Home » News and Media » News » 2010 » July » Birmingham at his all-time best on Diamond debut
04.07.2010
Twenty-five-year-old Birmingham, nominated to contest both the 5000m and 10,000m events at this year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (IND), clocked 13:10.97 to place ninth behind Ethiopian victor Tariku Bekele, who took line honours in a new meet record time of 12:58.93.
The result strips almost four seconds off Birmingham’s previous best time of 13:14.53, set in Oslo (NOR) exactly one year ago to the day on July 3, 2009.
Birmingham’s run was a positive sign the Victorian is back to full fitness in the countdown to the Commonwealth Games, after a hectic start to 2010 that saw him contest the Australian Athletics Tour, IAAF world cross country championships and Go for 2&5 88th Australian Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games selection trials before joining the international circuit.
In further good news for Australia’s middle distance community in Eugene overnight, national 1500m champion Ryan Gregson took out the non-Diamond League international mile event in a new personal best time of 3:53.19.
Twenty-one-year-old Gregson, nominated to contest both the 800m and 1500m events at the Commonwealth Games in October, stopped the clock over five seconds ahead of the previous best time of 3:58.90 he recorded in London (GBR) on July 25 last year.
In other results, world indoor long jump champion Fabrice Lapierre finished fifth in the men’s long jump with a leap of 8.17m (w:0.8). Reigning Olympic and 2007 world champion Irving Saladino (PAN) took victory with a leap of 8.46m (w:3.2).
The IAAF Diamond League tour now moves to Lausanne, Switzerland, for Round 7 of the 14-meet series, where world champions Steve Hooker (pole vault) and Dani Samuels (discus throw) will star in the action.
Closer to home this weekend, Commonwealth Games marathon nominee Lisa Weightman has this morning smashed an 18-year mark in the women’s half marathon event run as part of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon festival.
The Victorian covered the flat, windless 21.1km course in 1:09.00 to steal over half a minute from Midori Fumoto’s previous race record of 1:09.38 set in 1992.
It was the second long-standing record broken in as many days after Commonwealth Games men’s marathon nominee Michael Shelley’s obliteration of a 14-year mark in yesterday’s 10km event (28:53).
Fellow Delhi-bound marathon men Jeff Hunt (1:03.18) and Martin Dent (1:03.21) took first and second places respectively in this morning’s men’s half marathon ahead of Japan’s Hironori Arai (1:03.24).
For more results from the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, including athlete quotes, click here.
Rounding out a big weekend of track and field action right around the world, Commonwealth Games 20km walk nominee Luke Adams has been named Athlete of the Meet at the 59th annual Cork City Sports in Cork, Ireland, overnight, after clocking 10:59.04 in the men’s 3000m walk to take out the event more than 12 seconds clear of his nearest rival.
Adams was joined on the winners’ list by fellow Delhi-bound athlete Ben St Lawrence (5000m), who took victory in the men’s 3000m in a time of 8:02.40.
At the Peachtree International 10km event in Atlanta (USA), emerging Australians Jake Lappin and Madison deRozario placed first (junior men's) and fourth (open women's) in their respective events. Lappin, nominated to contest the T54 1500m at the Commonwealth Games, clocked 22:42.71 to take out his race while deRozario, who is eligible to race as a junior, crossed the line in 25:13.65 to just miss out on a podium finish in the senior women's field.
News
Birmingham at his all-time best on Diamond debut
National 10,000m record-holder and Commonwealth Games nominee Collis Birmingham has clocked a new personal best time over 5000m on his IAAF Diamond League debut in Eugene (USA) overnight.Twenty-five-year-old Birmingham, nominated to contest both the 5000m and 10,000m events at this year’s Commonwealth Games in New Delhi (IND), clocked 13:10.97 to place ninth behind Ethiopian victor Tariku Bekele, who took line honours in a new meet record time of 12:58.93.
The result strips almost four seconds off Birmingham’s previous best time of 13:14.53, set in Oslo (NOR) exactly one year ago to the day on July 3, 2009.
Birmingham’s run was a positive sign the Victorian is back to full fitness in the countdown to the Commonwealth Games, after a hectic start to 2010 that saw him contest the Australian Athletics Tour, IAAF world cross country championships and Go for 2&5 88th Australian Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games selection trials before joining the international circuit.
In further good news for Australia’s middle distance community in Eugene overnight, national 1500m champion Ryan Gregson took out the non-Diamond League international mile event in a new personal best time of 3:53.19.
Twenty-one-year-old Gregson, nominated to contest both the 800m and 1500m events at the Commonwealth Games in October, stopped the clock over five seconds ahead of the previous best time of 3:58.90 he recorded in London (GBR) on July 25 last year.
In other results, world indoor long jump champion Fabrice Lapierre finished fifth in the men’s long jump with a leap of 8.17m (w:0.8). Reigning Olympic and 2007 world champion Irving Saladino (PAN) took victory with a leap of 8.46m (w:3.2).
The IAAF Diamond League tour now moves to Lausanne, Switzerland, for Round 7 of the 14-meet series, where world champions Steve Hooker (pole vault) and Dani Samuels (discus throw) will star in the action.
Closer to home this weekend, Commonwealth Games marathon nominee Lisa Weightman has this morning smashed an 18-year mark in the women’s half marathon event run as part of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon festival.
The Victorian covered the flat, windless 21.1km course in 1:09.00 to steal over half a minute from Midori Fumoto’s previous race record of 1:09.38 set in 1992.
It was the second long-standing record broken in as many days after Commonwealth Games men’s marathon nominee Michael Shelley’s obliteration of a 14-year mark in yesterday’s 10km event (28:53).
Fellow Delhi-bound marathon men Jeff Hunt (1:03.18) and Martin Dent (1:03.21) took first and second places respectively in this morning’s men’s half marathon ahead of Japan’s Hironori Arai (1:03.24).
For more results from the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, including athlete quotes, click here.
Rounding out a big weekend of track and field action right around the world, Commonwealth Games 20km walk nominee Luke Adams has been named Athlete of the Meet at the 59th annual Cork City Sports in Cork, Ireland, overnight, after clocking 10:59.04 in the men’s 3000m walk to take out the event more than 12 seconds clear of his nearest rival.
Adams was joined on the winners’ list by fellow Delhi-bound athlete Ben St Lawrence (5000m), who took victory in the men’s 3000m in a time of 8:02.40.
At the Peachtree International 10km event in Atlanta (USA), emerging Australians Jake Lappin and Madison deRozario placed first (junior men's) and fourth (open women's) in their respective events. Lappin, nominated to contest the T54 1500m at the Commonwealth Games, clocked 22:42.71 to take out his race while deRozario, who is eligible to race as a junior, crossed the line in 25:13.65 to just miss out on a podium finish in the senior women's field.
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