English
Conditions in Lausanne were favourable with just over 20 degrees and in the 1500m Abeba Aregawi was in the lead group for the whole way. In the final 200m, she took off and left her opposition 1.5 seconds behind when she reached the finish in 4:02.11. Abeba, who turns 23 tomorrow, Friday 5 July, has now won five out of five possible Diamond League 1500m races and will be the overall winner if she just completes the 1500m at the final in Brussels on 6 September.
– I am very pleased! Now I’m going to Ethiopia to train hard at altitude and to try to win at the World Championships in Moscow, said Abeba.
Cheer on Abeba at DN Galan on 22 August
DN Galan takes place just four days after the World Championhips and everyone will be able to watch Abeba compete on home ground against the world’s elite. As Diamond League winner and maybe also as the new World Champion!
Abeba will run 800m and aim to break the Swedish record. Two weeks later, in the same venue, she will run 1500m in the Sweden v Finland match. Two excellent opportunities to see the world’s leading middle distance runner. To ensure a seat in Stockholm Stadium, it is advisable to book tickets now (see links below).
Kim Amb – sensational
The Swedish participant in the men’s javelin was Bålstas Kim Amb, who is the same age as Abeba – 23 in less than a month. After 7th place in the 2012 European Championships, he has shown measureable improvement this season and bettered 79 metres in seven out of eight competitions with a personal best of 84.33.
After a tentative start in Lausanne, he threw 82.65 in the fifth round to take the lead and finished with 82.62. In doing so, he achieved the event’s two longest throws and became the first Swedish thrower to win a Diamond League event and the fifth overall after Christian Olsson (triple jump), Linus Thörnblad (high jump), Emma Green Tregaro (high jump) and Abeba Arigawi (1500m).
Unique Swedish double
The blue and yellow success rate in Lausanne was 100% since both Swedes won their events, an achievement never before accomplished in the Diamond League.
The new Swedish generation of athletes are really seizing their opportunities and it feels as if there can be more glory later this summer – not least at DN Galan on 22 August!The results from Lausanne.
Jonas Hedman
