<div>Andrew Butchart, 25, was Britain\u2019s fastest last year besides Farah and finished 6th in the Rio 5k. &nbsp;This year, he has already set a PR by some seven seconds in the 1500, and his first attempt in the mile in early February was a world-leading 3:54.23.<\/div>\n<div>Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku, 24, earned the silver medal in the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. &nbsp;The Kenyan won the Pre Classic 5k in 2014, the year he also won the Diamond League title. &nbsp;In his first Pre Classic appearance in 2011, Ndiku joined the sub-3:50 club with a 3:49.77 in the Bowerman Mile. &nbsp;It is still his fastest mile ever.<\/div>\n<div>Americans will provide a special mix in addition to Chelimo.<\/div>\n<div>Ryan Hill, 27, was silver medalist in the World Indoor 3k in Portland in 2016. He was runner-up in the NCAA indoor mile for North Carolina State in 2013.<\/div>\n<div>Ben True, 31, has finished as high as 6th in the World Championships 5k (2015) and World Cross Country Championships (2013). &nbsp;Last August, he became the first American man or woman to win the Beach to Beacon 10k, the race started by Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1998. At 13:02.74 he\u2019s the ninth-fastest American ever.<\/div>\n<div>Also in the all-time U.S. top 10 is Hassan Mead, 25, who was 11th in the Rio 5k and also a finalist in the 2015 World Championships.<\/div>\n<div>Eric Jenkins, 25, won NCAA titles for Oregon in 2015 indoors in the 3k and 5k. &nbsp;He won his first attempt this winter at the famous Wanamaker Mile in the Millrose Games in February, followed by a best-ever 5k at the end of the month. &nbsp;Is he still in shape? &nbsp;Earlier this month at Stanford, he scored a PR in the 800 and less than hour later ran his second-fastest 1500 ever!<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\"><b>Men\u2019s 5000 Meters<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>Personal Best<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Hagos Gebrhiwet<\/td>\n<td>Ethiopia<\/td>\n<td>12:47.53<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Isiah Kiplangat Koech<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>12:48.64<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Albert Rop<\/td>\n<td>Bahrain<\/td>\n<td>12:51.96<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mo Farah<\/td>\n<td>Great Britain<\/td>\n<td>12:53.11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Yomif Kejelcha<\/td>\n<td>Ethiopia<\/td>\n<td>12:53.98<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Paul Kipngetich Tanui<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>12:58.69<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>12:59.17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Geoffrey Kamworor<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>12:59.98<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Joshua Cheptagei<\/td>\n<td>Uganda<\/td>\n<td>13:00.60<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mohammed Ahmed<\/td>\n<td>Canada<\/td>\n<td>13:01.74<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ben True<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>13:02.74<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hassan Mead<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>13:02.80<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ibrihim Jeilan<\/td>\n<td>Ethiopia<\/td>\n<td>13:03.22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Paul Chelimo<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>13:03.90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Getaneh Tamire<\/td>\n<td>Ethiopia<\/td>\n<td>13:05.59<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ryan Hill<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>13:05.69<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Eric Jenkins<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>13:05.85<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bashir Abdi<\/td>\n<td>Belgium<\/td>\n<td>13:06.10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Chris Derrick<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>13:08.04<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Andrew Butchart<\/td>\n<td>Great Britain<\/td>\n<td>13:08.61<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Aron Kifle<\/td>\n<td>Eritrea<\/td>\n<td>13:13.39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Leonard Barsoton<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>13:16.25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nicholas Kosimbei<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>13:17.08<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jacob Kiplimo<\/td>\n<td>Uganda<\/td>\n<td>13:19.54<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>William Malel Sitonik<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>13:19.83\t <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Patrick Tiernan<\/td>\n<td>Australia<\/td>\n<td>13:20.88\t <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Djamal A. Direh<\/td>\n<td>Djibouti<\/td>\n<td>13:21.50\t <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Conseslus Kipruto<\/td>\n<td>Kenya<\/td>\n<td>13:47.5(A)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A remarkable collection of the world\u2019s best distance runners in the Prefontaine Classic 5000...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"city":[],"class_list":["post-1355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1355"},{"taxonomy":"city","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/city?post=1355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}