Once again the Wanamaker mile run was the showcase event of the Millrose Games in New York on Friday, but for the first time since 2004, the winner was not Bernard Lagat.
Ethiopia’s Deresse Mekonnen fought off three desperate bids by American Lagat in the final 400m to win the race in three minutes, 58.58 seconds.
With 9,611 Madison Square Garden fans roaring encouragement, the 23-year-old Mekonnen had just enough strength to hold off the 36-year-old Lagat, in the 104th Millrose meet.
Photo: EPA
Mekonnen bided his time, then moved up to the front with four of the 155m laps to go.
“Earlier in the race, I thought I would have to settle for second,” Mekonnen said. “Of course, like everybody else, I knew how good Bernard always is, especially indoors. But when Bernard couldn’t pass me the first time, that’s when I started believing I could win.”
Mekonnen unleashed a 55--second final 400m to win it by two strides.
Lagat settled for second in 3:59.01, with the US’ David Torrence third (4:00.13) and Britain’s Lee Emanuel fourth (4:04.91).
When US pole vault star Jenn Suhr missed her three attempts at 4.64m, the women’s vault crown went to Brazil’s Fabiana Murer, who won it with a second-attempt clearance of 4.74.
With the gold medal clinched, Murer failed to clear three cracks at 4.84.
With Bryan Clay, the reigning Olympic champion, Trey Hardee and Ashton Eaton, the US has three of world’s top medal prospects for the decathlon at this year’s World Outdoor Championships in Daegu, South Korea, and next year’s London Olympic Games.
This year Millrose organizers staged the Multi-Event Challenge — a mini-meet of its own featuring shot put, 60m hurdles and high jump. Hardee won the shot put (15.94m), but Eaton led the way in the hurdles (7.64) and high jump (2.05) to win the three-discipline event with 2,666 points. Hardee (2,640) and Clay (2,609) were close behind in second and third.
In other events, two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown (7.11 seconds) of Jamaica beat the US’ Lauryn Williams (7.22) in the women’s 60m dash, while Nesta Carter (6.52), also of Jamaica, edged Mike Rodgers of the US (6.56) in the men’s 60m dash.
It was the same story in the women’s 60m hurdles, with Jamaican Vonette Dixon (8.00) nosing out the US’ Danielle Carruthers (8.03).
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two