Lagat takes third at London Diamond League meet Saturday...
LONDON—In his final tuneup before the Olympics in Rio, Washington State University alum Bernard Lagat (left/photo by Paul Merca) finished a solid third in the 5000 meter run at the Müller Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium, running a season best and new masters (40+) world record time of 13:14.96.
The meet, which was the tenth stop of the IAAF’s Diamond League tour, and the final stop before the Olympics, attracted many of the world’s top competitors as they readied themselves for the Olympics next month.
Defending world and Olympic champion Mo Farah of Great Britain, who is a member of the Beaverton-based Nike Oregon Project, won the race in a world leading time of 12:59.29.
Lagat was in a large group of about six runners that were in a pack, as Farah and designated pace makers Hillary Maiyo and Vincent Rono pulled away from the group early.
In the final stretch, Great Britain’s Andrew Butchart nosed out Lagat for the runner-up spot, running 13:14.85 to Lagat’s 13:14.96, which is a season best for the 41-year old.
In an interview with media partner Flotrack afterwards, he expressed confidence in his last lap finish Saturday, and likes his chances in Rio if the finals has a scenario where the pace starts slow, and ramps up dramatically over the last 2000m.
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