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| Asbel Kiprop celebrates after winning the World Championships 1500m
final in Moscow on Sunday. The Kenyan clocked 3min 36.28sec, with
American Matthew Centrowitz claiming silver in 3:36.78 and South African
Johan Cronje taking bronze (3:36.83). (AFP) |
MOSCOW (AFP) – Odds-on Kenyan
favourite Asbel Kiprop retained the men's 1500m crown at the World
Athletics Championships on Sunday in a magnificent display of controlled
running.
Kiprop clocked 3min 36.28sec, with American Matthew
Centrowitz improving on his bronze in the 2011 Daegu worlds by claiming
silver in 3:36.78. South African Johan Cronje took a shock bronze
(3:36.83).
"I'm really happy to defend my title that I won two
years ago," beamed Kiprop. "It was my goal as I was under pressure over
these last two years.
"Luckily I managed to survive it and win!"
The
24-year-old Kiprop, who was crowned the 2008 Olympic champion but could
only finish 12th in the London Games, was in total control of the race,
albeit with help from his Kenyan teammates.
"We worked out a
tactical plan and it worked well," he said. "I stayed in the leading
group and just sped up in the last 200 metres."
Kiprop went straight to the front of a packed field from the start,
with Norway's Henrik Ingebrigsten on his shoulder amid much pushing and
shoving.
The first 400m went by in a conservative 59.69sec as
Kiprop's teammate Nixon Kiplimo Chepseba then took up the running,
building up a 10-metre lead on the pack in an effort to build the pace.
Centrowitz
moved up into Kiprop's slipstream as Ethiopian Mekonnen Gebremehdin,
silver medallist at the 2009 worlds in Berlin, also made a move.
Chepseba
led therough the bell for the final lap, Kiprop looking totally at ease
on his shoulder as the pace upped and field split.
Into the back
strait he accelerated away effortlessly, Centrowitz holding off the
attentions of Chepseba, Kenyan defending silver medallist Silas Kiplagat
and world indoor bronze medallist Gebremehdin.
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