ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia’s teenager Samuel Tefera set a new 1, 500 metres indoor world record in Birmingham on Saturday as he broke a mark that had stood for more than 20 years.
Samuel upstaged compatriot Yomif Kejelcha to stop the clock in a time of 3minutes 31.04 seconds, shaving 0.14sec off the previous record set by Moroccan middle-distance great Hicham El Guerrouj in 1997.
Yomif Kejelcha, who came within 0.01sec of the world indoor mile record last week, had announced his intention to break the 1, 500m mark ahead of Saturday’s World Indoor Tour meeting in Birmingham.
And with pacemakers taking the field through 800m in 1:52.70 and 2:49.28 at the 1200m mark, Yomif was on course for a record.
But Samuel, the world indoor champion at the distance, was tucked in on his shoulder and, as the bell sounded for the final lap, he kicked past his countryman and charged towards the line.
Yomif came second in an outright personal best of 3:31.58.
Scotland’s Laura Muir became the third-fastest indoor miler of all-time at the same meeting when she broke the British record. The European champion clocked 4:18.75.
Samuel is little known in the country’s athletics.
The world record is 4:13.31 set by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba in 2016.
The three time Olympic gold medallist Genzebe Dibaba set world records in different international big meets including the World Athletics Championship.
She earned the Olympics double medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 10, 000 and 5, 000meters. She added the third in the 2012 London Olympics in 10, 000m. That makes her the first Ethiopian female athlete to take three Olympic gold medals.
In London she had an opportunity to make it double like it was in Beijing but in the final lap her compatriot Meseret Defar outpaced her to take gold. Tirunesh won the third place.
Tirunesh’s aunt Derartu Tulu was the pioneer in taking gold at the Olympics for Africa, Ethiopia and herself in 1994 in Barcelona in 10, 000m.
Yomif Kejelcha fell one-hundredth of a second short of the world 3, 000 meters indoor mile record held by the Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj in 1997 at a time of 3: 48.45.
Yomif Kejelcha ran an Ethiopian national record and a Millrose meet record at 3:48.46, making him second all-time in the indoor mile. The race took place at the NYRR Millrose Games in New York on Saturday.
In his international debut Yomif took part in Donetsk at the World Youth Championship. He won the 3, 000m race in his first appearance.
Yomif had all the capacity to make history at Birmingham, but he lost that great opportunity at the last gasp.
The win of Samuel and Yomif clearly indicates that the Ethiopians will have one more chance to show their strength in the coming World Athletics Championship.
Samuel was little known in the country’s athletics before Birmingham. Considering his young age, it is believed that Samuel will have wider chance to win in big meets like the World championship and the Olympics.
With only six months to go until the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, hosts Qatar are ready to welcome the world of athletics and stage the biggest sporting event in the nation and region’s history.
Organizers unveiled the completed stadium, showcased its state-of-the-art sustainable cooling system and revealed ticket options that will allow fans to watch the action in new ways.
The hope is that the young Ethiopians will once again make history in this big international meets.
The Ethiopian Herald February 19/2019
BY SOLOMON BEKELE
