Jelimo bounces back with Istanbul gold and Kenyan record

Pamela Jelimo winning in Istanbul/ Photo: IAAF/Getty

Kenya's reigning Olympic 800m champion, Pamela Jelimo, put three years of pain behind her to win her country's first women's title at the 14th IAAF World Indoor Championships 2012 in Istanbul on Sunday.

Jelimo announced her return from injury to elite class with a commanding performance to win the World 800m gold medal with a Kenyan record of 1.58.83, the fastest time in the world so far this year.
 
The 22-year-old Beijing 2008 champion broke from the field with about 150m to go and held on comfortably to win ahead of Ukraine's Nataliya Lupu, second in a personal best time of 1:59.67.
 
American Erica Moore sets a personal best of 1:59.97 to pick the bronze medal with Ethiopian Fantu Magiso settling for 4th place with a lifetime best of 2:00.30.

"For me, I am happy," said Jelimo after the race.

"These last three years, with my injury, were a disaster for me. Injuries have a great impact on top athletes. But I did not give up and my coach motivated me a lot. It feels great to be a world champion, it is great to be at the top again."

Unstoppable Aman
 
Mohammed Aman aged just 18 years an 61 days became the youngest ever gold medallist and the first Ethiopian to win any kind of medal at men’s 800m at an IAAF World Indoor championships.
 
The Ethiopian, a 2011 World Youth silver medallist, produced a mature performance to win in 1:48.36. Jakub Holuša of the Czech Republic took the silver in 1:48.62 with Briton Andrew Osagie settling for bronze in 1:48.92.
 
In other events, Morocco’s Abdalaati Iguider won a bruising battle in the men's 1500m to snatch the gold medal in 3:45.21 ahead of Kenyan-born Turk Ilham Tanui Özbilen (the home crowd favourite formerly known as William Biwott Tanui) and Mekonnen Gebremedhin of Ethiopia.
 
Özbilen, the World junior record holder in the mile took the silver medal in 3:45.35 and Gebremedhin settled for bronze in 3:45.90. Aman Wote from Ethiopian was fourth in 3:47.02 and Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti finished fifth in 3:47.35.
 
Elroy Gelant of South Africa set a national record of 7.48.64 in the men's 3000m. The race was won by Kenyan born American, Bernard Lagat in 7:41.44.
 
Augustine Choge (1:41.77) and Edwin Soi (7:41.78) settled for the silver and bronze medals respectively with Somali-born Briton Mohammed Farah (1:41.79) fourth. Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia was fifth in 7:42.60, Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda was seventh in 7:44.59 and Yenew Alamirew of Ethiopia was ninth in 7:45.15.
 
Complete Results Below:

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