Monaco (AFP) – Bold ace Jessa Krause felt tough international competition in her last race before the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The two-time World Cup champion and European champion finished fifth in the Diamond League meeting of track and field athletes in Monte Carlo over 3000 metres. With 9:15.03 minutes she stayed above her season better than 9:09.13 minutes, which she had set five days earlier in Stockholm.
“I was hoping to run a lot faster, I was a little tired in my legs,” Krause said in an interview with Sky. “The second kilometer that went smoothly in Stockholm gained a lot of power today.” The 28-year-old from the New Year’s Trier race is hoping for her first Olympic medal. The fastest Heaven King in the 9th minute was 03.82 ahead of world record holder and world champion Beatrice Chepkosch (9:04.94 / both in Kenya).
There was a curiosity in the men’s race: the last lap bell hit one lap too early and totally pissed off Kenyan captain Benjamin Keegan. He felt like he was just before the goal when she came out again – and he had to run another 400 metres. The Ethiopian Lamecha Girma scored the best time in the world with a time of 8: 07.75 minutes and Kegen was very angry in seventh place.
40-year-old world record holder Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic broke a small coup: she won the two-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion by javelin against the much smaller competition with 63.08 metres. However, he took advantage of the controversial rule of the meeting, according to which the last attempt by the first three was decided placement. The best of the day was Maria Andrjeczyk (Poland) with 63.63 metres. European champion Kristen Husung of Zweibrücken remained third with a moderate average of 61.65.