Gebremeskel enters fifth dimension

Ethiopian breaks tie with countrywoman Defar for most Carlsbad 5,000 victories, Lagat sprints to first championship

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Dejen Gebremeskel has taken on some of the world’s greatest distance runners at the Carlsbad 5,000 and continued to raise his level each year to become the most decorated champion in meet history at the “World’s fastest 5K” road race.

Paul Chelimo, the reigning Olympic silver medalist at 5,000 meters on the track, found out just how impressive and intelligent the Ethiopian could be Sunday at the 32nd annual event.

Chelimo followed the rabbit in his pursuit to challenge the American 5-kilometer road record, but when the rabbit started off at such a quick pace, Gebremeskel – the 2012 Olympic 5,000-meter silver medalist – knew his understanding of the course and road racing savvy would pay dividends and it did around the 2-mile mark.

Gebremeskel passed Chelimo and never looked back, crossing the finish line in 13 minutes, 27 seconds, displaying four fingers and a thumb proudly to indicate his record fifth championship in six appearances. Chelimo held on for second in 13:47.

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“I want the history of the Carlsbad 5,000,” said Gebremeskel, who broke the tie with four-time women’s champion Meseret Defar, also of Ethiopia.

“This is not easy. They bring champions here. All special athletes, World champions, Olympic champions, Mo Farah, Eliud Kipchoge, Bernard Lagat, they all run here. That’s why Carlsbad is the world’s fastest 5K.”

Violah Lagat of Kenya, a Florida State graduate who has competed at both the World Championships and Olympics in the 1,500, won her first Carlsbad 5,000 women’s title by prevailing in a four-athlete sprint to the finish in the final 200 meters.

The younger sister of Bernard Lagat prevailed in 15:35, just ahead of Shannon Rowbury and Jamaican steeplechaser Aisha Praught-Leer – both timed in 15:36 – and South African Dominique Scott-Efurd in 15:40. Brenda Martinez, who is focusing on the 800 at nationals this year after competing in the Rio Olympics in the 1,500, was fifth in 15:44.

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“It just shows me we are headed in the right direction training wise,” Violah Lagat said. “We are trying to run fast in May or June, so this is what we really wanted and this just shows we are in the right place.”

Lagat returned from Kenya in January and has continued to train in Tucson, Ariz., often with her brother, in preparation for Kenyan Athletics Championships in June.

“He inspires me to be strong and to continue to run fast,” Lagat said. “If it was my day to win or come out with a good time, then we accept that, because at the end of the day, we know we are doing the right things.”

Rowbury, the American record holder on the track in the 5,000, returned to Carlsbad after not competing last year because of a longer indoor season that culminated with racing at World Indoor Championships in Oregon.

“I’m still very early into my outdoor training, but I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to test my fitness and be able to do a race where the focus was on competing and not so much on time,” Rowbury said. “My other goal was to be in the race battling for a podium spot over the last 200 meters, which is exactly what happened, so I’m really pleased with how the race played out. I think it was exactly what we were hoping to accomplish.”

Praught-Leer, who has recently moved to Colorado to train with American steeplechase record holder and Olympic bronze medalist Emma Coburn, was encouraged following her 5-kilometer road debut.

“It was a big unknown. I knew I was fit and I knew I was strong, but to have the reassurance, it was like ‘OK’ I did it,” Praught-Leer said. “That was my first real 5K and I ran 15:36, it’s like ‘Alright sweet.’ It means we’re on track for something really good.”

Chelimo was as good as any American at any distance when it came to the indoor track, winning all three events he entered from January to March. He now has three top-five finishes in road races ranging from 5 to 15 kilometers, before making the transition to outdoor track.

“When the race started and we went out fast, I thought I had it in the bag,” Chelimo said. “But (Dejen) knows the course well, so when he closed on me I was surprised because he made a crazy move to close on me, so as soon as I tried hanging with him, I couldn’t make it. So it’s a learning experience, it is what it is, and there is always another day.”

Australian Sam McEntee, who placed 50th at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships on March 25 in Uganda, finished third in 13:51, just ahead of countryman Stewart McSweyn and Great Britain’s Andy Vernon, both timed in 13:53.