ALBUQUERQUE: Bernard Lagat turned on his blistering kick and overwhelmed fellow Olympian Galen Rupp in their 3,000 metres duel at the US indoor world championships trials on Saturday.
The 39-year-old Lagat, three times a world indoor champion, surged past Rupp with about a lap to go to claim the win in seven minutes, 46.01 seconds at high altitude in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Rupp ran 7:48.19 to join the Kenyan-born Lagat on the American team for the March 7-9 IAAF world indoor championships in Sopot, Poland.
Cancer survivor Gabriele Grunewald thought she had won her first US title in the women’s 3,000, but after several protests, Grunewald was disqualified for clipping and impeding the stride of Jordan Hasay late in the race.
Olympian Shannon Rowbury, originally the runner-up, was given the victory in 9:25.49, with Sara Vaughn moving up to second in 9:26.46.
The top two finishers in the trials qualify for the world championships provided they have met the IAAF qualifying standards.
Many top American athletes skipped the meeting, taking a break from championship competition because there is no outdoor world championship this year.
Nia Ali produced the meeting’s only 2014 world leader on Saturday, sprinting 7.88 seconds in the 60m hurdles preliminaries.
Olympic silver medallist Erik Kynard claimed the men’s high jump with a clearance of 2.30m on his second attempt.
REUTERS
