Cheruiyot, Kipsang finish sixth and seventh in 1,500m at World Champs

It was a bad day at the office on day five of the World Athletics Championships as Timothy Cheruiyot and Abel Kipsang finished sixth and seventh in the men’s 1,500m final.

Hours before the race, Kenyans had hoped that the two would try to emulate Faith Kipyegon’s stunning gold-medal-winning performance witnessed on day four but those hopes were dashed in the end.

On the one hand, Cheruiyot went into the race as the defending champion as well as an Olympic silver medal in his pocket. Kipsang, on the other hand, stepped onto the track full of confidence, following his stunning display at the World Indoor Championships where he secured a bronze medal.

It was expected to be a tough but exciting race and it sure was. The field was dominated by stars: Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen; Olympic bronze medalist Josh Kerr of Great Britain; and fourth-ranked Australian athlete Stewart Mcsweyn.

Kenya's Abel Kipsang (C) competes in the men's 1500m final during the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on July 19, 2022. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

READ: Faith Kipyegon wins gold in the women's 1,500m at World Athletics Championships

From the get-go, the Kenyans went gung-ho, a strategy that would come to haunt them in the final minutes of the race. Kipsang in the first lap was ahead followed closely by his compatriot, Cheruiyot.

With two laps to go, everything changed and you could feel the tension and excitement at a packed Hayward Field.

Towards the last 800m, Ingebrigtsen laid down his gauntlet, going past the two Kenyans and splitting the race into a single file.

For a moment, everyone thought it would be a repeat of the Tokyo Olympics, the Norwegian first followed by Cheruiyot.

EUGENE, OREGON - JULY 19: Silver medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Team Norway; gold medalist Jake Wightman of Team Great Britain; and bronze medalist Mohamed Katir of Team Spain pose during the medal ceremony for the Men's 1500m Final on day five of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 19, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

READ: Oregon 2022: Faith Kipyegon wins gold, Judith Korir silver, Conseslus Kipruto bronze

At the bell for the final lap, it was Ingebrigtsen, the two Kenyans and the British pair of Kerr and Jake Wightman who accelerated away.

With Ingebrigtsen still leading towards the final straight, Wightman pushed forward, passing him with 200m to go and then keeping him at bay to claim a shocking gold.

The 28-year-old stunned the world, finishing in 3:29:23, with the Norwegian coming in second in 3:29.47, with Spain's Mohamed Katir third at 3:29.90.