10.06.2009

Birmingham sixth in Sweden

Collis Birmingham has finished sixth in the 5000m at the Goteborg Grand Prix in Sweden overnight.

Birmingham crossed the line in 13:32.10 behind a fleet of Kenyan runners led by Jonas Cheruiyot, who took out the event in a season best time of 13:21.77.

Fellow Kenyans Henry Kiplagat (13:23.09), Michael Kiprop (13:25.03), Richard Bartale (13:29.46) and Edwin Kipkorir (13:31.22) rounded out the top five places.

The race was Birmingham’s first on European soil since taking out Australia’s richest mile foot race, the Leonora Gift, in rural Western Australia last month and sits well outside the 13:16.26 he posted at the World Athletics Tour meet in Melbourne in March, his season and personal best time.

The 24-year-old will continue to race meets across Europe in the lead-up to the 12th IAAF world championships in Berlin in August, where having qualified for both events he will contest either the 5000m or 10,000m.

Also in action in Goteborg overnight was Australia’s Kaila McKnight, who finished a close second in the 1500m in a time of 4:17.11.

McKnight finished just behind Katrina Wooton in the event, the Brit clocking 4:16.69 to take out the win. Finland’s Heidi Eriksson was third, finishing well off the pace in a personal best time of 4:24.64.    

McKnight, winner of the women’s race at Leonora last month, will be one to watch across the European summer.

In May the 23-year-old posted a new personal best time of 4:11.47 over 1500m in Osaka, continuing the good form she showed across the Australian domestic season where she pushed 1500m queen Sarah Jamieson all the way at the national championships in March.

Full results from the Goteborg Grand Prix can be found here.

Tonight Jana Rawlinson continues her track comeback, lining up in the 400m hurdles at the IX European Athletics Festival in Bydgoszcz, Poland.