A large contingent of Personae-managed athletes completed a busy week of competition at the Meeting International d’Athletisme de la Province de Liege (15-July), IAAF Diamond League Monaco (17-July), and KBC Night of Athletics in Heusden-Zolder (18-July).
Anne Zagre led the way with her 100m High Hurdles victories in both Liege (12.91) and Heusden-Zolder (12.71), with the latter race performance also improving her own national record in the event (12.79, 2012). In the process, Zagre defeated current world no. 10 ranker Lolo Jones (12.92), while also moving to the no. 3 spot in Europe behind Tiffany Porter, GBR (12.56) and Alina Taley, Belarus (12.70). Bashir Abdi had an equally impressive performance in the Heusden-Zolder 5000m event, finishing 2nd in a new personal best of 13:06.10, just steps behind ’12 London Games silver medalist Dejen Gebremeskel (13:05.38). Abdi’s time ranks him second in Europe this season (13:00.31, Ali Kaya, TUR) and moves him to 3rd on the Belgian all-time 5000m listing (12:49.71, M. Mourhit ‘00 and 13:04.06, M. Rizki ’08).
Other performance highlights among Personae athletes included in Liege: Abraham Rotich (1st in 800m, 1:45.81), Alphas Kishoyan (2nd in 400m, 45.91), and Mike Mokamba (2nd in 200m, 20.77); in Monaco: Isiah Koech (3rd in 3000m, 7:37.16, ’15 world no. 3), Virginia Nyambura (3rd in 3000m SC, 9:13.85 personal best, ’15 world no. 3); Purity Kirui (5th in 3000m SC, 9:17.89 personal best, ’15 world no. 6); Gesa Krause (6th in 3000m SC, 9:20.15 personal best, ’15 world no. 7/’15 Europe no. 1), Ruth Jebet (9th in 3000m SC, 9:21.40, ’15 world no. 11); and Ferguson Rotich (7th in 800m, 1:43.92 season best, ’15 world no. 12); and in Heusden-Zolder: Nicholas Bett (1st in 3000m SC, 8:19.26 personal best), Timothy Kitum (1st in 800m, 1:45.76), Mike Mokamba (2nd in 200m, 20.68), Albert Rop (4th in 5000m, 13:06.74), Caroline Chepkemoi (4th in 1500m, 4:05.31 personal best), Dawit Wolde (5th in 1500m, 3:35.87), Jeroen D’Hoedt (6th in 3000m SC, 8:30.03 personal best, Belgium all-time no. 9), and Bernard Kimani (9th in 5000m, 13:10.83 personal best).