Lagat fourth at Aviva Grand Prix in Birmingham...

BIRMINGHAM, England--Bernard Lagat (left/file photo by Paul Merca), the Washington State University hall of famer and 2007 world outdoor champ at 1500 and 5000 meters, suffered his first loss of the 2010 indoor season Saturday, as he finished fourth in the Aviva Grand Prix 1500 meter run.

Deresse Mekkonen (left, leading Lagat) of Ethiopia, the reigning world indoor champion, who was supposed to race Lagat at the Millrose Games in New York last month, outsprinted Kenya's Augustine Choge, to win in a time of 3:33.10, the fifth best performance indoors all-time.

Choge finished with a personal best indoor mark of 3:33.74, while Lagat languished in fourth in a season best mark of 3:35.49, just behind third place finisher Gideon Gathimba of Kenya, who ran 3:35.40.

Lagat is scheduled to run the 3000 at next weekend's USA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is the qualifying meet for next month's IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Complete results of the men's 1500 at the Aviva Grand Prix meet can be accessed here, while a results summary of the meet can be viewed here.