BAHRAIN’s Albert Rop set a new national record in the men’s 5,000 metres late Friday night at the Herculis meeting in Monaco.

The competition was an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League event and it featured many of the world’s leading elite athletes out on the track and in the field.

Rop registered a time of 12 minutes 51.96 seconds as he finished as runner-up to Kenyan Edwin Cheruiyot Soi. The victor had only marginally beaten Rop to the finish, clocking a winning time of 12:51.34.

Rop’s new Bahrain record was also his personal best. He registered his previous fastest mark in July of last year, when he had a time of 13:01.91 in a meeting in Belgium.

The rest of the top five were also from Kenya. Isiah Kiplangat Koech finished third in 12:56.08, Thomas Longosiwa was fourth in 12:59.81 and Lawi Lalang fifth in 13:00.95.

A total of 19 athletes took part in the race, including Bernard Lagat of the US, who did not finish.

Praised

Following Rop’s achievement, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman and Bahrain Athletics Association president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa praised the rising 19-year-old athlete for his success and encouraged him to greater things in the future.

Meanwhile, also competing at the in Herculis event were former back-to-back World champion Maryam Yusuf Jamal and fellow-Bahraini Mimi Salem.

Maryam has been struggling so far this season as she prepares for next month’s IAAF World Championships in Moscow, and her troubles continued as she finished a worrying 12th in a time of 4:07.31.

Mimi did better in taking seventh overall in 4:03.63.

Jennifer Simpson of the US clinched first place in a tight finish in 4:00.48, while Hellen Obiri of Kenya was second in 4:00.93. Brenda Martinez, also from the US, was a close third-placer in 4:00.94.