Classy Chepkoech dominates in Zurich

Beatrice Chepkoech was the class of the field in the women’s steeplechase, the world record holder taking command from the gun en route to a convincing victory in 9:01.71 after a solo run at the Weltklasse Zurich on Thursday.

Hyvin Kiyeng and Norah Jeruto closed well, clocking 9:03.83 and 9:05.15 to secure a top-three sweep for Kenya.

Joshua Cheptegei followed suit in similar fashion in the 5000m, leading for the final kilometre and eventually holding off a three-pronged Ethiopian and Kenyan attack en route to a 12:57.41 win, a lifetime best for the Ugandan.

Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet was second in 12:58.15 and Kenyan Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli third in 12:59.05.

One of the key showdowns of the evening produced the most fireworks, with Shaunae Miller-Uibo taking down one of the meeting’s strongest fields with an explosive 21.74 performance in the 200m, the fastest in the world this year.

Entering the straight with a narrow lead, Miller-Uibo blasted away from European champion Dina Asher-Smith with about 40 metres to go to take the overwhelming victory with a Bahamian and Diamond League record that elevated her to equal 11th on the world all-time list.

“This is just a blessing,” said Miller-Uibo, who on this evening sported combat green highlights in her hair. “This is my last run before the World Championships. I am in great shape, I’m really excited.” It was the Olympic 400m champion’s third straight Diamond League title in the event and her fourth trophy overall.

Asher-Smith clocked a season’s best of 22.08 in second with Elaine Thompson, the world leader coming in, a distant third in 22.44.

Miller-Uibo’s explosive performance was followed by a thriller in the women’s 1500m, where long-time rivals Genzebe Dibaba, the world record-holder in the 1500m, and Sifan Hassan, the freshly-minted world record-holder in the mile, squared off for the third time this year.