Genzebe Dibaba wins first world track title, David Rudisha back on top

Though short on Canadian highlights, the fourth day of the IAAF World Championships of Athletics was an exciting one for middle-distance fans seeing two world record-holders take home gold in their events.

First, in the second-last event of the evening, Genzebe Dibaba won her first outdoor world championship title after what has become one of the most impressive two-year spans ever. The 24-year-old Ethiopian ran away from the field in the women’s 1,500m final, finishing in a modest 4:08.09. Earlier this season she set the women’s world record at the distance. Faith Kipyegon of Kenya and Sifan Hissan of the Netherlands finished second and third, respectively.

In the final event of the evening, David Rudisha regained his world championship title in the 800m, the event he holds the world record in. Rudisha won in 1:45.84, a relatively slow time given performances earlier this year from a number of athletes, though some of the top contenders missed the final, including Olympic silver-medalist Nijel Amos of Botswana. The race was an uncharacteristic one for Rudisha, who also won world championships in 2011; he has struggled to compete at the same level as when he won the 2012 Olympics in a new world record after a string of injuries.

Canadians Bendon Rodney and Aaron Brown raced the men’s 200m heats. Rodney qualified for tomorrow’s semi-final while Brown did not. Carline Muir raced the women’s 400m semi-final but did not advance.