MO FARAH passed his first important test of the Olympic summer by winning the 5,000m at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon last night. The world champion clocked 12min 56.98sec, the fastest time in the world this year, for his fourth win of the outdoor season.
The Briton’s Diamond League victory was a huge statement of intent ahead of the Games with Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, the Olympic champion and world record holder for the 5,000 and 10,000m, trailing home in fourth in a season’s best 13m 01.48s. Kenya’s Isaiah Kiplangat Koech was second in 12min 57.63sec, with Farah’s American training partner at his base in Portland, Galen Rupp, third.
Britain’s Phillips Idowu was third in the triple jump with a leap of 17.05m but withdrew after fouling his third attempt. Christian Taylor won with 17.62m, with fellow American Will Claye finishing second in 17.48m.
Barbara Parker eclipsed Helen Clitheroe’s four-year-old British record to finish fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase in of 9min 24.24sec as Kenya’s Milcah Chemos took victory in a world-best 9min 13.69sec, while Shara Proctor set a new personal best in the long jump with a leap of 6.84m, moving her up to fifth in the world rankings this season.
There was disappointment for fellow Britons Andy Turner and Holly Bleasdale, however. Turner trailed home last as Liu Xiang established himself as the firm favourite for Olympic gold in the 110m hurdles.
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The Chinese hurdler’s time of 12.87sec was run with a trailing wind of 2.4m/s, but that took nothing away from a victory against world champion Jason Richardson and former world No 1 David Oliver.
Bleasdale could only manage to clear 4.28m in the pole vault to finish seventh.