Bahrain's world champion elite athlete Winfred Yavi claimed an impressive runner-up finish last night while setting a new personal best in the women’s 5,000 metres at the Meeting International d’Athletisme de la Province de Liege in Belgium.
Yavi, the reigning women’s 3,000m steeplechase world title holder, competed in yesterday’s ultra-quick race as part of her programme ahead of this summer’s Paris Olympic Games 2024, where she will be one of the kingdom’s leading hopefuls of climbing onto the podium.
The 24-year-old put in a fine performance in Liege in only her second competitive run of the outdoor season. Towards the end of the event, she was able to separate herself from the rest of the field and in the closing laps was in a heated one-on-one battle with Marta Alemayo Welteji of Ethiopia for the win.
Yavi led at the bell but going around the final bend, Welteji went into another gear and had a strong finishing kick to win in 14 minutes 39.61 seconds.
Yavi was not far behind in 14:41.99, shattering her old personal best in the distance of 15:15.93, which she set in 2019 in China.
Samiya Hassan Nour of Djibouti came third 14:49.00, while Isobel Batt-Doyle (14:49.75) of Australia and Gete Alemayehu (14:57.17) of Ethiopia followed, completing a top five that all went sub-15 minutes.
Bahrain had two other runners in the race last night. Edao Rebitu Bontu came a solid ninth in 15:15.14, while Tigist Getent Mekonen was 14th in 15:50.86.
The Meeting International d’Athletisme de la Province de Liege was a bronze-level event on the World Athletics Continental Tour.
Yavi this season is aiming to capture her first-ever Olympic medal following a sensational campaign in 2023 that saw her win multiple international accolades.
She not only struck steeplechase gold at the world championships in Budapest, but she also captured an Asian Games double after winning the title in both the steeplechase and the women’s 1,500.
Furthermore, Yavi clinched her first-ever Diamond League title, and set the year’s world leading time in the women’s steeplechase of 8:50.66, which is also an Asian record and a Bahrain record.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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