O'Lionaird makes most of Farah fall

British 5,000 metres world champion Mo Farah recovered from an opening lap fall to set a personal best while finishing fourth in the featured mile won by Ireland’s Ciaran O’Lionaird at the Boston indoor grand prix on Saturday.

The meeting also produced season’s bests in the 400 metres, where world champion Kirani James of Grenada stormed to victory, and in the women's pole vault and men's 3,000 metres.

Farah, a contender for gold in the London Olympics later this year, fell while in a crowded pack, but bounced back to run a personal best three minutes, 57.92 seconds.

“Somebody just caught my leg," he told reporters. "Once I fell, I had to get back in as quickly as possible. It wasn't easy."

O'Lionaird, a Farah training partner, claimed the win in 3:56.01, followed by Canadian Taylor Milne in 3:56.40.

American Galen Rupp, who led much of the race, took third in 3:57.10 with Farah fourth.
James, who hopes to duplicate his 2011 world title at the Olympics, clocked 45.96 seconds to beat American Josh Scott in his first race of the season.

“The race was exceptional,” James said. “I just competed to see where I’m at. I’m happy with my conditioning and I’m happy with my opening time.”

Olympic silver medallist Jenn Suhr soared a US record 4.88 metres in the women's pole vault, then made one attempt at a world indoors record 5.01 metres before retiring.
Only Russian Yelena Isinbayeva, whose record is 5.00 metres, has ever jumped higher than Suhr, doing so seven times.

Kenya’s Caleb Ndiku outkicked Ethiopian Dejen Gebremeskel to win the men’s 3,000-metre race in 7:38.29.  Talented Ethiopians Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba won the women's distance events.

World record holder Defar dominated the 3,000, winning in 8:33.57, with Dibaba, the Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 metres gold medallist, taking the two mile race in 9:21.60.
The women's 800 metres went to a photo finish with American Maggie Vessey bursting through in the final stride to shock compatriot Erica Moore by four-thousandths of a second.

Vessey clocked 2:02.361 and Moore 2:02.365.