ATHLETICS – Bahrain's elite distance-running specialist Birhanu Balew claimed a strong third-place finish last night in a hotly contested men’s 5,000 metres at Meeting Herculis in Monaco – the latest stop on this year’s star-studded Diamond League.
Balew put in a valiant challenge for the victory and was in contention until the end, but was narrowly beaten by just a half-second by the two others ahead of him in a furious sprint to the finish.
The kingdom’s 30-year-old track star began the race at the back of the 18-competitor field but gradually made his way to the middle of the pack mid-race.
He continued his surge into the top five and then paced himself amongst the leading three alongside Dominic Lobalu of Switzerland and Jacob Krop of Kenya heading into the closing stages.
At the bell, Balew was part of a five-man group at the front before charging back to third along the back straight.
He was then engaged in a heated final push down the home stretch against Lobalu and Graham Blanks of the US, and eventually had to settle for third with a time of 12 minutes 52.91 seconds.
Lobalu triumphed in 12:52.54, pipping Blanks who was the runner-up in 12:52.60.
Krop was right behind Balew in fourth in 12:53.71, while his countryman Cornelius Kemboi took fifth in 12:57.36.
Completing the run’s top eight finishers were Biniam Mehary of Ethiopia in 12:58.37, Etienne Daguinos of France in 13:01.92, and Khairi Bejiga, also of Ethiopia, in 13:07.06.
Balew’s mark was his second-quickest so far of 2026, behind only his season’s best of 12:47.73, which he clocked last month in another Diamond League meeting in Oslo, Norway.
Monaco marked his fourth appearance over 5,000m this year in this year’s Diamond League, which is international athletics’ premier one-day meeting series.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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