Ibrahim Jeilan, the 2011 world 10,000m champion, relived his former glory and sent a sizeable Ethiopian contingent into rapturous celebrations at the Bauhaus-Galan in Stockholm on Thursday evening (16), the eighth stop of the IAAF Diamond League.
There may be a few less hairs on his head these days than when he won the world title at the age of 22, but Jeilan proved his speed is as plentiful as ever, the 27-year-old unleashing a powerful finish to win the men’s 5000m in 13:03.22.
Jeilan is the last man to beat Britain’s Mo Farah in an outdoor global championship final – which he did in Daegu back in 2011 – and he ran a typically patient race in Stockholm, nestling in the pack as pacemaker Vincent Rono took the field through 3000m in a steady 7:54.43.
At that point the leading group was still 10-strong, and Ethiopia’s Yigrem Demelash soon took over at the front, but it was to be short-lived. Approaching the bell, his compatriot Yomif Kejelcha took command and cranked through the gears, but all the while Jeilan was waiting in his slipstream.
Jeilan moved wide in the home straight and, just as he did to Farah back in 2011, broke Kejelcha’s heart and spirit with an extra surge over the final 50 metres, crossing the line in a personal best of 13:03.22, with the last lap covered in 55.17.
Kejelcha was runner-up in 13:03.66, with Muktar Edris maintaining his position at the head of the Diamond Race standings with a third-place finish in 13:05.54.
As if his performance itself wasn’t enough, Jeilan was quick to send a message to his British rival shortly after the finish. “We started preparation early to beat Mo Farah this summer, and it’s going very well,” he said. “I think we are ready. I respect Farah, but we will run as a team.”