Mo Farah fourth behind Asbel Kiprop in very fast Monaco 1,500 metres
Saturday 18 July 2015 11:35, UK
Mo Farah could finish only fourth behind Asbel Kiprop over 1,500 metres in the Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
Farah, who won over 5,000 metres in Lausanne last week, found himself outpaced by the two-time defending champion from Kenya, but his run was still a positive one over a distance shorter than ideal.
Kiprop's winning time, three minutes 26.69 seconds, was just seven tenths off Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj's world record set in Rome in 1999 and the fastest 1,500m run in 14 seasons.
Farah, in his second race since doping allegations levelled at his coach Alberto Salazar, came in fourth in 3:28.93 after losing two places in the closing stages.
Algeria's Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi powered through in the last 200m for second in a personal best of 3:28.75 with Morocco's Abdelaati Iguider taking third, also in a PB of 3:28.79.
Farah's time was 0.12sec off his own European record, and the Briton was still in positive mood despite being unable to hold on for second.
"It was good to be in that company," said Farah. "I just could not close that gap on Asbel. Coming here I wanted to run hard, not just a race and it worked.
"As for the double in Beijing, I will do the 10,000m for sure and then we will see about the 5,000."
There was a world record in the women's 1,500 metres thanks to Ethiopia's Genzebe Dibaba.
Dibaba, 24, clocked 3min 50.07sec to shatter one of the most controversial records held in recent times - 3:50.46 run by China's Yunxia Qu in Beijing in 1993.
The world record and other quick times in the discipline were mainly run by Chinese athletes in the 1990s under the guidance of controversial coach Ma Junren. Six of Junren's athletes were dropped from China's 27-strong team for failing dope tests ahead of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
