Four-minute target eludes Mccolgan
● Scot finishes 12th in Zurich 1,500m final
Eilish Mccolgan failed in her attempt to join the fourminute club when she came 12th in the 1,500 metres at last night’s Diamond League final in Zurich.
The Dundonian, 28, was one place behind fellow Scot Jemma Reekie, who clocked 4:05.34 as Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands succeeded the injured Laura Muir as the Diamond Race champion and Glasgow-based Gabi Stafford landed third in a Canadian record of 3:59.59.
But although Mccolgan has earned a berth in the 10,000m at the forthcoming IAAF world championships, the British champion reckons her best bet is to throw everything into the 5,000m in Doha.
She said: “I feel I haven’t done enough work for the 10,000. All my work has been geared towards the 5,000 and somehow I’ve ended up in the Diamond League final for the 1,500. To run the 10,000 at the worlds would mean too much of a step up.
“And I feel like I’m waiting for a bit of a breakthrough at the 5,000. I’m nothing in races what I’m hitting in training and I feel there’s a big personal best.”
Andy Butchart came 11th in the men’s 5,000m in 13:24.46 in his final track outing before Doha with Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei claiming a surprise victory.the Scot said: “I’ll go to Font [training camp] now and prepare for the worlds.”
Dina Asher-smith’s quickest run of 2019 so far was only enough for second in the women’s 200m final behind Shaunae Miller-uibo. The European champion ran 22.08 secs but is still favourite for world gold with her Bahamian rival set to only run the 400m in Doha.
American star Noah Lyles won the 100m in 9.98 secs with British pair Zharnel Hughes and Adam Gemili both timed at 10.15 in sixth and seventh. Norwegian Karsten Warholm produced the second-fastest time in history to take the 400m hurdles title in a European record of 46.92 se cs.
Elsewhere, Guy Learmonth will take one last shot at earning the world 800m qualifying standard at tonight’s Tonbridge Wells meeting along with UK trials winner Spencer Thomas