Listen to commentary from Former Olympians Steve Cram and Tim Hutchings.

The Energetic Fans at Bislett Stadium in Oslo, Norway got treated to the High-Voltage Excitement of the Men’s 3000m.

The event got underway at 20:13 (local time) and featured a Strong Line-Up of fourteen athletes including one Pace-Maker. Four of them were Tokyo-Bound in either of two events: 1500m and 5000m. SOME STATISTICS, and World Rankings from World Athletics on July 1, 2021, are listed below:

Kieran Lumb (CAN): 3000m. Ranked #29.

Jerry Motsau (RSA): 3000m. PB=7:40.99, SB=7:40.99

David McNeill (AUS): Tokyo-Bound Olympian (5000m). 3000m. 2010 NCAA Champion (5000m). National Indoor Record Holder (5000m): 13:36.41 (2010). His PB=SB=7:46.41, Ranked #52.

Tadese Worku (ETH): 3000m. PB=7:43.24

Bethwell Birgen (KEN): 3000m. 2018 World Indoor Champion; PB=7:32.48

Michael Kibet (KEN): 3000m. PB=7:38.43, Ranked #15.

Justus Soget (KEN): 3000m. 2018 World U20 Championships (1500m) Bronze Medalist. PB=7:57.13, Ranked #39.

Jacob Krop (KEN): 3000m. 2019 African U20 Championships (5000m) Silver Medalist. His PB=SB=7:50.99, Ranked #14.

Yomif Kejelcha (ETH): 3000m. PB=7:28.00.

Birhanu Balew (BRN): Tokyo-Bound Olympian (5000m). 3000m. 2019 World Military Games Champion (5000m); 2018 Asian Games Champion (5000m); 2019 Asian Champion (5000m). Area & National Indoor Record Holder: 7:34.58 (2020). National Record Holder (10000m): 27:07.49 (2021). PB=7:34.26, Ranked #12.

Filip Ingebrigtsen (NOR): Tokyo-Bound Olympian (1500m). 3000m. 2013 National Champion (1500m); 2016, 2019 National Champion (800m); 2019 European Team Champion 1st League (5000m); 2016 European Champion (1500m); 2017 World Championships (1500m) Bronze Medalist. National Indoor Record Holder (One Mile): 3:56.99 (2020). National Record Holder (1000m): 2:16.46 (2020). His PB=7:49.70, Ranked #65.

Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli (KEN): Tokyo-Bound Olympian (5000m). 3000m. 2017 African U20 Championships (5000m) Bronze Medalist; 2017 African U20 Champion (10000m). His PB=7:34.85, SB=7:49.19, Ranked #7.

Vincen Kibet (KEN): Pace-Maker. 3000m. PB=7:50.54.

How It Unfolded:

The Pace-Maker Vincent Kibet (KEN) led them to the 3.5 laps to go mark, and a split time of 60.59s for his last 400m; at that point, Kejelcha (ETH) took the lead, with 3 laps to go, the split time for the last 400m was 60.40s, with about 2.5 laps to go Kejelcha looked over his shoulder and shifted gears with only Krop (KEN) able to follow his pace, with 2 laps to go, the split time for the last 400m was 58.44s, the group was now all scattered behind, Krop is the only one capable of following Kejelcha, at the Bell the split time for the last 400m was 58.40s, Krop (KEN) is unable to keep up and he must let Kejelcha go, with 300m to go Kejelcha looks over his shoulder once more and drops the hammer down. The World Indoor Mile Record Holder Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) finishes with a time of 7:26.25, representing a World Lead, a Diamond League Record, and a Meet Record for the Ethiopian Star. With the exception of Kejelcha, all the remaining finishers had either a Personal Best or a Season Best (time). This was an Amazing Race, with an incredible display of athleticism by all competitors, and another chapter in the Legendary Rivalry between Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes on the track, just weeks before the Tokyo Olympics.

The Competitors in the Men’s 3000m and their Finishing Times:

1. Yomif Kejelcha (ETH): 7:26.25 WL DLR MR
2. Jacob Krop (KEN): 7:30.07 PB
3. Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli (KEN): 7:31.33 PB
4. Birhanu Balew (BRN): 7:33.05 PB
5. Filip Ingebrigtsen (NOR): 7:34.00 PB
6. Justus Soget (KEN): 7:35.91 PB
7. Tadese Worku (ETH): 7:37.48 PB
8. David McNeill (AUS): 7:39.43 PB
9. Michael Kibet (KEN): 7:43.46 SB
10. Kieran Lumb (CAN): 7:46.28 SB
11. Bethwell Birgen (KEN): 7:46.84 SB
12. Zerei Kbrom (NOR): 7:47.16 SB
Vincent Kibet (KEN): DNF PM
Jerry Motsau (RSA): DNF

Video Editing, Research, and Digital Art Work By: Carlos G. Monzon-Guzman

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