{"id":1766,"date":"2018-07-20T21:18:54","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T21:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/monaco-chepkoech-breaks-steeplechase-world-record\/"},"modified":"2018-07-20T21:18:54","modified_gmt":"2018-07-20T21:18:54","slug":"monaco-chepkoech-breaks-steeplechase-world-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/monaco-chepkoech-breaks-steeplechase-world-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Monaco: Chepkoech Breaks Steeplechase World Record"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>That obliterated the mark of 8:52.78 set by Ruth Jebet of Bahrain in winning at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris in 2016, and the 8:58.78 set in Eugene last year by her compatriot Celliphine Chespol, who was on her shoulder halfway through this race but slipped back to a 10th-place finish in 9:12.05.<\/p>\n<p>It was the fifth world record set at this gem of a meeting at the business end of the season.<\/p><\/div>\n<div>The 27-year-old Chepkoech, who had come into this race with the fastest time of the season, 8:59.36, has never won a major global medal \u2013 missing a water jump and having to run back during last year\u2019s World Championship final hardly helped her chances \u2013 but she gave an indication of her sharpness this season by taking silver in the Commonwealth Games 1500m final.<\/div>\n<p><div class=\"lazyload smush-lazyload-video smush-lazyload-youtube\" style=\"--smush-video-aspect-ratio: 560\/350\" data-bg-image=\"url(https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php?action=smush_video_thumbnail&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FKINmrMrOlWU&#038;video_width=560&#038;video_height=350)\" ><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"350\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KINmrMrOlWU\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\"><\/iframe><span class=\"smush-play-btn\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Play video\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span tabindex=\"0\" class=\"smush-play-btn-inner\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Play<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/span><\/div> <\/p>\n<div>She was clear of the field with three laps remaining as the rising tone of the commentary highlighted the growing possibility of a monumental performance that was duly delivered.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cI wanted to break the world record, that was the plan from the beginning of the season,\u201d said Chepkoech. \u201cAnd I was aware the biggest chance would be at Monaco due to weather, crowds and the whole environment. And this plan worked well.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cI knew I was running fast splits, but I was not worried. I felt strong during the race. I was thinking maybe I can break 8:50 but not at all was I dreaming about 8:44. And this time still could be improved I\u2019m sure. Maybe my next target could be to run under 8:40.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cIt is a great feeling I brought back to Kenya the steeplechase world record. I\u2019m very proud of it.\u201d<\/div>\n<div>In fact, she is the first Kenyan woman to hold the 3000m steeplechase world record.<\/div>\n<div>Behind her, Courtney Frerichs of the United States, surprise world silver medallist last year behind compatriot Emma Coburn, made the most of the fabulous pace by pushing to the line for second place in a North American record of 9:00.85, with Kenya\u2019s 2015 world champion Hyvin Kiyeng finishing third in 9:04.41, one place ahead of Coburn, who clocked a season\u2019s best of 9:05.06.<\/div>\n<div><b>MEETING RECORDS FOR SEMENYA AND LYLES<\/b><\/div>\n<div>Fleetingly, it looked as if there might be a second world record on the night as world and Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya, face set with determination, dominated a world class field from gun to tape.<\/div>\n<div>At the bell the powerful figure in white had the race completely won, passing in 55.76. Hopes, and the commentary level, once again rose. Semenya, who has often seemed to glide along, was clearly working hard all the way here, but as she gained the final straight, the field behind her seemed to have been able to make up a little time.<\/div>\n<div>The South African crossed in the phenomenal time of 1:54.60 \u2013 a meeting record, and narrowly outside the African record of 1:54.25 she set in winning at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris on June 30.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cIt was just fantastic, only the last 100 metres were a little off for me,\u201d Semenya said. \u201cI was not thinking about the world record today and actually it is not on my mind.\u201d<\/div>\n<div>Burundi\u2019s world and Olympic silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba was second in 1:55.96, with Natoya Goule of Jamaica setting a national record of 1:56.15 in third place and world bronze medallist Ajee Wilson of the United States finishing fourth in 1:56.45. Eleven of the twelve runners finished inside two minutes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><link https:\/\/youtu.be\/txswIVtTfZE _blank external-link-new-window \"Opens internal link in current window\">Watch on Youtube<\/link><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>Noah Lyles, meanwhiles, continues to float on as a rising sprint phenomenon in the post-Bolt athletics world.<\/div>\n<div>The defending IAAF Diamond League 200m champion from Gainesville, Florida, who turned 21 on Wednesday, lowered his own personal best to 19.65, also a meeting record, as he easily defeated a field that contained Turkey\u2019s world champion Ramil Guliyev, who was second in 19.99.<\/div>\n<div>Lyles, who had passed the Turk, one place outside him in lane seven, as they entered the final bend, maintained his lead before producing some of the post-race jollity that \u2013 he is pleased to observe \u2013 is now becoming expected of him, this time adding an extravagant backflip to his accustomed dancing steps.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cIt was a great race, improving the meet record!\u201d said Lyles. \u201cI did the same start as I did in Prefontaine and I could feel it, it gives me confidence in what I can do next. Now I\u2019m going to the Birmingham Diamond League, and finally Zurich to hopefully get a win!\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><link https:\/\/youtu.be\/9IkUusjZ3tA _blank external-link-new-window \"Opens internal link in current window\">Watch on Youtube<\/link><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>The weather suited the sprinters very well tonight. Marie-Jose Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast won the women\u2019s 100m in 10.89, clear of her fast-starting compatriot Murielle Ahoure, the world indoor champion, who clocked 11.01.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><link https:\/\/youtu.be\/CMmheX1WiVA _blank external-link-new-window \"Opens internal link in current window\">Watch on Youtube<\/link><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>Winning has become a habit this season for the woman who took world 100m and 200m silver last summer. As it has for the man who took world silver in last year\u2019s 110m hurdles final, Sergey Shubenkov.<\/div>\n<div>The 2015 world champion kept up his gold standard, although he may have been slightly underwhelmed by his winning time of 13.07 given the fact that he has dipped under 13 seconds three times already this month, lowering his national record to 12.92 in the process.<\/div>\n<div>Spain\u2019s Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega was second in 13.18, with home runner Pascal Martinot-Lagarde finishing third in a season\u2019s best of 13.20.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><link https:\/\/youtu.be\/7GATXvW4Dmg _blank external-link-new-window \"Opens internal link in current window\">Watch on Youtube<\/link><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>The high jump, lacking the injured world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim, nevertheless witnessed a 2.40m clearance as world silver medallist Danil Lysenko rose to the occasion after winning the event with a first-time clearance of 2.33m.<\/div>\n<div>His personal best equalled the meeting record and the mark with which Barshim led the 2018 world standings coming into this meeting.<\/div>\n<div>The event contained its own mini-drama with the presence of the flamboyant Italian Gianni Tamberi, whose rising career came to a sickening halt at the meeting here shortly before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when he set the Italian record of 2.39m but then severely injured his ankle attempting to go higher.<\/div>\n<div>Tamberi, he of the half-shaven beard, has been rebuilding his career slowly having missed over a year of activity, and tonight he put in another significant block as he cleared a season\u2019s best of 2.27m at his third attempt. He finished third \u2013 but in terms of receiving love from the crowd, even on a night like this, he was a clear winner.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><link https:\/\/youtu.be\/WsXWvb4yduA _blank external-link-new-window \"Opens internal link in current window\">Watch on Youtube<\/link><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>An already busy rivalry at the highest levels of women\u2019s pole vaulting became that much more lively earlier in the week when New Zealand\u2019s Eliza McCartney moved to the top of the 2018 world list with a 4.94m clearance at Jockgrim in Germany on Tuesday.<\/div>\n<div>That took her a centimetre ahead of the 36-year-old 2012 Olympic champion Jenn Suhr of the United States, with compatriot Sandi Morris, the world indoor champion, third on the list with 4.88m.<\/div>\n<div>As things turned out, the winner was somewhat unexpected as Anzhelika Sidorova equalled her personal best with a 4.85m clearance, with Cuba\u2019s 2015 world champion Yarisley Silva second with a season\u2019s best of 4.80m, on countback from Greece\u2019s world and Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi and world indoor champion Sandi Morris of the United States.<\/div>\n<div>France\u2019s Ninon Guillon-Romarin beat her own national record with an effort of 4.75m.<\/div>\n<div>With four women over 4.80m, eight women over 4.75m and 10 women over 4.60m, it was a competition of unprecedented depth.<\/div>\n<div><i>Mike Rowbottom for the IAAF<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>*Subject to the usual ratification procedures.<\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On a night of sensational running at a hot and humid Stade Louis II, Kenya\u2019s Beatrice...","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"city":[],"class_list":["post-1766","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\/1766","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=1766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1766"},{"taxonomy":"city","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondleague.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/city?post=1766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}