DEFAR AND GENZEBE DIBABA STAR IN AVIVA INDOOR GRAND PRIX AT BIRMINGHAM

Enthralling races and a plethora of national records
Jamaica could win the relay gold medal without Bolt

There were so many enthralling races, and a plethora of new national records, at the Aviva Grand Prix in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham that the late withdrawal of Vivian Cheruiyot through injury was hardly noticed – well, hardly. The warm atmosphere inside the arena more tan off-set the wind and sleeting rain outside and performances augured well for the forthcoming World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) gave a masterful display in winning the 3,000 metres very much as she pleased. She finished in 8:31.56 well ahead of a first-class international field, being followed home by Helen Obiri (Kenya) in 8:35.35, Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) in 8:36.59 and Meselech Melkamu (Ethiopia) in 8:47.56. Her compatriot Genzebe Dibaba, youngest of the sisters, was equally impressive in winning the 1,500 metres in 4:01.33, a stadium record, well-ahead of the popular local favourite Hannah England in 4:09.79.
Lerone Clarke shocked much-favoured Asafa Powell to win the 60 metres in 6.47 ahead of Nesta Carter in 6.49 and Powell in 6.50. All three were inside the former Jamaican national record. With Michael Frater also in the event final – and Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake, the best two in the world – Jamaican male sprinting is so strong that the team could win the Olympic Games 4 x 100 metres relay gold medal even without the exceptional Bolt taking part.
Shara Proctor broke the British national record – twice – to win the long-jump with 6.80 metres. World champion heptathlete Jessica Ennis was third with 6.47 seconds and had the satisfaction of winning the 60 metres in 7.87, ahead of Danielle Carruthers (U.S.A.) in 7.91. The much-improving J.J. Legede won the men’s long-jump with 8.04 metres putting Godrey Mokoena (South Africa) in third place with 7.89 behind Luis Meliz (Spain).
Mohamed Aman, the impressive young Ethiopian, continued his good form by winning the 800 metres in his country’s national record time of 1:45.40, but the expected head-to-head clash between Bernard Lagat and Augustine Choge failed to materialise as they came in a long way behind Nixon Chepseba and Bethwel Birgen, both of Kenya, in 3:34.70 and 3:34.88 respectively.
Nigel Levine (Great Britain) was a surprised winner of the 400 metres in 45.71 when Nery Brenes (Costa Rica) fell sprawling on the track in the final straight while well ahead of the competition. Shana (Cox) won the equivalent women’s event in 52.18 seconds.

UK Athletics Media Release: 

Spectators at the Aviva Grand Prix left the National Indoor Arena (NIA), Birmingham safe in the knowledge they had seen world class athletics performances galore, with headline performances from a number of record-setting Brits as well as some significant world leading performances. Leading the way in performance, just half an hour into the Aviva Grand Prix timetable was Jessica Ennis (Toni Minichiello), who set the NIA alight with a world leading hurdles time, smashing her personal best of 7.95 with a stunning 7.87 to beat World 100m hurdles silver medallist Danielle Carruthers (7.91).  The reigning world heptathlon silver medallist produced her trademark display of technical excellence to once again reign supreme over a field of specialist hurdlers. With the long jump lined up for her less than an hour and a half later, it was all Ennis could do to compose herself for her next event following a performance that took even herself by surprise.

Another athlete who pushed on a great performance was Britain’s distance running star Mo Farah (Alberto Salazar) who smashed the British record for the two mile race in the afternoon’s last event. Yet such is the level that the World 5000m champion is now competing, he was almost disappointed to have finished in second in 8:08.07 behind Olympic silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge (8:07.39).

In another display of record breaking ambition – Shara Proctor (Rana Reider) broke the UK record for the women’s long jump twice in the space of half an hour. First she improved it in the third round by 1cm to 6.71m, then further extended the mark by a hefty chunk to 6.80m.

Proctor, who engaged in a mini-lap of honour after the end of the competition, looked delighted to have taken the mark in front of the Aviva Grand Prix crowd. In what was her second event of the afternoon Ennis took third in the long jump in an indoor personal best of 6.47m, marking a superb day’s work in the west midlands for the Sheffield star.

There was another crowd-pleaser in the shape of the men’s 60m final. The race was a rip-roaring affair for the NIA crowd as they were treated to a world-class stand-off between the fastest men in the world so far this year. The Jamaican trio of Nesta Carter, Asafa Powell and Lerone Clarke lined up with a sub 6.50 clocking in the offing, and the ensuing race was as exciting as expected. Clarke crossed the line first in a new Jamaican record of 6.47, with Carter and Powell in second and third with .49 and .50 respectively.

In the Grand Prix 400m race, Nigel Levine (Linford Christie) ran a superb two-laps to take first place against high quality opposition, crossing the line in a lifetime best 45.71. It wasn’t the victory that he would have opted for – as original leader Costa Rican Nery Brenes was but 25m from the line when he tripped and fell. But Levine had already commited himself to the pace and was a worthy victor, taking almost half a second off his indoor best, which is now faster than his outdoor PB.

The men’s 800m race was a fast paced effort that saw the win taken by Ethiopian Mohamed Aman in 1:45.40, with Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski and Kenyan Boaz Lalang his closest challengers in second and third places.

In the men’s long jump there was joy for British athlete JJ Jegede (Peter Stanley) against a high class field as he set a lifetime best and surpassed the eight meter barrier for the first time ever with 8.04m.

Back on the track on track, last season’s indoor sensation Helen Clitheroe went in the women’s 3000m, finishing fifth in 8:48.58, in a race won by legendary Ethiopian Meseret Defar in a world leading 8:31.56. Fellow Brits Gemma Steel and Elle Baker both set PBs in crossing the line in sixth and seventh positions respectively.

Defar’s fellow Ethiopian Genzebe Dibaba was equally as dominant in the women’s 1500m, and she set a new stadium record of 4:01.33 in taking first. In second was Britain’s own Hannah England (Bud Baldaro) with 4:09.79, with fellow Brit Claire Gibson setting a PB of 4:14.79 in sixth.

In the men’s 1500m the win went to Kenya’s Nixon Chepseba in 3:34.70, but the GB trio of Andy Baddeley, James Brewer and Lewis Moses all set indoor PBs in fifth, seventh and eighth places. 

Flash Quotes from selected winners:

Men’s Two Miles
Winner: Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya):
“Today I felt a lot better (than I have been). It’s showing that my winter training is going well. It was a tough field, but this is what athletics is all about - running with the big champions in the big races.”
Second: Mo Farah (Great Britain):
“With Galen (his training partner Galen Rupp) running 8:09 I definitely thought I could match that, but I felt a bit flat on the last kilometre because I’d been up with the pace early on, but it’s coming together. It’s tough out there you know, you can’t always win and races like that really keep you on our toes”.

Men’s 60 Metres
Winner – Lerone Clark (Jamaica):
“I feel great. I was confident coming in. I’ve had great coaching this year and a very good management team. I kept focussed. I knew that all I had to do was get out of the blocks and drive hard, get up and run home and it didn’t matter who was out front, just focus on me. I’m grateful to do it, especially to get a National Record. Asafa Powell, Nesta Carter, they’re all fast guys and to come here and win, it’s fantastic. For the rest of the year I’m just trying to stay healthy. I’m not trying to put any time out there [to aim for]. I just want to stay healthy leading up to the national trials in June, which will be a big championships for us. I’ve never been to an Olympics so it would be a great addition to my career if I can do that now”.

Women’s Long-jup
Winner: Shara Proctor (Great Britain):
“In my mind I had 6.71m because I had a dream. So I came out aiming at that. Then after I jumped that I said “Shara you can go further”, so I did and I jumped 6.80m. I’m excited about the crowd. I love this crowd; it feels good to jump at home and really helps me jump further”
Third Place: Jessica Ennis (Great Britain):
“I was really pleased with my day. Two personal bests and a world-lead, you can’t complain with that. I was buzzing after my race this morning and I took that into my jumping, which was pleasing. I’ve been saying for a while that I need to get some consistency in my jumping, so that’s what I’m looking to do. I felt good after Sheffield and I came here thinking I could put in a performance, and thankfully I did. It’s given me more to build on, but not bad for a day’s work. I’m absolutely delighted and very thankful for all the support I received”.

Women’s 400 Metres
Winner – Shana Cox (Great Britain):
I’m excited, that was a great time for me and I feel like I’m headed in the right direction. This is all part of the plan. I’m looking to do some pretty exciting things in Istanbul. I’m not looking further than that yet – one thing at a time”

Men’s 1500 Metres:
Winner: Nixon Chepseba (Kenya):
“After losing my position at the front I thought I might have lost my chance because it was a very good field, but with 150m to go I knew I had the power to win it. Now I hope that I can do well in Istanbul. I think I can medal”.

Women’s 3,000 Metres
Winner: Meseret Defar (Ethiopia):
“The crowd was very nice to me out there. It was fantastic. I know in Birmingham, the crowd is very into athletics and they were fantastic. I  was very happy with the race. I wanted to run under 8:30.00, but this was very nice nonetheless. I had to run a lot of laps on my own, so didn’t really push on. The World Indoor Championships are my priority now and I very much want to get gold. That is all I am concentrating on now. And then I can’t wait to come back to the UK to compete in the Olympic Games. It’s going to be fantastic and I can’t wait for it.”

Men’s 400 Metres
Winner: Nigel Levine (Great Britain):
“It felt pretty good to win and I’m exhausted. I haven’t got much more to say except that I’m really happy with that. That was the race I wanted to run, it went exactly to plan. I’m going to go to Istanbul now and hopefully get a medal – we’ll see how it goes”.

Men’s Long-jump
Winner: J. J. Jegede (Great Britain):
“It was a really good series on a great track and with a great atmosphere. I love performing in front of a big crowd, I’m a bit of an adrenalin junkie so really enjoyed it. It’s a pity I missed out on world indoor qualifying, which is 8.15m, but I beat a world class field so I’m happy about that and hopeful for 2012. I’m probably going to do one more meet and see if I can get close to the 8.20m mark and then go back into winter training and get ready for the outdoor season.”

Women’s 60 Metres
 Winner: Jessica Ennis (Great Britain):
“I didn’t expect to run that quickly at all. I feel in really good shape and the hurdles have been going really well. To run 7.94 or something like that I would have been really happy with, but to run that much under my PB is just brilliant. I could feel Danielle (Carruthers) right there on my shoulder. It’s great to have that competitiveness and someone right there beside you, it pushes you on. I’m on a massive high now so I just need to compose myself before the long jump.”